Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal: DRL Office of Global Programs Efforts

At the inaugural Summit for Democracy, the U.S. government announced its commitments under the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal, a landmark set of policy and foreign assistance initiatives that build upon the U.S. government’s significant, ongoing work to bolster democracy and defend human rights globally.

With the support of Congress, the Office of Global Programs in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL/GP) proudly leads and contributes to multiple efforts under the Presidential Initiative, supporting four pillars: Supporting Free and Independent Media, Fighting Corruption, Bolstering Democratic Reformers, and Advancing Technology for Democracy.

Free and Independent Media

• Journalism Protection Platform (JPP). The JPP will promote and protect open and resilient information ecosystems by addressing critical needs for at-risk journalists, fostering long-term sustainability of independent media outlets, enhancing the impact of investigative journalism, and bolstering outlets’ resilience to legal and regulatory challenges.

Fighting Corruption

• Global Anti-Corruption Consortium (GACC). The Department of State, joined by other donors, will build on its support for the GACC to expand partnerships between media and civil society organizations, expose transnational corruption, advocate for policy reforms, and increase accountability for corrupt actors.

Bolstering Democratic Reformers

• Supporting Her Empowerment: Political Engagement, Rights, Safety, and Inclusion Strategies to Succeed (SHE PERSISTS). DRL/GP, in collaboration with the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues (S/GWI) and the White House Gender Policy Council, will launch SHE PERSISTS to support women’s political participation and empowerment to build and sustain good governance and lasting democracy globally. The multi-year program will provide funding for technical assistance on advancing women’s safety, political participation and empowerment, and initiatives for inclusive democracy.
• Bridging Understanding, Integrity, and Legitimacy for Democracy (BUILD) Initiative. The BUILD Initiative will lay the groundwork for providing career professionals in closed political spaces the skills and resources to quickly respond to and engage in democratic openings when they occur.
• Global LGBTQI+ Inclusive Democracy and Empowerment (GLIDE) Fund. A new program under the Global Equality Fund, the GLIDE Fund will facilitate the participation and leadership of LGBTQI+ community members in democratic institutions that directly impact the lived realities of LGBTQI+ persons in their communities and around the globe. The engagement, influence, and representation of LGBTQI+ persons in political processes and governance structures is intended to empower connected, skilled, and sustainable LGBTQI+ movements for democracy and human rights.
• Lifeline: Embattled CSOs Assistance Fund. Responding to the increased threat against human rights defenders and activists globally, the State Department will increase support for Lifeline, a multilateral initiative which supports civil society organizations under threat or attack as a consequence of their democracy and human rights work with emergency financial assistance as well as rapid response advocacy and resiliency grants to support CSOs in responding to broader threats against civic space.
• Multilateral Partnership for Organizing, Worker Empowerment, and Rights (M-POWER). Led by the Departments of State and Labor and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), M-POWER will bring together like-minded governments, worker organizations, and labor stakeholders to strengthen free and independent trade unions; support labor law reform and enforcement; promote worker organizing and the innovative use of collective bargaining to improve livelihoods; and extend labor law coverage to protect workers in vulnerable, low-wage employment and those sectors excluded from labor law protection, particularly in the informal economy. As part of this initiative, the U.S. will fund technical assistance programs to support worker empowerment and workers’ right to organize. This includes DRL/GP’s support for a new program that will focus on supporting gig workers to organize, pursue, and achieve fair and decent rights at work, and benefit from legal rights and protections in line with international standards.

Advancing Technology for Democracy

• Multilateral Surge and Sustain Fund for Anti-Censorship Technology. A new initiative, this fund will support critical censorship circumvention technology platforms, connecting more users to the uncensored internet and sustaining these connections in times of greatest need.