Transition Initiatives

Description

Transition Initiatives support USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI), which advances U.S. foreign policy objectives by helping local partners around the globe promote peace and democracy. OTI programs provide fast, flexible, shortterm assistance designed for specific political transition and stabilization needs.

What does it buy?

Funds support programming that lay a foundation for long-term development in countries facing instability or political transition. Programs are designed to promote reconciliation, jumpstart local economies, support emerging independent media, and foster freedom and democracy.

Why is it important?

• Violence and violent conflict are the leading causes of global displacement. OTI’s capacities are critical to stemming the tide of violent conflict, which costs the global economy $14.76 trillion per year.
• OTI has assisted communities during times of volatility, including establishing administrative service centers in Ukraine, where OTI helped almost 71,000 displaced Ukrainians build relationships, overcome trauma, and develop skills needed to reintegrate.
• In Honduras, which has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, the OTI Safe Schools Initiative brought together school officials, parents, the surrounding community, local government, and the police to plan and implement small-scale security improvements to schools suffering under gang influence.
  • In one high school, enrollment had dropped precipitously. OTI programming resulted in a 98% increase in enrollment.
• In West Africa and the Sahel, OTI’s programming helped communities counter violent extremism and strengthened the economic, social, and political integration of youth in their communities.
• Since 2017, the Islamic State-Mozambique (IS-M) has increasingly committed attacks in northern Mozambique, sparking mass displacement and threatening long-term recovery and stability. COVID-19 has worsened the situation and been exploited by IS-M. In Northern Mozambique, OTI is partnering with local government, community leaders, and civil society organizations to strengthen resilience to violent extremism. The program currently works to:
  • Enable vulnerable youth to resist violent extremism more effectively.
  • Increase positive engagement between communities and the government.

Why should Americans care?

• Promoting and upholding global peace contributes to U.S. national security and Americans’ safety, both at home and abroad.
• In the face of rising authoritarianism and stalled transitions that threaten to foster further costly conflict, OTI’s programs support positive political change.

COVID-19 Impacts

• The challenges of COVID-19, including travel restrictions and adapting programs to remote engagement, further complicate the work of OTI and its programming in what are already highly complex, often contentious periods of political transition. COVID-19—and its manipulation by anti-democratic governments—is increasing conflict risks and political instability.

What more could be done?

• Additional investment could allow OTI to seize critical windows of opportunity, supporting significant transitions across the globe and reducing the need for costly military interventions.
• OTI often works in fewer than 15 contexts at a time. However, more countries are in crisis. With additional investment, OTI could quickly apply its fast and flexible model to more countries, not just the most extreme cases.
• Strategically targeted assistance to additional local partners around the world would allow for specific communities to combat vulnerabilities to violent extremism.