This week, Damon Wilson, President of the National Endowment for Democracy, testified before Congress to demonstrate to lawmakers and the people of the United States how the NED is delivering on its mission to uphold democratic values, advance U.S. national security interests, and stand with those struggling for freedom on a global scale.
As a core institute of the NED, CIPE carries out its own mandate to advance economic freedom, expand economic opportunity, and defend democratic and economic resilience through its work with local and U.S. business leaders, entrepreneurs, chambers of commerce, civil society organizations, and policymakers in over 100 countries.
CIPE is proud to be a core institute of the NED, and to reinforce American values of freedom by empowering entrepreneurs, strengthening market economies, fostering fair competition, and building accountable institutions.
The hearing, held by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs (NSRP), provided the NED a critical opportunity to demonstrate its value to the American people and, critically, for Congress to ensure proper oversight of this critical tool to advance U.S. foreign policy priorities around the world. CIPE welcomes the opportunity to share how our mission, evergreen and always bipartisan, delivers value back to the American people.
Statement to Congress from the Center for International Private Enterprise
The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) strengthens democracy around the world through private enterprise and market-oriented reform. As a core institute of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), CIPE works in more than 100 countries with local and U.S. business leaders, entrepreneurs, chambers of commerce, civil society organizations, and policymakers to advance economic freedom, expand economic opportunity, and defend democratic and economic resilience. Our mission is clear: democratic governance and free markets reinforce one another — and together they make the United States safer, stronger, and more prosperous.
In an era of strategic competition, CIPE’s work directly advances U.S. national interests. Authoritarian powers are using economic coercion, opaque financing, corruption, and supply chain dominance to undermine democratic institutions, expand their influence, dominate strategic supply chains, and undercut American workers. We help partner countries resist those pressures by strengthening the rule of law, improving transparency, promoting fair competition, and building resilient supply chains that are not dependent on U.S. adversaries. At the same time, we advance a positive vision of democracy — one in which entrepreneurs can innovate freely and prosper, citizens can hold leaders accountable, and American businesses can compete fairly.
NED’s support is critical to this work. NED enables CIPE to operate with flexibility, credibility, and speed in environments where traditional assistance tools are too rigid or too slow. Its model—supporting independent institutions that strengthen democracy from the ground up—is cost-effective, strategic, and aligned with bipartisan American values. Without NED, the United States would lose one of its most effective instruments for countering authoritarian economic influence and leveling the playing field for U.S. businesses abroad. Some examples of how CIPE has demonstrated its ability to support American values is through the following programming.
Securing Critical Minerals and Preventing Authoritarian Capture
Authoritarian governments are aggressively targeting critical mineral supply chains essential to the U.S. manufacturing, defense, and communications industries. CIPE works to ensure these sectors remain transparent, competitive, and open to responsibly aligned investment.
In Latin America, for example, CIPE supported legislative and regulatory reforms that strengthen legal stability, promote competition, and protect investors in the mining and lithium sectors. By advancing clear rules and governance standards, these efforts reduce the risk of authoritarian capture of strategic assets and open space for U.S. and allied investment.
For the Bolivia lithium sector, CIPE’s work prevented Russian- and Chinese-linked firms from seizing control of the country’s critical reserves. Bolivians were able to retain control over these resources, protecting an important link in the global lithium supply chain.
CIPE also supported reforms requiring disclosure of ultimate beneficial ownership in public procurement systems. Greater transparency reduces corruption, protects taxpayers, and creates equal access for U.S. companies competing abroad.
Through the Minerals Integrity and Resilience Alliance, CIPE convenes companies, civil society, and experts to strengthen integrity across critical mineral supply chains. Together, these initiatives help diversify supply chains away from authoritarian control and toward secure, transparent partnerships aligned with U.S. economic and security interests.
Trade Facilitation: Making Markets Work for U.S. Exporters
CIPE works with governments and private-sector partners to streamline border procedures, reduce red tape, and modernize trade systems. By promoting digitization, regulatory clarity, and public-private dialogue, and reducing non-tariff barriers, our projects make cross-border trade faster, safer, and more transparent.
These reforms strengthen supply chain resilience in sectors critical to U.S. industry, reduce costs for exporters and importers, and ensure that U.S. businesses compete on equal footing in emerging markets. Efficient trade systems support economic growth abroad while directly benefiting U.S. producers and consumers.
