The United States through US Agency for International Development (USAID) has revealed that as at today, America is running democracy programs in 81 countries, with a roughly $1.6 billion annual budget.
USAID Deputy Administrator, Isobel Coleman disclosed this at United States Government’s Sustainable Development Goal 16 Side Event of the High-Level Political Forum in New York on Tuesday.
She said in line with Joe Biden Administration priorities, USAID is catalyzing progress on SDG 16 by elevating democracy, the rule of law in its policy and development agendas, generating knowledge and evidence that drives innovation.
“And also mobilizing cutting-edge programs and technical assistance to enable USAID’s Missions and partners to accelerate democratic development globally.
“In line with SDG 16, we do this through programming that promotes fairness and access to justice; protects human rights; advances freedom of the press; fosters citizens’ ability to hold their governments accountable.
“And also enables credible, free, fair, and peaceful elections and transitions of power, ideals that we are clearly wrestling with here in the United States, as we grapple with the realities of political violence”, she said.
Coleman stated that it’s no secret that this is challenging time for advancing global justice and human rights. “The United Nations has acknowledged that, among all of Sustainable Development Goals, SDG 16 is lagging notably behind. 
“Not one of its targets is on track to be reached by 2030. According to the World Justice Project, two-thirds of countries experienced a weakening of civil justice systems last year.
“And rule of law once again weakened in a majority of countries, continuing the steady trend of decline in global rule of law that started in 2016. And with that weakening has come a decline in human rights which have regressed in three out of four countries since 2016.
In view of this, she said USAID remain focused on the long game which includes looking for new ways to contribute to building global justice, new opportunities to innovate and improve our programming, and new partnerships to strengthen our work.
“And every day, we bear witness to the courageous work of human rights defenders and pro-democracy advocates fighting for justice and dignity around the world, and do everything we can to support their work”.
According to her, “USAID’s global justice programming takes a variety of forms. For example, in Mexico, Honduras, Democratic Republic of Congo, USAID is running 100-day challenges, bringing communities, justice leaders, and government officials together to solve a particular problem within a finite period of time. 
“Recently, as a result of one of these challenges in Mexico, a State’s Attorney General’s Office generated solutions to improve case management associated with traffic-related damage, injury, and homicide.
“After implementing these solutions, the Attorney General’s Office achieved more than a 260 percent increase in case resolution and recovered $11.5 million in Mexican Pesos – nearly $680,000 as restitution for victims”.
To give another example, in Colombia, she said USAID has partnered with government leaders in numerous municipalities to develop what are called Justice Houses.
“These are Integrated, multi-agency service centers which serve as one-stop-shops for meeting community justice needs and addressing issues like poverty, gang activity, local conflict, and gender-based violence.
“These community-based avenues for conflict prevention and dispute resolution reflect the paradigm of people-centered justice that animates USAID’s Rule of Law Policy, placing the people affected by the law at the core of the policies, processes, and practices that constitute justice systems.
“Today, there are more than 50 well-staffed Justice Houses operating throughout Colombia. These centers have supported nearly eight million citizens, mainly from low-income communities, in accessing justice and care.
“And last year, we launched our Rule of Law Innovation, Design, Experimentation, Acceleration, and Solutions Lab, or IDEAS Lab, which is dedicated to promoting data- backed best practices and supporting our Missions in implementing Rule of Law and people-centered justice programs.
“In order to spur locally-led innovation, the IDEAS Lab has been hosting what we call “IDEAthons,” or brainstorming sessions convening bright minds from within the communities where we work.
“Last month, we hosted an IDEAthon in Serbia that yielded community-based solutions that harness artificial intelligence to streamline public justice processes, increase accessibility for visually impaired citizens completing legal documents,” she explained.
Speaking on turning the tide toward justice, Coleman said it requires more than just the Agency’s increased focus and improved programming approaches, but believed it demands three significant and global efforts.
She said, “First, it requires that we break free from the myth that rule of law reform is prohibitively expensive and takes too long to demonstrate results. Credible research suggests that a universal, people centered- justice system costs roughly $35 per person per year in low-income countries to implement.
“This might seem like a daunting figure, but we know that rule of law underpins so much of development. Indeed, a growing body of evidence demonstrates that taking such action has a very high rate of return.
“Studies have shown that every $1 invested in increasing access to justice yields the equivalent of $4 saved on transaction costs, $14 gained in productivity, $51 gained in quality of life; and $10 saved in the costs of public services.
“Second, turning the tide requires that we, as member states and organizations committed to the rule of law, work together in coordinated and dynamic ways.
“That’s why USAID is proud to be a member of the Governance Board of the Justice Action Coalition, an alliance committed to furthering learning, sharing evidence, and investing in people-centered justice.
“Today, I am pleased to announce that, with Congressional approval, USAID will make a $600,000 contribution to the Justice Action Coalition’s (JAC) Data and Evidence Workstream through the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
*This contribution will enable the OECD to develop global standards and tools to collect rule of law data, provide evidence of how investments in rule of law and justice system strengthening contribute to development outcomes, and bring together justice leaders, policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and others to share their ideas and develop new solutions”.
She added, This contribution will also strengthen JAC Secretariat, demonstrating our commitment to the alliance’s new governance structure.
“As donors, we need to continue to find ways to work together, through co-funding of programs, data and evidence sharing, and working locally to advance people-centered justice, rule of law in cost-effective manner and the JAC is a leader in each of these regards.
“Third and finally, we must catalyze reform using tools beyond our standard budget commitments and traditional assistance – or, as we, at USAID, like to say, to deliver “progress beyond programs.”
This means drawing on our convening power to mobilize new partnerships, including with the private sector; tapping into the power of our broad policy toolbox to lead conversations.
“And influence norms; and engaging in effective development diplomacy by leveraging our expertise and prioritizing insights from our partners on the ground to maximize impact and drive locally-led progress”.
She pointed out that the Agency’s work in Zambia illustrates the explanation. “As Zambia experiences an encouraging democratic opening, with USAID surging high-level attention, support, and resources to the country.
“And seeking to build broad coalitions to help the government, civil society members, and Zambian citizens in their efforts to sustain and consolidate democratic advances.
“And recognizing that we cannot achieve our goals through government alone, USAID is helping connect Zambia’s leaders with private-sector investors, bilateral and multilateral donors, and philanthropic counterparts.
“And using the U.S. government’s convening power to help facilitate new partnerships and coalitions. We encourage other donors and member states to explore ways they too can draw on every available resource to make their dollars count and achieve maximum global impact”.
In her conclusion, she said at USAID, together with its partners at the Department of Justice and across the U.S. government, are focused squarely on taking steps to reach the SDGs. “But we are well aware that our resources are finite, and we don’t have all the answers.
“We need all of you. And we need to act quickly and purposefully. With 2030 fast approaching, we have no time to waste in turning the tide towards increased access to justice, strengthening global democracy, and ultimately bettering the lives of people.”
