America’s Development Foundation (ADF) proposes to implement a Public Transparency and Accountability (PTA) Project in response to USAID/Egypt’s Democracy and Governance Annual Program Statement.  The goal of the two-year PTA project is to improve public transparency and accountability in Egypt.

PTA will assist Egyptian civil society organizations (CSOs), citizens and government in gaining a better understanding of public transparency and accountability concepts and practices, raising public awareness of related issues, developing capacities of CSOs to combat corruption and enabling CSOs to work effectively with government institutions to improve accountability.  ADF assistance to CSOs includes the provision of training, technical assistance and grants. Activities under the proposed project respond to USAID’s strategic objective “Improved Public Accountability” and support IR 21.2: Enhanced Collaboration between a Responsive Government and an informed Citizenry.

ADF is a U.S. nonprofit private voluntary organization with 27 years of experience and expertise strengthening civil society development in more than 30 countries throughout the world. ADF has worked in Egypt since 1997. One of ADF’s major projects was the establishment of the Office for Civil Society Strengthening and Promotion (OCSSP) within the NGO Service Center, a $41.5 million six-year project funded by USAID/Egypt.

I. GOAL AND PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The goal of PTA is to improve public transparency and accountability in Egypt.  Project objectives include the following:

• Enhance understanding of Egyptian CSOs, citizens and government of public transparency and accountability concepts and practices.
• Raise public awareness and participation in fighting corruption.
• Develop capacities of CSOs to combat corruption.
• Enable CSO to work effectively with Egyptian government institutions to improve public transparency and accountability.

Relationship to USAID’s Strategic Objectives for Egypt
Activities under PTA are directly responsive to USAID/Egypt’s Annual Program Statement intermediate result, Improved Public Accountability and support IR 21.2: Enhanced Collaboration between a Responsive Government and an informed Citizenry. ADF’s PTA program will produce the following results: 
• CSOs, citizens and government become more aware of need for public transparency and accountability.
• CSOs have increased capacities to advocate for more public transparency and accountability and to combat corruption.
• CSOs work effectively with Egyptian government institutions to improve public transparency and accountability. 

II. TECHNICAL APPROACH

ADF’s proposed approach to the PTA program is grounded in nearly a decade of experience working with Egyptian CSOs.   We combine that experience with years of experience in other countries addressing public transparency and accountability issues and with an appreciation of the impact such programs can have.  

ADF’s technical approach includes holding a national conference and providing training, technical assistance and grant resources to develop the capacities of CSOs to combat corruption.  ADF’s training and technical assistance will increase the number, the readiness and the capacities of CSOs to become engaged in promoting public transparency and accountability. A crucial initiative will be to increase the interest and ability of Egyptian CSOs to work with concerned government institutions to define actions needed to improve public transparency and accountability.

The project has five components:
• Organizing an Egyptian National Conference on Anti Corruption
• CSO Training in Public Transparency and Accountability;
• CSO Advocacy Training
• CSO Grants
• Performance Monitoring and Evaluation.