For Immediate Release
Press Release
(September 27, 2024) - In a unified display of commitment to democratic advancement in Fiji, President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere joined U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power at the “Democracy Delivers” event co-hosted by USAID and the Ford Foundation during the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. Government leaders, philanthropic partners, and civil society representatives also joined the event to bolster support for Fiji and other nations experiencing democratic transitions.
During the event, the United States reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Fiji's ongoing democratic advancements. Earlier this year when Fiji joined the Democracy Delivers Initiative, USAID announced plans to work with Congress to allocate $5.7 million in funding to promote inclusive electoral processes, strengthen local agriculture, and improve waste management systems.
USAID Pacific Islands Mission Director Zema Semunegus highlighted that Fiji has made remarkable democratic progress and that the country’s inclusion in USAID’s Democracy Delivers Initiative in June 2024 has brought many new opportunities.
“This partnership with USAID strengthens Fiji's democratic initiatives and reaffirms the importance of fostering democratic progress that delivers for the people, as Fiji continues to set a benchmark for democracy in the Pacific region,” she stated.
Expanding the Democracy Delivers Commitment to Action launched at UNGA in 2023, philanthropic partners also announced new commitments for Democracy Delivers countries and objectives this year. At the UNGA event, like-minded development partners, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, also committed to join USAID in supporting democratic openings throughout their development and diplomatic agendas and to bolstering information resilience.
President Katonivere was joined by leaders and senior representatives from other countries that are part of USAID’s Democracy Delivers Initiative, such as Armenia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Malawi, the Maldives, Moldova, Nepal, Tanzania, and Zambia, all of which are experiencing promising moments of democratic opportunity.
About the Democracy Delivers Initiative:
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. The Initiative is currently supporting Armenia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Fiji, Guatemala, Malawi, Maldives, Moldova, Nepal, Tanzania, and Zambia.
Continuing the momentum of the Summit for Democracy process and building upon previous Democracy Delivers events, the United States’ remains committed to convening the world’s democracies and galvanizing collective and sustained action to ensure that democracy delivers opportunity and dignity for all.
We encourage all organizations to join us.
