U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Amy J. Hyatt, along with the Government of Madagascar and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), announced a new five-year, $15.5 million U.S. Government-funded program that will strengthen governance, justice, and civic engagement in Madagascar. The RINDRA project is funded by the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and will be implemented by and in partnership with UNDP.
“Democracies die in darkness. And we all share responsibility for shining a light on government. A lack of transparency and accountability results in financial loss and missed opportunities,” U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Amy Hyatt said. “So today I am happy to announce that the United States is deepening its commitment to strengthen governance in Madagascar.”
There are three central goals of the RINDRA program:
Judicial reform: RINDRA will modernize Madagascar’s judiciary system and provide access to justice for vulnerable and marginalized people by improving how judicial information is shared, simplifying procedures and proceedings, and reducing the current backlog of cases.
Improved management and governance capacity: RINDRA will work with 100 Communes in five regions of Madagascar to increase public revenue, better manage local development resources, and improve municipal services. The program will provide hands-on training and coaching in management, finance, and local development to officials from Communes in urban and rural areas of Madagascar.
Citizen education and civic engagement: RINDRA will create new platforms to receive and address public feedback, introduce citizenship education and youth-led community action in over 200 schools in 20 districts of the country, and promote civic engagement among Malagasy youth.
RINDRA will be implemented in 100 communes in the Analanjirofo, SAVA, Atsinanana, and Menabe regions, and in the Urban Commune of Antananarivo and surroundings. The project will work closely with Madagascar’s key training institutions for government employees, the Supreme Court, and ministries of Economy and Finance, Justice, National Education, and Interior and Decentralization.
For nearly 40 years, the United States has worked side-by-side with the Malagasy people like “mpirahalahy mianla” to advance health care, improve conservation and agricultural practices, grow the economy, strengthen democracy and governance, and provide critical humanitarian assistance in response to drought, disease, and cyclones.