Administrator Samantha Power with Noticias SIN’s Alicia Ortega de Hasbún

MS. ALICIA ORTEGA DE HASBÚN: Well, thank you for being here. Welcome. I know you've gotten those comments, you know, during your trip: welcome to the Dominican Republic. So, first of all, I guess, I'd like to talk about the importance of the agreement signed yesterday, and that financing for impoverished women who don't have so many opportunities. 

ADMINISTRATOR SAMANTHA POWER: Yes, well, USAID is very focused on the Dominican Republic, not just on supporting in whatever way we can – economic growth, but actually focusing on inclusive economic growth, knowing that a country can grow but leave a lot of people behind. And so, this was actually something that was brought to me by President [Luis] Abinader two years ago. And, he said, the southwest of the country is very underdeveloped, really hard in particular for women there, women entrepreneurs to get a break, especially those who are looking for microfinance, just small amounts of money – $1,000 here, $2,000 there – to grow a business or take an idea and turn it into something. So, we went and partnered with America's Development Finance Corporation and came up with this arrangement whereby the bank, Banreservas, will provide a loan portfolio, basically, to these women, and the DFC, the U.S. institution, will guarantee these loans. Because the banks sometimes hang back, and they say, “Are these women too risky? Is this part of the country too risky?” And, what this does is it takes the risk away from the bank and has that risk then absorbed by the United States. So, it's $42 million in a loan portfolio, and that will amount to about $84 million worth of loans out in the world because the government too is going to contribute.

MS. ORTEGA DE HASBÚN: Before the signing of the agreement, you had a chance to meet with President Abinader, and I understand you discussed at least four topics, including Dominican Republic bolstering of democracy and democratic institutions, anticipated passage of the public procurement reform legislation, trafficking in persons, and the challenges faced and Dominican assistance for the Multinational Security Support Mission to Haiti. So, I'd like to expand on those topics discussed with the President, starting with Haiti. Since the crisis in the neighboring country and the insecurity on the other side of the border are topics that the government, the Dominican Republic, has repeatedly exposed in international forums. So, what type of Dominican assistance to the Multinational Mission would we be talking about? 

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: Dominican assistance is your question?

MS. ORTEGA DE HASBÚN: Uh-huh. 

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: You know, we really didn't get into that question. I think what I was able to convey was what the United States is doing on the other side of the border. We know that part of the reason so many Haitians seek to come to the Dominican Republic is gang violence, of course, and economic deprivation. 

USAID does a ton of work inside Haiti, for example, to try to provide healthcare. About a third of the healthcare in Haiti is actually funded by USAID. We know that that hasn't stopped people coming and looking for healthcare, but our effort, again, is to work on the sources of migration or the causes that people would have to feel economically insecure or physically insecure. 

President Abinader has been very focused, of course, on the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support police mission. That mission is off to a good start, but needless to say, more police need to flow into Haiti. They need to be better equipped, and that is something other parts of the U.S. government are focused on. So, that really is where our discussion went, is to how to give this so-called MSS a greater chance of success in Haiti. Because we know that the Haitian police hung on for a long time, really feeling very alone against some formidable, violent gang leaders, and now there's a chance for collaboration between the Kenyan-led force and the indigenous force, but the window to make a meaningful difference will not stay open forever. And so, President Abinader stressed the urgency of getting the Kenyan-led force and Haitian police reinforcements.

MS. ORTEGA DE HASBÚN: How – I know it's other institutions that are actually working, you know, with, you know, with that force, other U.S. institutions that are working with that force – but how does the USAID help right now in the immediate future, with regards to what's going on in Haiti, which is such an important topic for us?

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: USAID focus is entirely in the civilian domain, you know, on issues like healthcare, actually, still providing farmers with support for planting and harvesting. The extreme weather that the Dominican Republic and Haiti have to deal with mean that we spend a lot of resources, as well, just on straight up humanitarian assistance in the wake of natural disasters. We still have a large population that depends on U.S. resources for treatment for HIV/AIDS. That's still a significant issue in Haiti. So, and then, these investments in the healthcare system. I think about 150 Haitian clinics – you know, hospital clinics or medical clinics – are funded by USAID. So, we're really focused on civilian welfare. 

