Greater Transparency and Accountability of Government

USAID's efforts focus on achieving a more responsive and accountable governance at the local level. USAID seeks to provide local citizens with a legitimate role in the development process, a stake in its success, the capacity to act, and a clear sense of shared responsibility for the results. Communities’ understanding of local conditions and their ability to mobilize local residents and resources are vital to sustainable development. At the local level, USAID is advancing the expansion of the small business sector to stimulate entrepreneurship, employment, and a sprit of independence and self-help. USAID also promotes the recognition among local actors that alliances between municipalities and the private sector can help overcome barriers to promote economic growth.

USAID supports transparency and anticorruption activities that improve the financial management and accountability of public funds. The keys to achieve this goal include strengthening the Supreme Audit Institution and its ability to audit the use of donor and municipal funds; supporting independent anticorruption authorities and public awareness; and implementing an ongoing multi-donor program to improve government procurement systems.

USAID is selecting municipalities to receive technical assistance in core functions such as financial administration, basic municipal services, cadastre, and citizen participation to strengthen the management, accessibility, and responsiveness of local governments. USAID promotes using larger municipalities as multipliers of best practices for their smaller neighbors, which may be clustered into groups or mancomunidades. Through the continued support of the national municipal association, open dialogue is increased between municipalities and national policy-makers, resulting in the devolution of political power to the municipal level, more transparent dealings with the central government, and greater municipal control over local investment.

USAID works in expanding the role of civil society in justice reform, anticorruption, electoral reform, municipal development, and decentralization. We also help civil society form Intermediate Support Organizations (ISO) that are aggregating sectorial interests and have the potential to lobby national policy-makers. Such organizations are a crucial link between the state and civil society and a principal vehicle for pushing reforms in their sectors. At the local level, support to broad based coalitions of civil society will contribute to establish common approaches and goals, as well as provide oversight to municipal governments.

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