Mission
In support of U.S. foreign policy, OTI seizes emerging windows of opportunity in the political landscape to promote stability, peace, and democracy by catalyzing local initiatives through adaptive and agile programming.
How We Work
OTI works with local agents of change, including indigenous non-governmental organizations, civil society, media groups, and local and national government offices. Programs are designed to meet the specific needs of the country and, once started, OTI programs are responsive and designed to adjust to fluid situations. In addition to the core Transition Initiatives account, OTI programs have received funding from: the Transition Initiatives (TI) account, the International Disaster and Famine Assistance (IDFA) account, the Economic Support Fund (ESF), the World Bank, and the UK's Department for International Development. OTI programs empower local partners at a national and local level to reduce conflict, increase transparency and accountability, and foster positive political change through:
- Technical and logistical support to key aspects of peace processes such as constitution drafting, negotiations, and national referendums
- Quick-impact projects that highlight peace dividends
- Bringing people from feuding ethnic or religious groups to work productively together
- Disseminating fair and unbiased information more widely through open media outlets
- Reintegrating ex-combatants and displaced persons and protecting vulnerable populations, often from refugee camps and persecuted minority groups
- Strengthening governance at the national and local level by fostering linkages between civil society and national and local government bodies and encouraging government responsiveness to citizen needs
- Working directly with the country leadership to bolster strategic communications and functional capacity of the executive branch