For Immediate Release
Press Release
New commitments announced at UN General Assembly will support government reform efforts and facilitate improvements to public goods as part of USAID’s Democracy Delivers Initiative
On September 25, at the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) “Democracy Delivers” event on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, USAID Administrator Samantha Power, in partnership with the Ford Foundation, convened fellow government leaders, philanthropic partners, and civil society to increase support to Malawi and other countries experiencing democratic openings around the world.
The United States through USAID announced $8.725 million (over MK 15.2 billion) for Malawi which includes:
- $4.975 million, through Partnerships for Democratic Development (PDD), to support Malawi in strengthening collaborative problem-solving of public service delivery challenges across sectors such as health, education, natural resource management and agriculture. Funding will facilitate citizen engagement with government authorities to address governance bottlenecks and promote private sector participation, while fostering cross-government learning to empower district governments in improving service delivery outcomes.
- $2 million to address gender-based violence and support gender equality for women and girls in Malawi through USAID’s Gender Equity and Equality Action (GEEA) Fund. This activity aims to bolster their safety and security as well as their access to quality jobs, finance, and leadership in the fisheries sector.
- $1 million over five years to bring the m-mama maternal health program to Malawi. M-mama is an emergency referral and transport system that uses existing ambulances and community drivers to transport women and newborns in rural areas when in obstetric or post-birth crisis. USAID’s $1 million leverages $11.5 million in commitment from foundations and local partners to launch m-mama with the Government of Malawi in 2025.
- $750,000 to support citizen-led election observation groups in Malawi to strengthen integrity and accountability in democratic processes and build confidence in elections.
Leaders and senior representatives from other countries experiencing democratic openings -- Armenia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Fiji, Guatemala, the Maldives, Moldova, Nepal, Tanzania, and Zambia – joined the event to highlight their countries’ democratic opportunity and to welcome new investments and collaborations furthering democratic resilience.
Like-minded partners, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, committed to join USAID in supporting democratic openings throughout their development and diplomatic agendas and to bolstering information resilience. Expanding the Democracy Delivers Commitment to Action launched at UNGA in 2023, philanthropic partners also announced new commitments Democracy Delivers countries and objectives.
At the event, partners announced the following support:
- In 2024, the Skoll Foundation plans to invest a total of $10.5 million in health systems strengthening and advancing healthier information ecosystems. Working across more than 12 countries, including Malawi, Skoll invests in community- level health systems, strengthens pandemic preparedness and response, advances innovative solutions to health systems challenges, and is deepening partnerships between communities and Ministries of Health.
- The Vodafone Foundation’s commitment announced in 2023 to provide up to $6 million over five years to expand m-mama to Malawi has now been matched by $1 million from USAID and $4.5 million from a coalition of philanthropies and local partners, contingent upon the commitment from the Government of Malawi to cover the ongoing operational cost of running the service (estimated at less than $500,000 per year). Patient transports should begin in 2025.
- The Chandler Foundation will support the five policy commitments under the Open Government Partnership National Action Plan, which include beneficial ownership transparency, debt transparency, natural resource governance, among other reforms. The foundation will also assist in the development and implementation of a new National Action Plan. Additional support will be provided to whistleblower protection legislation and other anti-corruption initiatives.
- As part of a $5.4 million investment across three countries, in Malawi The Rockefeller Foundation is supporting the work of Seed Global Health to conduct a health vulnerability assessment and develop a refined, streamlined tool that allows for more rapid diagnostic studies in resource-constrained settings.
Secretary Blinken and Administrator Power launched the Democracy Delivers Initiative in 2022 to bring together a multi-stakeholder coalition of partners and surge resources to countries undergoing moments of democratic renewal to help deliver tangible, lasting progress for citizens. By prioritizing responsiveness to citizen needs and enhancing transparency and accountability, these commitments will strengthen government reform efforts and facilitate improvements to public services.
Continuing the momentum of the Summit for Democracy process and building upon previous Democracy Delivers events, the gathering underscored the United States’ continued commitment to convening the world’s democracies and to galvanize collective and sustained action and ensure that democracy delivers opportunity and dignity for all.
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