10 Ways USAID is Building and Defending Democracy and Human Rights
Read about programs in Ukraine, Guyana, Nigeria, Honduras, Bangladesh, Libya, Mali, and Colombia
USAID recognizes a fundamental truth: development and democracy are integrally linked. Compared to authoritarian societies, democratic societies experience lower rates of conflict, higher economic growth, stronger environmental protections, and longer life expectancies — underscoring why democratic progress is essential to all of our work at USAID.
USAID supports local changemakers working to uphold the dignity of all individuals in their communities, including and especially people from historically marginalized and underserved communities — often at great personal cost — across the world.
To these brave defenders of human rights — we stand with you.
And we will continue to work with our partners to support your work, safeguard your human rights, and uphold the fundamental dignity of every person.
Below are 10 photos that capture the essence of how USAID and our partners are building and defending democracy and human rights. These are winners and finalists of the 2023 USAID Democracy, Human Rights and Governance photo contest. The photos were submitted by implementing partners and USAID field missions, and judged by a panel from the USAID democracy sector.
Community Development Continues in Bunker Lviv Oblast
Against the backdrop of Russian missile attacks, local leaders and members of the Dobrotvir community in Ukraine’s Lviv region found refuge in a bomb shelter to continue crafting their community’s development strategy in October 2022. These community-driven strategies empower local governments to shape their future based on citizen priorities and their own resources, helping elected officials deliver on democracy by providing essential services and responding to community needs. USAID actively supports hundreds of communities, Dobrotvir included, to recover and rebuild from the impacts of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Building Youth Civic Education and Leadership
In March 2023, 39 Indigenous youth from every region of Georgetown, Guyana, representing different Indigenous Nations took part in a five-day training of trainers on civic education and leadership, in partnership with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, and the National Toshao’s Council, as part of the USAID Youth Advocacy Linkages, Leadership in Elections and Society program. These young leaders then traveled back to their home villages to conduct educational and skills-building sessions for young people in their communities. In this photograph, Indigenous youth practice leading sessions to build leadership skills and self-confidence.
Promoting Peaceful Elections and Voter Participation
A young woman smiles as she votes in the 2023 Nigerian presidential and legislative elections on February 25, 2023. The International Republican Institute deployed a delegation to Abuja, Nigeria, along with the National Democratic Institute, to participate in a USAID funded Election Observation Mission promoting a peaceful election and to encourage voter participation.
Distilling a Reduction of Violence and Irregular Migration
In July 2023, Honduran youth performed a traditional folkloric dance that represents Honduran culture during the celebration of International Youth Day. Under the theme “Inspiring Dreams on Youth Day,” the USAID-supported event was for the benefit of children, youth, and families in the municipality of Santa Cruz de Yojoa, to promote both cultural heritage and a sense of belonging as a means to reduce violence and irregular migration.
Recognizing Right to Food as Human Right
Despite the adoption of a comprehensive Food Policy and a large social safety net program in Bangladesh, that policy proved inadequate to push down the poverty rate as quickly as expected. In response, more than a thousand of local, national, and international nongovernmental organization, civil society organizations and networks, peasants’ organizations, trade unions, women organizations, youth organizations, researchers, academia, marginalized people and individual from all over the country joined the USAID-supported Right to Food and Nutrition campaign that is still ongoing in Dhaka. Additionally, USAID has supported research, trade and private sector competitiveness, nutrition, and modernizing and expanding agricultural policies, production, and growth.
Empowering Young Libyan Leaders
USAID’s PLAY for Peace activity organized public events for International Youth Day with nearly 700 participants from Bani Walid, Tawergha, Zawiyah, Sahl ElJfara, and Misrata. This year participants focused on green initiatives, community dialogues and the arts. USAID promotes local reconciliation efforts by bringing together young people that have suffered from deep-rooted divisions and recurring violence for positive interactions that promote peace.
Countering Human Trafficking on Public Transportation
Traffickers have targeted Ukrainians for decades, but Russia’s brutal war has made millions of Ukrainians more vulnerable to this crime. USAID, in partnership with the International Migration Organization (IOM) Ukraine, decorated carriages on the Kyiv metro with campaign materials to highlight the signs and risks of human trafficking, as well as resources to turn to for help. Launched on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons Day in July 2023, this campaign reached over 450,000 Ukrainians, and the IOM-supported counter-trafficking hotline saw a 24% increase in calls after its launch. In the first half of 2023 alone, IOM provided support to over 700 victims of trafficking, exploitation, and gender based violence — addressing the multi-faceted needs of war-impacted Ukrainians.
Highlighting Citizen Advocacy
As part of USAID’s Honduras Local Governance Activity, implemented by DAI, the message of “The people are diversity” was shared during the LGBTQI+ pride day walk in San Pedro Sula, Cortés, Honduras in July 2022. USAID has provided technical assistance to the Comité LGBTQI+ Valle de Sula members on citizen advocacy, social oversight, and participation mechanisms.
Facilitating Media Literacy and Information Resilience
USAID’s Reacting to Early Warning and Response Data II program provides grants to local non-governmental organizations in Benin, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Togo to help prevent and mitigate electoral violence and promote peace and social cohesion. This includes facilitating theater and dance performances, on media literacy and information resilience to raise awareness about Malian elections, voting, and the political transition process, such as this one on June 13, 2023, in Kita, Mali. Efforts such as these prepare Malian citizens to make informed decisions regarding their role in the political transition and to verify sources of information.
Fostering Networking Through Collective Action
Representatives from various sectors, invited by USAID Colombia’s Strengthening Together Activity in Tocancipá, Colombia, including family and business foundations, community-based organizations, media, academia, think tanks and international actors, gathered in October 2022, to discuss how they can foster and position civil society organizations in Colombia through collective actions. During the event, the attendees identified the need to draw up short-, medium- and long-term work plans to meet these ambitious objectives. The result was 19 work plans, each focused on specific areas of interest and action.
About the Author
Jessica Benton Cooney is the Senior Communications and Outreach Specialist in USAID’s Center for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance.
