USAID Awards Grant for Pakistan Election Observation

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID) has awarded Democracy International a grant
to organize an international election observation mission for the February 18,
2008 parliamentary elections in Pakistan. Led by former U.S. Congressman Jim
Moody, the 35-person delegation will include leaders from the political,
academic and foreign policy fields, as well as experts in election processes
and Pakistani politics.

This mission will complement other international observers from Canada, the
United Kingdom, Japan and the European Union.

The grant is part of the $1.5 billion in aid that the U.S. Government is
providing to Pakistan, through USAID, over five years to improve economic
growth, education, health, governance, and reconstruction of
earthquake-affected areas.

Democracy International, based in Bethesda, MD., designs, evaluates,
implements, and provides technical assistance for democracy and governance
programs.

For more information about USAID and its programs in Pakistan, visit
www.usaid.gov.

The American people, through the U.S. Agency for International Development,
have provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for nearly 50
years.

For further information contact the U.S. Agency for International Development
Public Information Office at (202) 712-4810.

SOURCE U.S. Agency for International Development

U.S. Agency for International Development Press Office +1-202-712-4320