August 19, 2020
CEPPS Showcases the Power of USAID’s GEPT Program
Washington, DC – The Global Elections and Political Transitions (GEPT) program, run by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has awarded the Consortium for Elections and Political Process (CEPPS) a one-year cost extension. The amendment to the current GEPT award delivers an additional $2.5 million for rapid funding response and permits USAID missions to continue issuing associate awards to CEPPS, up to the award ceiling limit, through September 30, 2021.
“We are honored that USAID will continue to rely on [CEPPS] to deliver critically important democracy, human rights, and governance (DRG) assistance for one additional year, especially as the impact of COVID-19 on democratic backsliding remains an urgent matter,” Anthony Banbury, President, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES); Daniel Twining, President, the International Republican Institute (IRI); and Ambassador Derek Mitchell, President and CEO, the National Democratic for Electoral Systems Institute (NDI), said in a joint letter to staff.
“Supporting our partners is more important than ever. We look forward to continuing to build local capacities that foster more stable, resilient, and self-reliant countries for another year under the GEPT award,” the letter continued.
“Going forward, we must continue to, not only meet our deliverables, but also to work beyond expectations. We must strive to find opportunities for our Associate and Resource Partners, implement more innovative and holistic programming, while leveraging resources and expertise throughout our global relationships and networks….[and] we must focus on sharing, with the wider DRG community, both our achievements and lessons learned,” the presidents’ letter concluded.
Through USAID’s GEPT Leader Award, CEPPS, the consortium comprised of IFES, IRI, and NDI develops and manages a sub-grants program aimed at strengthening the capacity and role of local and regional organizations in support of elections and political transitions. Sub-grants are used to strengthen local and regional organizations and their support networks. CEPPS recognizes that regional and global networks provide a vital tool for building sustainable peer-to-peer support, and offers additional leverage for country-level DRG. This program is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the USAID.