At the same time, with this brief window when there's an effort to restore security, which had deteriorated so much, we're very focused, as well, on the political side – what is the roadmap to having a legitimately elected, democratic government? It was really important that there be this transition. More civil society and political actors are bought in now to the new government. There was a sense, you know, that the Prime Minister [Ariel] Henry had lost legitimacy over time. This government – no government will have true legitimacy until those democratic elections occur. So, that is also what we are doing, is working on the political side. Because even though the gang violence, of course, is the headline-getting issue in Haiti, it is also very significant that there have not been elections in so long. And so, you know, supporting those who are putting the country back on the democratic path is something we do as well.

MS. ORTEGA DE HASBÚN: When you speak of elections in Haiti, and we just had elections in Venezuela, and you spoke to the President, one of the topics that you spoke about was the Dominican Republic's bolstering of democracy and democratic institutions. Is that any – does that have anything to do with what's happening in Venezuela after the elections, and the fact that the government is not respecting the will of the people and what they expressed at the polls.

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: Well, let me say – and maybe we'll come to this – but, of course, a major area of emphasis was the Dominican Republic's own election. And, you know, really some of the pro-democratic steps, the steps taken here in order to strengthen checks and balances.

Obviously, President Abinader has obtained super majorities now that give him an awful lot of power, but one of the things, I think, that I'm struck by is an awareness of how that power could be used in the future if you had a similar situation, and a recognition of the importance of building checks and balances so that super majorities in the future are not used in ways that then set back the democratic process. So –

MS. ORTEGA DE HASBÚN: So, are you concerned? 

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: No, no, no. The – sorry.

MS. ORTEGA DE HASBÚN: I guess my question is, you know, when you have a congress that is all within the same party, both chambers, and the party in power – it’s very difficult to have checks and balances. And, that's something that analysts here have taken into consideration. I mean, it can be  great, you know, for passing every kind of good, but it can also, you know, it's deterrent in the sense that everything is in one party.

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: This is something that I talked to President Abinader about. It's clearly – he's thinking about, at least, as he describes it, his role, not only in terms of the next four years, but also what would happen in the future if somebody amassed that kind of power. And so, you know, the kinds of steps that are being taken to strengthen the independence of the Attorney General. The work that USAID does in support of the rule of law, in support of an independent judiciary, you know, making sure that the police are trained in human rights and that they work, again, within a justice system that is independent from political power. I think all of these are really important steps to try to, you know, use your electoral mandate to bring about. 

I understand the concern. I think you know, when in the United States, when one party controls, you know, all branches of government. I think everybody, you know, wonders what that is going to mean. But, you know, as somebody who comes from a country that is now mired in gridlock, you know, where we can't get much of anything passed, I also think, you know, getting public procurement through, you know, building these anti-corruption checks and balances, using the legislative mandate as well on the budgetary side to invest in basic education, to invest in primary health and digital health. You know, that is the area of emphasis, certainly that the President expressed to me. 

You asked earlier about Venezuela, so maybe I'll just touch on that briefly. I went right to talking about the Dominican Republic because I look at this – I look at everything from a global perspective. USAID has programs in more than 100 countries, and by and large globally, what we see is what we call democratic backsliding, or even democracy under assault. Autocratic forces, repressive forces gaining momentum. So, we find it very encouraging to come to a country like the Dominican Republic, where there's an emphasis on strengthening checks and balances, an emphasis on making government processes more transparent, not less transparent. And, I do think the Dominican Republic's leadership in the region, but also globally, is becoming more and more significant because you can count on probably two hands those countries that are moving up the Transparency International Index, you know, in terms of fighting corruption, or moving up the Liberalization or the Freedom Index. 

Venezuela is, of course, a country of great concern. I find it incredibly moving and inspiring, even, that 12 million people came out and cast their vote despite all of the recent history that could have caused them to give up on their democracy, but they still, in some cases, risked, you know, even their physical security, to go and make their voices heard. So, we really appreciate all countries that have come out and called for the results to be released. In the first instance, the tally sheets to be released, a basic requirement. It's consistent with the constitution and the electoral commission's own requirements in Venezuela. And, you know, we're hopeful that there can be a Venezuelan-led process to get out of this impasse. But, again, the first step is just release the tallies.

