ANNOUNCEMENTS
For watchers of America’s democracy promotion efforts, a new body within USAID has emerged. OI will have more to say about the DRG Bureau as it gets underway. Early days still. But as always exciting ones.
DRG Bureau Leadership Letter
Dear Colleagues,
I am excited to announce that the new Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG) is operational! This milestone is the culmination of a lot of hard work by colleagues throughout the Agency to whom we owe a debt of gratitude. Beginning last November, the Agency embarked on the creation of the DRG Bureau and five other operating units, which you can read about in the Administrator’s announcement here. The DRG Bureau is seizing this moment to advance our collective efforts to elevate democracy programming and USAID’s leadership role in the DRG space. In support of USAID missions and the broader DRG community, we are pursuing an ambitious agenda to invigorate democracy, enhance human rights and justice, and bolster governance that advances the public interest and delivers inclusive development. You can find our organizational chart below.
The DRG Bureau is operational, but we’re not running at 100 percent just yet. We’ve been standing on our own as a Bureau and are still working on getting our offices set up, and processes created. Additionally, we’re moving from the Ronald Reagan Building to SA-44. So please pardon our dust as we work through this time of transitions!
What has changed?
- The previous DRG Center teams are now offices. Several offices have received name changes, and you can find those changes here. You can find a description of the offices here!
- The DRG Bureau includes the Anti-Corruption Center, formerly the Anti-Corruption Task Force.
How do I contact the new Bureau?
- Each Office in the DRG Bureau has its own listserv, which can be found here.
- If you are seeking general information about the DRG Bureau, please reach out to DRG.CadreSupport@usaid.gov
- If you’d like to receive updates from the DRG Bureau, make sure you are signed up for the drgglobalcadre@usaid.gov listserv! You can contact DRG.CadreSupport@usaid.gov to be added.
Sincerley,
Shannon N. Green, Assistant to the Administrator, DRG Bureau
DRG Bureau Launch Event: “Rising to the Moment – Democracy Progress in Development and Foreign Policy”
On October 19, USAID’s new DRG Bureau in collaboration with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), hosted the DRG Bureau launch event “Rising to the Moment – Democratic Progress in Development and Foreign Policy.” The event included keynote remarks from the Assistant to the Administrator (AtA), Shannon N. Green, who highlighted how USAID is emphasizing a whole-of-Agency approach to pursuing democratic progress and how the Agency is utilizing tools such as policy influence, strategic communications, and partnerships, to address contemporary challenges and opportunities for democratic development.
A panel discussion followed, featuring AtA Green, Katerine Ellena from the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, and Gerardo Berthin from Freedom House. The panel addressed new and emerging threats to democratic institutions, norms, and actors, highlighting the “pivots” we need to make to modernize our assistance and better situate DRG in development and foreign policy. The event built excitement for USAID’s new DRG Bureau and its vision for invigorating democracy, enhancing human rights and justice, and bolstering governance that advances the public interest and delivers inclusive development. Please watch the livestreamed event here.