Report Contents
(U) Promoting democracy and respect for human rights is a central component of U.S. foreign policy, and the revitalization of democracy is a top U.S. national security priority. According to the Department of State (Department), since 2005, the pace of global democratic decline has accelerated, and 68 percent of the world’s population now live in autocracies.
(U) Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has raised additional concerns for the Department about the stability of democratic institutions in Eastern Europe in particular. Furthermore, according to the Department of State and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Joint Regional Strategy for 2022– 2026, there has been an “alarming increase” in democratic backsliding among former recipients of U.S. assistance in Europe and Eurasia.
(U) Initially, OIG planned to execute an audit of Department of State programs to support democracy and human rights in selected European and Eurasian countries. However, because of similarities with a broader, congressionally mandated Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit, OIG decided to conclude its work on this topic with this information brief to avoid duplication of effort. This information brief is intended to provide an overview of the Department’s funding for democracy and human rights assistance in Europe and Eurasia from FY 2019 through FY 2023. It also describes the roles of the bureaus involved in advancing democracy assistance programs and the Department’s approach to democratic backsliding. Finally, it summarizes information on the sources the Department uses to gauge changes in levels of democracy (see Appendix A for additional details about this information brief).