USAID/Kyrgyz Republic: USAID-IDLO Judicial Strengthening / Trusted Judiciary Program

The Challenge

A lack of efficiency and transparency in the Kyrgyz Republic’s paper-based judicial system has caused opportunities for corruption at every stage of judicial proceedings—limiting access to due process and undermining the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the entire legal system. Contradictory laws, an inability to track or exchange data, underdeveloped infrastructure, and limited technical capacities of staff have also added to the challenges of this environment. Despite these persistent issues, there were both limited funds and few qualified technical experts to help shape legislative and system-wide change.

The Approach

Over the past two years, the USAID-IDLO Judicial Strengthening/Trusted Judiciary Programs in the Kyrgyz Republic ran an analysis to understand the challenges facing the judicial system. The USAID-IDLO team then devoted significant time to observing, reviewing, analyzing, and discussing the infrastructure, situation, and needs of the end-users of customized technology solutions: judges, court staff, and other legal professionals. After this discovery and research phase, the team created and implemented a customized and holistic e-justice initiative to strengthen judicial integrity, minimize corruption, and enhance transparency. Adilet Sot, a dedicated information technology (IT) entity for the judiciary, is a key component of this initiative. This customized solution, built by the USAID team, now serves as a fully resourced organization and central hub for the country’s judiciary digitalization efforts. 

Adilet Sot supports and implements the routine publication of judicial decisions on a publicly accessed website. It also leverages Automated Case Distribution software for the Supreme Court and lower level courts, while offering audio and video transcription services as needed. 

Why It Won

With its holistic approach to e-justice, the USAID-IDLO Judicial Strengthening/Trusted Judiciary Program filled a need where previous initiatives had failed to produce sustainable results. The first supported pilot versions of Adilet Sot were tested among user groups and then received further funding from the judiciary budget to scale up from just a few courts initially to a nationwide rollout, with an allocated budget. In 2019, open publication of judicial decisions increased to 90 percent, greatly improving transparency. Overall, this program not only provided support to e-justice initiatives but has become a leading driver of nationwide digital transformation.

USAID/Indonesia: Human Resources for Health in 2030 (HRH2030) Program

The Challenge

Indonesia’s extensive health system faces a wide spectrum of issues across the workforce, including: inefficient urban-rural distribution; skill-gaps of recent graduates to meet evolving epidemiological and demographic needs; inadequate regulation to ensure quality provision of services; and a fragmented ecosystem of information systems with disparate stakeholders across the labor market. These issues have created challenging health environments in the country and led to some of the highest rates of preventable maternal and neonatal deaths in the Asia Pacific region; a growing HIV epidemic that disproportionately affects vulnerable communities; and rising cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis. 

The Approach 

Given the vastness and  decentralized management of Indonesia’s health workforce, the parties involved in addressing public health issues, including the Ministry of Health (MOH) and external stakeholders decided to focus first on building a connected ecosystem of information systems that would gather high-quality data and produce actionable analytics. Human Resources for Health in 2030 (HRH2030) stepped in to support the MOH Board of Human Resources for Health Empowerment and Development and began building this connected data-ecosystem for health professionals. The team created an open, interoperable architecture and a business intelligence platform that both integrates data across the health labor market and strengthens an existing central human resource information system. They also developed a governance structure for stakeholder coordination, increased capacity within the central level MOH, and institutionalized processes within regional government to sustain these efforts. 

Why It Won

Leveraging existing systems and digital global goods such as District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2) and the Open Health Information Mediator (OpenHIM), HRH2030 focused on building targeted capacity within Indonesia’s MOH to support this evolution of  connected, centralized set of information systems. What emerged was a business intelligence platform that stakeholders at all levels within the health system can use. This includes twelve information systems and integrated data sets, including public-facing dashboards for the nationwide COVID-19 response.

By putting the MOH in the driver’s seat and providing comprehensive capacity building and mentorship support, HRH2030 has ensured that activities are fully integrated into the Board of Human Resources for Health Empowerment and Development (Badan Pengembangan dan Pemberdayaan Sumber Daya Manusia Kesehatan, or BPPSDMK) structure, including staff job descriptions and work plan activities. And on a larger scale, USAID’s HRH2030 program offers a substantial step forward in the Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health in 2030, a critical initiative for the Indonesian government.

USAID/Ukraine: Transparency and Accountability in Public Administration and Services Activity (TAPAS)

The Challenge 

Ukraine has struggled with systemic corruption over many years. Powerful oligarchs have often leveraged public procurement processes to direct government contracts toward their preferred business partners. In 2014, the country’s Revolution of Dignity ushered in a new, reform-oriented government and presented a window of opportunity to effect change in many areas of governance, including public procurement. 

