18552: (Arthur) Has the USAID Haiti Democracy Programme been a success? (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Tttnhm@aol.com

Charles Arthur writes:

In view of the current situation in Haiti, has the USAID Haiti Democracy
Programme been a success?

Extracts from the USAID/Haiti Congressional Budget Justification, 2003

(Please note, these are extracts from the USAID - I did not write them)

USAID Mission: Haiti
Program Title: Democracy and Governance
Pillar: Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance
Strategic Objective: 521-005
Status: Continuing
Proposed FY 2003 Obligation: $2,000,000 DA
Prior Year Unobligated: $0
Proposed FY 2004 Obligation: $2,900,000 DA
Year of Initial Obligation: FY 2002
Estimated Completion Date: FY 2004

Summary: Despite the climate of impunity, pro-democracy advocates chose to
brave the consequences though they sometimes pay with their lives. Citizens and
civil society organizations continue to decry government abuses and insist on
participating in the democratic process despite the ever-decreasing space to
do so effectively. Corruption has become the norm, with GOH ministries
providing few basic services. In order to address these problems, in FY 2002 USAID
launched new programs to help Haitian civil society resist the growing trend
toward authoritarian rule by: (1) Strengthening the independent media; (2) Working
with reform-minded organizations pushing a judicial reform agenda and human
rights; and (3) Developing new political leadership. USAID/Haiti has also taken
up activities to stop the spread of corruption in the public and private
sectors and address the sensitive issues of trafficking in persons, including
child domestics.

Inputs, Outputs, Activities:
FY 2003 Program:
Independent media ($625,000 DA). USAID will continue to support the
independent media and broaden the independent community radio network initiated during
the first year of programming. This same network will be one of the principal
avenues for communicating with the otherwise isolated rural population on
issues of primary importance, including civic education and other social marketing
messages for health, education, and agriculture. The principal contractor is
Creative Associates International (prime).

Legal system ($500,000 DA). Support to groups advancing a judicial reform
agenda and human rights will continue into its second year and, with lessons
learned from Dominican counterparts, this movement will advance its reform agenda
to the national level. The legal system reform group has developed sound
contacts with Hatians in the Diaspora, who are eager to lend their support to push
its agenda forward.
Support for human rights organizations also will be increased, funds
permitting. The principal contractor is International Foundation for Electoral Systems
(IFES) (prime).
Political party assistance ($875,000 DA). This project will work with
political parties to strengthen their constituencies, both inside and outside of
Port-au-Prince; formalize party structures; and formulate issue-driven
platforms. The principal contractors are National Democratic Institue (NDI),
International Republican Institute (IRI) (primes), and Fondation Heritage,
CNO, and CID Gallup (subs).

FY 2004 Program:
Because USAID's Democracy & Governance program depends on the political
environment in Haiti, which is very fluid and unpredictable, as well as the
availability of funds, USAID's ability to plan for the new cycle is constrained.
USAID can only presume what the FY 2004 requirements will be; it may be an
election year, and USAID may be called upon to give election assistance. As the
political situation and funds permit, USAID plans to continue work in the critical
areas of civil society strengthening, assistance to political parties, legal
reform, anti-corruption acitivites, and child trafficking. Possible major
program areas for FY 2004 include: Legal System ($700,000 DA), Independent Media
($900,000 DA), and Political Party Assistance ($1,300,000 DA). Now is a critical
juncture in Haiti's democracy, and the country is crying out for competent
democratic leadership.


Performance and Results: To date, USAID’s support to civil society has
empowered and perhaps emboldened groups to engage with government on national
interests. The number of cases in which an organized dialogue on policy issues was
carried out by civil society organizations with the public institutions nearly
doubled last fiscal year. The bulk of the increase is due to an upsurge in
politically-charged events such as the unresolved political impasse, increase in
human rights abuses, and government corruption.
As elections loom, some of the civil society groups who have benefited to
date from capacity building training will be put to the test. Specifically, the
election observation committee (CNO), which mobilized 22,000 volunteers for the
May 2000 elections and selected and trained an elite corps of observers, will
be required to perform again.
In a recently conducted political opinion poll, more people expressed
confidence in the role and responsiveness of the media than in any other institution
in Haiti, with more than 70% stating that they believed the press “worked for
the nation.” As USAID's community radio network expands its outreach in year
two of activities, USAID projects an estimated 40% increase in its
listenership. USAID's objectives in strengthening these stations’ capabilities are to
mitigate the social, geographic, and educational gaps that exist between groups
based in the capital city and their counterparts in rural areas.

Program impact will be measured in terms of the number and quality of
advocacy actions by civil society and acceptance of election results by political
parties. With continued support to civil society organizations, USAID can
anticipate even greater contribution of these organizations to the democratic
process. The long-term goal of USAID's Democracy & Governance program is to cultivate
democractic practices, culture, and institutions in order to shift Haiti away
from its tradition of autocratic dictatorship and promote a more stable,
democratic government.