INTERVIEW
We Remain Committed To Serbia’s Progress MIKE DE LA ROSA
USAID MISSION DIRECTOR We’re confident that the new Serbian government will remain committed to our shared priorities: Serbia’s EU accession and stimulating the economy. We’ll continue assisting government institutions to meet the public’s demand for improved accountability and responsiveness, as well as making Serbia a more attractive place to do business •••
W
e spoke with Mike De La Rosa, USAID Mission Director, ahead of the finalization of the new USAID five-year strategy for Serbia. We also took the opportunity provided by this interview to briefly discuss USAID’s accomplishments over the course of almost two decades.
USAID has been in Serbia since 2001. How much assistance has USAID provided and what has changed during that time? - You’re right, and next year we’ll actually be celebrating 20 years of our successful partnership with Serbia. So far, the U.S. has provided over $1 billion in assistance during this period, with nearly $840 million provided directly by USAID. Our focus has, from the start, been centered on supporting good governance and creating the right conditions for economic
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ROAD TO NEW PARTNERSHIP
growth, but we’ve also provided emergency assistance over the years, to help Serbia with crises such as flooding and, more recently, COVID-19. One of our biggest initial priorities was to help people to more directly participate in decision making and governance at the local level. We brought people together to discuss pressing needs and to decide which ones they wanted to partner on. Through just one of our programs, for example, we undertook more than 5,000 separate activities ranging from renovating health centers to supporting small businesses. Having garnered trust at the local level, we then began working with forward-looking partners at the national level, to help drive needed reforms. Most people who run for government, and work in government, really do want to be more responsive to the needs of citizens and businesses, but they often lack the right tools to do so. We provide those tools. On the economic growth side, we’ve always approached the obstacles to doing business from both the supply and demand