The Approach

Transparency International-Ukraine (TI-U), an implementing partner of USAID’s Transparency and Accountability in Public Administration and Services (TAPAS) Activity led by Eurasia Foundation (EF), together with a group of Ukrainian volunteers began to build an electronic procurement system for government purchases called Prozorro (“transparency” in Ukrainian). This system was built on the basis of a “golden partnership” between government buyers, suppliers, and civil society to build trust, bring transparency by means of technology to the previously opaque public procurement process, and reduce corruption in public spending. The use of the Prozorro system has now become required by law for all public procurements. 

Shortly after Prozorro became mandatory for all public buyers, TI-U, with support from EF TAPAS, helped Ukrainian civil society organizations (CSO) to build DOZORRO (“watchdog” in Ukrainian), an anti-corruption network and public procurement monitoring portal. The DOZORRO network is a community across Ukraine that monitors public procurements and flags high-risk tenders to public buyers, their managing entities, and oversight authorities. The community is made up of 26 CSOs, 46 public buyers, and more than 1,000 volunteers. Using powerful analytical tools developed with TAPAS support, CSOs and volunteer civic activists analyze big data of procurement, identify high-risk tenders, and submit grievances to public authorities. An average of 700 grievances are submitted monthly. 

Why It Won

Both DOZORRO and ProZorro have helped create more transparency around the public procurement process in Ukraine. With ProZorro serving as a mandated system for all public procurements, the addition of DOZORRO’s monitoring portal and watchdog network, and a suite of analytical tools, the result has been a truly collaborative and transparent approach to address systemic corruption in the public procurement process.

Between October 2017 and December 2019, while ProZorro helped save $2.46 billion for the state budget, the DOZORRO network analyzed nearly 26,000 high-risk tenders. Of these, over 24,000 were brought to the attention of procuring entities and oversight authorities through formal complaints; more than 3,500 subsequently became anti-corruption “wins”—that is, the tenders were cancelled or substantially amended by the public buyers or illegal tender decisions were reversed. The total value of these fixed 3,500 tenders totaled more than $436 million—a win for transparent, ethical public procurement in the Ukraine.

USAID/Pakistan: Pakistan Small and Medium Enterprise Activity (SMEA)

The Challenge 

Digital technology has the potential to transform Pakistan’s economy, in terms of spurring the country’s information and communications technology (ICT) sector and also cultivating Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) in traditional business sectors. This has become particularly apparent in recent years, as access to the internet and low-cost mobile services has dramatically expanded across the country. There are a variety of factors, however, that are slowing the country’s journey toward a more digital economy. Pakistani ICT enterprises—the companies that should be building the digital tools and services that other businesses need to grow—often lack formal structure, support services, and access to finance and are constrained by a limited availability of skilled workers, particularly due to the perceived instability of nascent ICT enterprises. 

At the same time, ICT enterprises tend to cater their efforts and service packages to large business clients, so SMEs are often unable to integrate technology into their business processes due to lack of experience with these tools, accessibility, or relevance to specific needs. These challenges are particularly acute for business owners and employees who traditionally have more limited access to technology and resources, such as women and people living in rural and conflict-affected areas.

The Approach

USAID/Pakistan’s Small and Medium Enterprise Activity (SMEA) addresses the structural deficits and inequalities faced by SMEs in the digital ecosystem with a three-pronged approach: (1) incentivizing ICT-enabled solutions to remedy constraints through a challenge fund innovation grants program; (2) helping SMEs harness digital potential through a business development service provider network; and (3) supporting regulatory reforms that empower ICT-enabled SMEs.

Why It Won

Taking an ecosystem approach, the activity uses a variety of innovative solutions, such as a startup reality TV show and challenge fund, to address challenges that are acute for a variety of under-served businesses and employees that have more limited access to technology and resources.

SMEA has helped SMEs generate more than 7,700 jobs, $18 million in revenue, $12.5 million in private sector investment, and $8 million in exports to date. SMEA’s business development service program has helped more than 1,000 SMEs identify, acquire, and serve customers through digital channels and the CF grant program has awarded 71 grants in two years, creating direct benefits to more than 2,500 SMEs. In addition, more than 60 percent of all trained SMEs have adopted new technology and management practices. Overall, SMEA’s interventions have helped drive growth of the ICT and SME sectors in Pakistan, worked to improve the ICT-enabling environment through supporting regulatory reforms, and with their emphasis on women-owned businesses and marginalized groups, have achieved significant social impact.