We’ve reached the end of the Practice of Partnership series. We’ve discussed how local partnership can help grow economies and businesses, strengthen democracy, and provide the drive and innovation to help countries meet their climate change goals. As we’ve seen, driving local partnership isn’t a one-sized-fits-all approach because local partners aren’t a monolith. They include local businesses, NGOs, civil society organizations, investors, corporations, and government bodies. That means...

Colombia’s deep-seated democratic traditions have been put to the test by decades of armed conflict. Over the past 50 years, thousands of people have been murdered and millions affected by violence. High levels of inequality and eroding trust between citizens and government institutions have also tested the country’s democracy and rule of law. Against this backdrop, USAID and the Government of Colombia are bringing together organizations of varying footprints, attributes, and perspectives in...

Crisis upon crisis has beset the country of Lebanon, home to hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, Palestinians, diverse religious communities, and an even more diverse political landscape. Political failures have repeatedly brought the country to halt, most recently in 2020 when the country’s financial sector collapsed. Since then, financial and business innovation has been helping to bring the country back from the brink. A new cadre of investors is catalyzing economic growth and...

A global shift is underway. The trend toward de-globalization, influenced by our climate crisis, the pandemic experience, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and growing attention to dislocation and inequalities within national economies has caused many countries to turn inward. Advocates of free trade as the answer to global growth face increasingly tough questions. “Place-based economics” lies at the center of an emerging order, which encourages businesses to reassess the value of localized...

By any measure, Vietnam is a huge success story. In the space of just 20 years, from 2000 to 2020, the country’s GDP grew from US$31 billion to $346 billion. But alongside these substantial achievements, carbon emissions have grown sevenfold since 2000, making Vietnam the world’s 19th largest carbon emitter. The government has pledged the country would reach net zero by 2050, but Vietnam faces increasing challenges around reducing fossil fuel-based energy, transportation, and industrial...

There’s an old African proverb that says if you want to fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together. In other words, people and relationships lie at the heart of success. At DAI, we depend on our partners. Not just our co-implementers and small businesses, but crucially our local partners in the countries where we work. Development is inherently local and collaborative – local leadership and participation are essential.