USAID Administrator Power Spotlights Democratic Progress and Opportunity in Maldives and Announces New Commitments from the United States and Partners to Bolster Progress

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 

Today, 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 Maldives and other countries experiencing democratic openings around the world.

The United States, through USAID, announced $4.4 million for Maldives including:

• An additional $3 million to support new efforts to strengthen media literacy programming and promote information resilience in the Maldives by increasing transparency in the public and media sectors and equipping the public, particularly youth, with tools to be better informed and discerning consumers of media and social media content; and 
• An additional $1.4 million to support awareness raising for democratic rights and civic engagement, continued work with local councils and women’s development committees, and advocacy for transparent and accountable democratic processes.

Ali Naseer Mohamed, Permanent Representative to the U.N., Maldives joined the event alongside leaders and senior representatives from countries experiencing democratic openings – Armenia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Fiji, Guatemala, Malawi, the Maldives, Moldova, Nepal, Tanzania, and Zambia – to highlight Maldives’ democratic progress 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.

The additional resources will be invested strategically to align with Maldives’ ongoing effort to increase transparency in the public and media sectors, expand opportunities for civic engagement, and promote transparent and accountable democratic processes. USAID is committed to partnering with Maldives to implement economic and democratic reforms and build a robust civil society that creates an environmentally sustainable and inclusive economy.

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.

We encourage all organizations that believe in fundamental human dignity to join us.
 

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