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Screenshot from the 2022 DRG Virtual Conference showing participants including Administrator Samantha Powell

The 2022 DRG Virtual Conference was held online from June 21 – 30, 2022, and included five plenaries, five sessions on the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal (PIDR), eight technical concurrent sessions on issues like DRG and climate and localization, as well as two networking sessions. The event featured USAID Administrator Samantha Power and several USAID Foreign Service Nationals, as well as country leaders like Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of the Belarusian Democratic Oppositions and  Samson Itodo, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa. We drew inspiration from poets like Corbin Ford and powerful photos from around the world.  A total of 1,481 registered participants joined the conference from 91 different countries!

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Photo from Armel Nkunzimana showing USAID-funded human trafficking education initiative. IOM Burundi partnered with local theatre troupe Buja Sans Tabou to produce and stage the show “Invisible in Plain Sight” in Muyinga Province.

This year’s 2022 DRG Photo Contest winner is Armel Nkunzimana from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Burundi. This photo, taken on March 15, 2022, depicts a USAID-funded human trafficking education initiative. IOM Burundi partnered with local theatre troupe Buja Sans Tabou to produce and stage the show “Invisible in Plain Sight” in Muyinga Province. During the show, community members were captivated by an immersive performance shedding light on the risks of human trafficking to communities. Check out all of the top ten finalists of the 2022 DRG Photo Contest.

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Screenshot from the 2022 DRG Virtual Conference showing poet Corbin Ford
“Because our time has come, it is time to light the fire / For our desires to rise higher, that outweighs the choirs of voices that tell us to slow down when we speed up.”

 - An excerpt of notable lines from Poet Corbin Ford’s poem, delivered during the opening keynote. Click here for the full text of the poem, An Untitled Poem on Democracy.

Click here to check out the Conference Program Guide. Recordings are available below:

PLENARIES

Welcome, Opening Remarks

This session opened the conference. It featured welcoming words by Danielle Reiff, DRG Center; an original poem by Corbin Ford; introductions from the conference Master(s) of Ceremonies (listed below); and an address by Deputy Assistant Administrator Johnny Walsh. It also included the opening keynote address by Samson Itodo of Yiaga Africa.

  • Thokozile Chisala, USAID/Malawi
  • Courtney Gilmer, USAID DRG Center
  • Patty Hunter, USAID DRG Center
  • Adamu Igoche, USAID/Nigeria

You may access the recording here. The transcript is found here.

Democratic Resilience: What Is It and What Does It Look Like For Us?

This session focused on investigating how to build democratic resilience in contested spaces.

  • Mulima Akapelwa, USAID/Zambia
  • Walter Doetsch, USAID/Indonesia
  • Guillermo Miranda, USAID/El Salvador
  • Seema Shah, Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA)

You may access the recording here. The transcript is found here.

The State of Democracy: A Conversation Among Leaders

This session featured a conversation between two leaders, USAID Administrator Samantha Power and the leader of the democratic opposition of Belarus, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Their discussion was followed by a Q&A moderated by Larry Diamond of Stanford University. The session offered a discussion on democratic renewal, resilience, and protection, particularly in the context of foreign malign influence interference, and highlighted USAID's priorities and plans for balancing the state of democracy globally.

  • Larry Diamond, Stanford University
  • Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Belarusian Democratic Opposition
  • Samantha Power, USAID Administrator

You may access the recording here. The transcript is found here.

Adaptation in Extreme Contexts: Pivoting Programs, People and Operations in Ukraine and Afghanistan

This session reflected on programmatic and operational adaptations and identified lessons for other democracy practitioners seeking to identify fertile spaces where the general terrain may look bleak.

  • Christina Gallagher, Catholic Relief Services, Afghanistan
  • Marat Kyurchevsky, USAID/Ukraine
  • Malina Mirkhail, USAID/Afghanistan
  • Johnny Walsh, Deputy Assistant Administrator, DDI/DRG
  • Naida Zecevic-Bean, USAID/Ukraine

You may access the recording here. The transcript is found here.

Closing Remarks and Keynote

This session closed the conference. It featured remarks from USAID DRG Center Director Ro Tucci, presentation of the 2022 Democracy Award from the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)  to USAID’s global DRG officers, the announcement of the winners and finalists of the 2022 DRG Photo Contest, and an original poem by Myesha Green.  Other presenters were:

  • Anthony Banbury, IFES
  • Rosarie Tucci, USAID DRG Center Director
  • Laura Pavlovic, USAID DRG Center Deputy Director
  • Ana Aptsiauri, Equality Movement (Republic of Georgia)
  • Nishan de Mel, Verite Research (Sri Lanka)

You may access the recording here. The transcript is found here.

PRESIDENTIAL INITIATIVE FOR DEMOCRATIC RENEWAL (PIDR) IN FOCUS SESSIONS

Supporting Democratic Reformers

The session featured a discussion with the United States Institute of Peace to explore the latest research findings on the links between nonviolent action, the participation of youth and women, and democratic transitions.

  • Asma Ben Aicha, USAID/Tunisia
  • Shawna Bader-Blau, Solidarity Center
  • Erica Chenoweth, Harvard Kennedy School
  • Mouna Ben Garga, CIVICUS
  • Benjamin Naimark-Rowse, USAID DRG Center
  • Jonathan Pinckney, United States Institute of Peace (USIP)
  • Neetha Tangirala, USAID DRG Center

You may access the recording here. The transcript is found here.

Strengthening Independent Media Globally

The session presented three USAID media projects: (1) the International Fund for Public Interest Media, a pooled fund that will offer grants to outlets in need; (2) Media Viability Accelerator, which will help increase media outlets’ business liability and reduce their need for grants; and (3) Defamation Defense Fund or Reporters Mutual, an insurance company for journalists facing predatory lawsuits.

