Program

Democracy & Goverance

Overview Program Description Activities Photo Gallery

Program Description

Jamaican Context

Despite Jamaica’s forty-year history of democratic practices and institutions, the country continues to struggle to ensure good governance and rule of law. As a result, the government is challenged to fulfill its most basic role – that of ensuring citizen security. Jamaica’s homicide rate—third highest in the world in 2003—is evidence of the magnitude of that challenge. Efforts to strengthen good governance must address several key issues, including:

• Significant alienation between the local police and citizens, especially in troubled inner-city communities
• Inefficiencies and significant delays in the court system create skepticism about timely and effective justice and contribute to vigilante justice
• Loss of confidence in the government’s ability to meet citizens’ needs
• Widespread perception that corruption is commonplace in Jamaica and not amenable to reduction

Jamaica’s violent crime and reputation for corruption deter investment and increase the cost of doing business. Thus, efforts to improve good governance and reduce corruption are not only critical to social and political stability but figure prominently in Jamaica’s ability to achieve economic competitiveness.

USAID’s Assistance

USAID’s assistance will strengthen Jamaican civil society organizations’ capability for more effective advocacy and help empower citizens to assume greater civic responsibility and achieve more government accountability. Assistance to strengthen local efforts to combat corruption will be a key new feature of USAID’s program.

Expected outcomes of USAID assistance include:

• Civic Responsibility and Empowerment Strengthened
  Civil society organizations (CSOs) lack cohesiveness and political clout in Jamaica. USAID’s assistance will strengthen CSO advocacy and help empower citizens through activities such as initiatives to increase public access to information, the creation of advocacy networks of CSOs and non-governmental organizations (NGOs)—including those with an anti-corruption agenda, and civic and human rights education for youth.
• Increased Public Safety in Targeted Communities
  USAID will replicate in inner-city communities its pilot community policing initiative for Grants Pen in Kingston to build trust and reduce tension between communities and police and facilitate more effective crime-fighting and violence reduction. Assistance may also target selective justice system improvements that are critical to crime and violence reduction.
• Increased Accountability to Control Corruption
  USAID’s assistance will strengthen (a) NGOs with an anti-corruption mandate, (b) government agencies responsible for protecting the public from corruption, and (c) private sector monitors such as CSOs and the media.

Enhanced community-level democratic processes and governance, improved community/police relations, and greater accountability to stem corruption--all anticipated outcomes of USAID’s democracy and governance assistance—support Jamaica’s agenda to strengthen its democracy and enhance its economic competitiveness.