Collaboration and knowledge exchange are key drivers of progress in the evolving landscape of global development. The recently concluded 2023 DRG Global Gathering, hosted by the USAID Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG) and organized by EnCompass’ Generating Results within Our Work and Thought Leadership (GROWTH) project, stands as a testament to the power of unified efforts in affirming our global community and advancing a common cause. Additionally, to support the professional development critical for dedicated and skilled cadre of democracy defenders to help build resilient and inclusive democracies globally, the GROWTH team organized a dedicated DRG Training Suite Week in Washington, D.C., from October 30 to November 3, 2023, just prior to the Global Gathering.
The Global Gathering, DRG’s first in-person convening since 2019 and its first as a Bureau, aimed to reinvigorate a sense of solidarity and engagement among the DRG cadre. It ran from November 6 to 9, 2023, in Washington DC and Arlington VA, and drew 316 participants from around the world.
Focusing on the theme of “Global Community, Global Cause: Building Inclusive & Resilient Democracies for All,” the gathering featured several technical sessions covering diverse DRG topics, fostering collaboration, and providing professional development opportunities. USAID Administrator Samantha Power and other leaders commended the DRG community for its work worldwide. The event also included powerful discussions with human rights advocates, activists Mervin Primeaux-O’Bryant and Wai Wai Nu, and others.
The conference highlighted the launch of the DRG Bureau and offered networking opportunities, including Operating Unit networking tables and a partners’ reception. The in-person format allowed DRG officers to engage with each other, recommit to the cause of building resilient democracies, and shape the agenda for the next phase of DRG assistance. The event also celebrated the contributions of DRG officers, emphasizing their critical role in protecting human rights and promoting democratic accountability globally, and underscored the shared commitment to addressing global challenges to democracy. The gathering video offers a glimpse of the enthusiasm and vibrancy of the global DRG community:
The DRG Training Suite Week
This in-person training initiative brought together 179 participants from 38 USAID Missions. Facilitated by the GROWTH team along with the Agency’s DRG subject-matter experts (SMEs) and colleagues from the Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization (CPS), the training featured a diverse range of content, including an innovative one-day session on Advancing Gender-Transformative DRG Programming, which focused on gender and inclusion integration.
The GROWTH team spent several months supporting SMEs from across the Bureau to develop and adapt trainings for the Suite Week—including the development of a new one-day instructor-led training, Advancing Gender-Transformative DRG Programming—an entirely new delivery introducing novel approaches for gender and inclusion integration that asked participants to reflect on their own gender history and gender norms. Other offerings included Public Financial Management & Public Accountability, Applied Political Economy Analysis, Storytelling to Inspire Action, Making the Case for Democracy, and DRG Evidence-to-Action: Activity Design and Evaluation. CPS Bureau trainers also offered sessions on Conflict-Sensitive Aid and Atrocity Prevention.
As a result of the DRG Training Suite, EnCompass is collaborating with USAID’s DRG Bureau to develop a diverse range of synchronous and asynchronous learning options to further support the global DRG cadre. Stay tuned for ongoing developments in the DRG training landscape.
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