MS. ORTEGA DE HASBÚN: So, another one of the topics, which is something that the government has been pushing, is the anticipated public procurement reform legislation, a project that is now in the senate. Especially in the light of the fact that one of the priorities of the U.S. Agency for International Development is the fight against corruption, so, what would you be hoping to see with this reform?

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: Well, when I look back at my tenure as USAID Administrator, I started with President Biden in early 2021 and one of my earliest trips actually was to the Dominican Republic. And, I remember meeting with President Abinader then, and him describing the broad ambition to fight corruption in this country, to reform the police, a number of very signature ambitions. But in the anti-corruption fight, public procurement was a very significant priority for him. And so, hearing that, the United States over the last few years – USAID in particular – has offered technical support as the government has thought, you know, which kind of procurement law is likely to be most effective. 

You know, procurement, it can sound very kind of technical and weedy, but fundamentally, it's about getting the best value for Dominican Republic taxpayer dollars. Like, how is the government funded? It is funded by taxes paid by the citizens of this amazing country. And when, you know, there's a sole, you know, a single bidder, and the prices are thus very inflated because there's no competition. That means less money for textbooks for schools. That means, you know, less of an investment in health security, you know, for the next pandemic that we know will come one day. So, it can sound like, you know, kind of government speak, but the consequences are real because it means the diversion of resources and the inflation of prices on public goods. 

And he [President Abinader] really spoke with, you know, great animation about this issue. And so, USAID came in and offered everything from surveys of other procurement laws in other countries that had had a material effect, technical training of people who wouldn't themselves be doing the drafting, but then also doing the implementation on the other side.

And so, you know, without comment, it's not our law. It's your country, you know, fundamentally to figure out what the right legal framework is. But, we really applaud the people who have worked so hard over these last three years to bring the law to this point. And, if and when it passes the lower house and obtains the force of law, what it should do is bring prices down and bring the quality of the services and the goods that are procured by the government – that quality should increase competition. Sunlight, they say, is the best disinfectant. So, sunlight will bring a lot of eyes to the processes by which, you know, very significant government expenditures are undertaken.

MS. ORTEGA DE HASBÚN: What are the other topics, human trafficking? What challenges did you speak about? 

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: I think trafficking persons is a real challenge. It's a challenge as well in the United States. There have been campaigns that the United States has helped fund here, done training around, so that people know their rights, so that they know to go to law enforcement when they see the signs of, you know, a man and a child who look like they don't know each other very well and are moving through an airport.

You know, I think it's safe to say that the laws on the books can be strengthened. The enforcement of the laws can be strengthened. And above all, public awareness, awareness by police, the appropriate training for police, for border officials, and really for people in every sector, every public sector, but just broad public awareness can be strengthened. And sometimes that's about communications. Again, there have been campaigns that have been run here. Given the tourism industry, hotel operators being aware of what trafficking can look like. And then, of course, you know when it comes to large companies that are – even smaller businesses that are employing people – making sure that the rights of workers are broadly understood and that there is enforcement when those rights are abused. So, we work in a lot of the areas that intersect with that agenda.

But you know what the President has said is that this is a priority in his second term, to strengthen human rights. I met yesterday as well with the new Interior Minister [Faride Raful] – the incoming Interior Minister – who has her work cut out for her, you know, given all of the functions that live within the Interior Ministry. But, you know, at the beginning of a new term for any leader, when you have a government that is showing political will around human rights or around political reform, you know, our job is to listen. We have tripled our funding – USAID has – over the last three years. Because when we see a reform opening, when we see somebody who is expressing political will, we want to be there and to try to accelerate those reforms with technical assistance, with training, with seed funding. 

And, we know that in the end, the measure of any reform agenda is, does the life of the citizen change in any material respect? And, so, that is what we keep an eye on as well out in civil society, you know, and working with young people who, for all of the economic growth that the country has experienced, still have real concerns about whether they can find work after they graduate from university and get skilled. So, everything comes back to bread and butter issues in the end. 

But, in tripling our funding here and announcing a $45 million budget here going forward over the next year, we are in the listening mode so that we know how we can be most catalytic. Because we are not a huge funder. You know, fundamentally, it’s the government and the private sector who are going to drive change in this, and citizens above all who are going to drive change. But, where we can make select investments that would be helpful, we hope to do so.

MS. ORTEGA DE HASBÚN: That tripling of the funding has been since when?