  • Shannon Maguire, USAID/Europe & Eurasia
  • Khadija Patel, International Fund for Public Interest Media
  • Marko Pjevic, USAID/Serbia
  • Janine Warner, Sembra Media

You may access the recording here. The transcript is found here.

Advancing Digital Democracy

This session presented a comprehensive, whole society digital democracy approach, which embeds democratic values and human rights across the entire digital ecosystems to ensure that data and technology advance rather than undermine democracy.

  • Chris Doten, Expert on Technology and Democracy
  • Lorri Meils, USAID DRG Center
  • Marco Pjevic, USAID/Serbia
  • Lisa Poggiali, USAID DRG Center
  • Vera Zakem, USAID DRG Center

You may access the recording here. The transcript is found here.

Preventing and Countering Corruption

This session featured a discussion with USAID mission staff, the Open Government Partnership, the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), and Connectas on the opportunities, needs, challenges, and practical considerations in mobilizing global action against corruption.

  • Frank Brown, CIPE
  • Paula Pérez Antonio Garcia Morales, Open Government Partnership
  • Shannon Green, Executive Director, Anti-Corruption Task Force, USAID
  • Jason Grullon, USAID/Dominican Republic
  • Melissa Hooper, USAID/Bureau for Europe & Eurasia
  • Carlos Eduardo Huertas, Connectas
  • Jennifer Lewis, USAID DRG Center
  • Ahmad Qisa’i, USAID/Indonesia
  • Agathe Tshimpanga, USAID/Democratic Republic of the Congo

You may access the recording here. The transcript is found here.

Removing Rose Colored Glasses: Electoral Assistance for a New Era

This session considered how the convergence of novel challenges and growing complexity of elections

should prompt adaptations to strategic and operational approaches to electoral assistance.

  • Ol’ha Aivazovska, OPORA and Global Network for Domestic Election Monitors
  • Therese Pearce-Laanela, International IDEA
  • Anthony Banbury, International Foundation for Electoral Systems
  • Kate Somvongsiri, USAID/Tanzania
  • Ambar Zobairi, USAID DRG Center

You may access the recording here. The transcript is found here.

CONCURRENT TECHNICAL SESSIONS

Integration in Focus: DRG and Climate Action

This session informed and inspired the global DRG and Environment cadres on why and how DRG and climate action are mutually reinforcing and how you can get involved.

  • Gillian Caldwell, USAID Chief Climate Officer
  • Gina Choquehuanca, USAID/Southern Africa
  • Ashley Netherton, USAID/Southern Africa
  • Laura Pavlovic, USAID DRG Center
  • Jessy Tolkan, Drive Agency
  • Lauren Van Metre, National Democratic Institute

You may access the recording here. The transcript is found here.

Translating DRG Evidence into Programming: Three Critical Resources for DRG Practitioners

This session introduced three evidence resources every DRG Officer can use for improved strategic planning, activity design, and program implementation.

  • Golnoosh Hakimdavar, USAID DRG Center
  • Anna Kuznetsova, USAID/Kosovo
  • Charlotte Lane, 3ie

You may access the recording here. The transcript is found here.

Localization: Shifting Power for Democratic Development

This session delved into the question of how USAID and its partners can reorient development work to invest greater power in these actors, better harnessing their experiences, expertise, and savvy toward the goals of DRG.

  • Jenny Hodgson, Global Fund for Community Philanthropies
  • Paula Moreno, Manos Visibles
  • Sarah Rose, USAID
  • Arjun Tasker, USAID
  • Elizabeth Troolin, USAID

You may access the recording here. The transcript is found here.

Protecting Human Rights Advocates in Complex Environments

This session spotlighted how missions, USAID partners, and activists are adapting their strategies and

approaches to respond to increasingly challenging conditions. The session will also provide recommendations for donors and implementers to consider in designing and implementing programs in dynamic and unpredictable operating environments.

  • Nick Antipov, MAKEOUT, Belarus
  • Terith Chy, USAID/Cambodia
  • Marino Cordoba, Association of Displaced Afro-Colombians
  • Idayat Hassan, Centre for Democracy and Development
  • Phea Sat, USAID/Cambodia

You may access the recording here. The transcript is found here.

New Rule of Law Policy & People-Centered Justice

This session highlighted core elements of the forthcoming Rule of Law Policy and how it can be used to design innovative activities, make the case for additional rule of law assistance, and assert USAID technical leadership in the field.

  • Zana Berisha, USAID/Kosovo
  • Scott Carlson, American Bar Association
  • Golnoosh Hakimdavar, USAID DRG Center
  • Miranda Jolicoeur, USAID/DRC
  • Andrew Solomon, USAID DRG Center
  • Jeremy Williammee, USAID/Mexico

You may access the recording here. The transcript is found here.

Closing the Gap: Aligning DRG and CPS Policy and Programming Priorities

This session explored the complex challenges we face and the ways in which USAID’s DRG/peacebuilding community can simultaneously advance democratic renewal and promote peace and stability.

  • Stephanie Garvey, USAID/Ethiopia
  • Mike Jobbins, Global Affairs and Partnerships
  • Giorgi Khechinashvili, USAID/Georgia

You may access the recording here. The transcript is found here.

Co-Creation and DRG: A Conversation with OAA

This session covered myths related to co-creation.

  • Greg Gisvold, USAID
  • Jenny Murphy, USAID
  • Terri Richards, USAID
  • Abdullah Aziz Yousuf, USAID

You may access the recording here. The transcript is found here.

For additional assistance, please contact Jessica Benton Cooney, Senior Communications and Outreach Specialist, DRG Center at jbentoncooney@usaid.gov.

Sector Overview