CIPE’s work has saved $213 million in over 25 countries. In Ecuador, where the United States sources one-fifth of its cocoa imports, digitizing phytosanitary certificates is saving agri-food exporters an estimated $6.2 million and 1.9 million hours of processing time annually. Additionally, as the largest trading partner with Guatemala, U.S. exports of over $45B (2023) have benefited from the single-window system CIPE implemented in the ports of Guatemala that reduced processing times and increased efficiency for supply chains. The project reduced ship idle time and costs, increased port capacity by 21%, and cut document processing time by 87%. CIPE’s facilitation of the development of a regional agreement between 11 Latin American customs administrations enhanced security and efficiency across supply chains, creating stability and predictability for U.S. business.
BRI Monitor: Exposing Risk and Defending Fair Competition
CIPE promotes transparency through the BRI Monitor platform (https://www.brimonitor.org) which monitors more than $50 billion in Chinese-funded infrastructure projects. By documenting procurement risks, debt vulnerabilities, and governance weaknesses, this initiative equips partner governments and citizens with credible analysis that strengthens accountability and informed decision making. The BRI Monitor strengthens U.S. diplomatic engagement and counters misleading narratives about the long-term sustainability of authoritarian-backed projects by providing publicly accessible, data-driven analysis.
Transparency creates opportunity for U.S. companies by encouraging competitive procurement standards rather than opaque, politically conditioned financing. It also challenges the narrative that authoritarian economic models deliver better results. When governance risks are exposed, the long-term costs of corruption and coercion become clear.
This work complements broader U.S. efforts to strengthen economic resilience in strategically important regions.
B5+1: Strengthening Central Asia’s Economic Sovereignty
Through the B5+1 initiative, the business complement to the C5+1 government initiative that is also supported by the U.S. Department of State, CIPE advances stronger economic cooperation between the United States and the five Central Asian republics. The region sits at the crossroads of strategic competition, where authoritarian actors seek to dominate infrastructure, energy and resource networks, and digital systems.
CIPE strengthens private sector leadership, promotes regulatory reform, and ensures business communities have a voice in policymaking. By improving transparency and predictability, B5+1 reduces vulnerability to economic coercion and opaque financing arrangements. It also creates more reliable market conditions for U.S. companies in sectors such as energy, logistics, digital connectivity, and critical minerals. Stronger democratic governance in Central Asia not only resists authoritarian encroachment — it builds stable commercial partners aligned with U.S. interests.
CIPE has now organized two B5+1 Forums. The first occurred in 2024 and the second was just completed in early February 2026. Since the 2024 B5+1 Forum, 23 economic reforms have been implemented. In Uzbekistan alone, reforms have resulted in a 25% reduction in income tax rates for online operators and more than 8,000 online businesses have registered under the simplified system. The 2026 Forum generated immediate business opportunities for U.S. firms. More than 15 Memoranda of Understanding were signed between U.S. companies and Central Asian government bodies and enterprises. These U.S. companies are in the critical minerals, agriculture, infrastructure, construction, energy, financial, transportation, and spacecraft sectors.
Ethics 1st: Fighting Corruption and De-Risking Supply Chains
Corruption remains one of the most powerful tools authoritarian actors use to gain influence in emerging markets. Across Africa, CIPE’s Ethics 1st initiative supports companies in adopting transparent and ethical business practices that facilitate integration into global value chains.
By raising corporate governance standards and promoting ethical conduct, Ethics 1st helps de-risk investment environments and enables American companies to identify reliable partners. Stronger business integrity not only reinforces democratic norms — it lowers compliance costs, mitigates supply chain risk, and enhances U.S. commercial competitiveness.
Conclusion
CIPE’s work rests on a simple but strategic proposition: free enterprise and democratic governance reinforce one another — and together they advance U.S. national interests. We defend against authoritarian expansion by strengthening transparency, fighting corruption, diversifying supply chains, and exposing coercive economic practices. We advance the positive vision of democracy by empowering entrepreneurs, protecting property rights, fostering fair competition, and building accountable institutions. NED’s support enables CIPE to deliver these results efficiently and strategically. At a time when authoritarian regimes are investing heavily to shape the global economic order, withdrawing from this arena would not save resources — it would cede ground. By strengthening democratic market economies abroad, CIPE helps make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous at home.
Published Date: February 27, 2026