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: 2021.

MS. ORTEGA DE HASBÚN: Since 2021, you've tripled the funding, the USAID funding, correct? 

ADMINISTRATOR POWER:  Yeah, in the Dominican Republic.

MS. ORTEGA DE HASBÚN: So how much was it in 2020? 

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: I think it was, you know, a little under $20 million, and then this year will be $45 million.

MS. ORTEGA DE HASBÚN: Is that with this program? Or is it separate USAID?

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: This program being the DFC?

MS. ORTEGA DE HASBÚN: Yeah.

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: USAID was the catalytic actor that brought everybody together. But it's the Development Finance Corporation that is doing the loan portfolio guaranty.

MS. ORTEGA DE HASBÚN: Right, but I mean, that's with – that's including them, that's what I mean? 

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: No, that is DFC funding, is the $42 million.

MS. ORTEGA DE HASBÚN: Ok. So you've gone from $15 million to $45 million in – 

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: Roughly.

MS. ORTEGA DE HASBÚN: So, you spoke about police police reform. Several times, you've spoken about that reform. The topic of crime and violence are the ones that worry most the citizens of the country, and that's according to surveys. And it's also a topic very important to the U.S.A., and it's due to the flow of people traveling between the U.S. and the Dominican Republic, and the ramifications of this flow, which lead to criminal networks. So, how does the Agency, up to this point see – I mean, what you've seen of the police reform, it's been a little slower than what was initially planned, but do you see that they've been advancing? Do you see, you know, that it's advancing, that police reform?

ADMINISTRATOR POWER:  Well, I think, ultimately the people of the Dominican Republic will be the judge of that. Three quarters of USAID staff here in the Dominican Republic are Dominican, and it's one of the reasons that I think our programming is very plugged in with the communities because our team comes from all over the country. And so, that's the kind of thing that I've talked to them on this visit. You know, how does it feel? And, fundamentally, that it's going to be for you all to judge. 

I think what we hear from the government is that there's a lot more work to be done. You know, I think ultimately, the ambition for every government is that citizens view the police not as, you know – view the police fundamentally as a source of security and not insecurity. And so, you know, that would have to be true across the country. I think the corruption conversation and the police reform conversation, I gather, come together. And so, one of the significant reforms that has occurred is increasing the police salaries. And, the goal there, of course, was both to reward police who were doing such important work in the community, but also making those police less susceptible themselves to being bribed or to working, you know, in ways that are not beneficial for the citizens. So, I think what the President has said is that more training is needed. The Interior Minister obviously will be working with the Chief of Police, you know, to strengthen reforms there. And, again, for now, we are in listening mode to know what is the way in which the U.S. government can be helpful.

MS. ORTEGA DE HASBÚN: How do you rate Dominican Republic, in general, compared to other countries in the region, taking into account the agency's priorities: crime and violence, human rights, gender violence. 

ADMINISTRATOR POWER:  Well, it is, again, not for me to give scorecards. You know, fundamentally the importance of the Dominican Republic strengthening its democracy and coming out en masse, you know, for the recent election is that the people are voting and making those judgments. 

You know, the way we look at governance, or the way we look at, let's say, development broadly, is like a stool, you know, a three legged stool. Where you have the physical security of citizens, which is why police reform matters so much. You have economic development and economic growth, and particularly jobs for young people. Economic is the second leg. And then, governance and human rights: checks and balances, but also the rights of all communities, including vulnerable communities. Sometimes, you know, you have to look at human rights, you have to look at the most vulnerable to know, really, in a lasting way, do you have the kind of stability that you need? 

So, I think governance and human rights, economic growth and continuing that trajectory, and then the physical security. If any one of those legs is too short, you know, then there's a risk. If human rights enjoyment is not broadly based, then that can actually make it harder for us to drive private sector investment to the country. Same with physical insecurity. If people are insecure, you know, how is that going to work for investors to feel that things are stable? And, you know, I think what's really important as the Dominican Republic then heads into this next phase is to continue progress in all areas. I think countries that emphasize one over the other, you know, again, there isn't the same stability. I will say, as I said earlier, that in the hemisphere, just as globally, we've seen real setbacks in human rights and governance, and we have seen that undermine economic progress. I think what's important here is full speed ahead on all three fronts.