Millennium Partners Consulting or “Millennium Partners” dates back to 2003 with the founding of Millennium International Consulting. Responding to the Millennium Development Goals, Millennium Partners’ mission is to provide broad-ranging project and technical assistance in the effort to meet the world’s urgent development challenges.
Millennium Partners is a woman owned small business certified by the US Small Business Administration. It is a Delaware registered Limited Liability Company. The Principal Owners of the company are Millennium International Consulting and Dr. Esther W. Hannon and Brian C. Hannon. Millennium Partners is based in Charlottesville, Virginia and benefits from a close association to the University of Virginia and the diverse and intellectually rich local community.
Millennium Partners and its founder Millennium International have undertaken projects in every region of the world under economic growth and democracy and governance programs. Since 2005, Millennium Partners has been awarded almost $30 million in programs funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the US Agency for International Development.
Millennium Partners has demonstrated that it is not just a small business that does small projects. The recently completed Moldova Threshold Country Program was a $14.6 million multi-sector anti-corruption program that focused on the judiciary, health and tax administration. The project involved managing over 100 staff members and substantial procurements of information technology equipment, an elaborate case-management system, a streamlined tax system and broad reforms in the health sector. For this USAID has given Millennium Partners an outstanding rating.
Millennium Partners is a small business that is fleet of foot because it can make decisions fast, deploy immediately and achieve results in record time. It is a philosophy of action that does not forsake attention to detail for speed but recognizes that the process we are engaged in is crucial in a world of increasing instability and hardship. Reform takes efficacy and diligence because the window for reform is often short and the need for results and assistance critical. From experience we have learned that results speak for themselves and are the key intangible ingredient that ensures momentum for continued reform.
CAPABILITIES
GOVERNANCE
Millennium Partners has extensive experience supporting effective, transparent and participatory forms of governance. Since the early 1980s, we have been involved in the work of building democratic governments in countries around the world and have published works on democratic governance and its relation to essential liberties and economic opportunity.
ECONOMIC GROWTH
Millennium Partners supports economic growth through innovative and technical know-how, bringing new skills and knowledge to governments, entrepreneurs and private sector groups at all stages of development throughout the world.
EXPERTISE
LOCAL GOVERNMENT STRENGTHENING
Through technical training and stakeholder participation, we work to strengthen the administrative and operational capacity of local government institutions to provide services in response to the expressed needs of citizens. We use proven methods of citizen participation strategies to ensure resources and projects are directed at addressing and solving concerns of the community as a whole and are implemented in a transparent manner.
ACCOUNTING AND AUDIT REFORM
RULE OF LAW
Rule of Law is necessary to democratic development. It is a means to empower the poor, women, and other disadvantaged citizens in societies long ruled by elites. It is essential to a secure and orderly society where rights are protected and disputes are resolved peacefully. Our experience has shown that carrying out rule of law programs requires a careful understanding of a country’s stage of development, the depth of societal consensus, political will and legitimacy, and the institutional capacity of the justice sector and other government entities. We build institutional capability and public demand for rule of law. Our experience include strengthening the capacity of justice sectors, attacking corruption in procurement, working with the media and civil society to raise awareness of rights, improving access to justice, working with indigenous groups, promoting human rights, and building and renovating courts so that they better serve and protect the people.
EDUCATION
HEALTH REFORM
Our work has centered on reducing corruption, establishing clinical protocols, and developing physicians’ code of ethics. We have helped develop and implement a wide array of healthcare reforms intended to permanently change the way healthcare services are managed and delivered to citizens.
GENDER
To build more equitable societies by assisting women through education, skills training, legal aid, land titles and business registration.
CIVIL SOCIETY
MEDIA AND CITIZEN AWARENESS
Citizen awareness is a critical element in pressuring governments to adhere to the laws of the land and the more universal standards of human rights. An informed, preferably educated, citizenry is integral to democracy and the rule of law. In many developing countries, literacy rates are low. In Niger for example, 99 percent of its population is cannot read or write. In these countries developing strategies to inform citizens of their rights and available assistance programs is especially daunting. Millennium Partners designed a public awareness campaign in Niger using radio, citizen forums, journalists, and civil society activists to raise awareness among Nigeriens of their rights and the efforts being made to combat corruption in their government.
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
We work to enable governments to deliver public services in an effective and transparent manner using the latest technology and best practices.
TRANSPARENCY
Millennium Partners has been active in promoting transparency in host governments around the globe. In Moldova, Niger, and Ecuador, for example, Millennium Partners has been effective in bringing together relevant players from government, civil society, media, and business groups to promote transparency in public administration to fight corruption and protect the rights and resources due the citizens.
CITIZEN PARTICIPATION STRATEGIES
We use proven methods of citizen participation strategies to better ensure resources and projects are directed at addressing and solving concerns of the community. We recognize that without organized citizen demand for change, reforms may never be implemented.
DECENTRALIZATION
We work to empower local jurisdictions and provide them with the resources to serve their constituents equitably and democratically.
TRADE
One of the biggest challenges to reducing poverty and creating wealth is in expanding the trade and investment capacity of the poorest countries. Trade and investment are powerful engines of growth and the surest way to reduce poverty. Obstacles to trade and growth are greatest in countries where access to transportation and investment capital are limited and where demand is too weak to support rapid expansion of production, jobs and capital. During the last ten years, Millennium Partners has been involved in this important debate, advising and consulting on trade and investment policy for the US government.
TAX ADMINISTRATION
SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT
PRIVATIZATION
MICRO LENDING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Micro lending and business training and development have been proven to be effective tools for helping people in developing countries work their way out of poverty.
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DEVELOPMENT
BUSINESS REGISTRATION, LAND REFORM
PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS
