About

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The Inter-American Dialogue engages our network of global leaders to foster democratic governance, prosperity, and social equity in Latin America and the Caribbean. Together, we work to shape policy debate, devise solutions, and enhance cooperation within the Western Hemisphere.

The Western Hemisphere faces crucial, difficult, and shared challenges that call for a fresh mindset, great imagination, creativity, and firm resolve. For more than three decades, the Dialogue has convened global leaders with different perspectives and provided a forum for the generation of innovative policy ideas and practical proposals for action.

Through successive Republican and Democratic administrations and many changes of leadership elsewhere in the hemisphere, the Dialogue has helped shape the agenda of issues and choices in inter-American relations.

Our most valued asset is our select membership of more than 100 distinguished citizens from the United States, Canada, and 21 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. Members actively participate in our work, informing and advancing our vigorous debate. As the face of the organization, they confer credibility on our policy outputs and ensure that they reflect a wide-range of opinions across the ideological spectrum. Eighteen Dialogue members served as presidents of their countries, over three dozen have served at the cabinet level, and seventeen have held seats in national legislatures. Twenty-seven percent are in the business or finance sectors and seven members are associated with the media.

The Dialogue sets itself apart not only by the reach of its influence or the quality of its analysis, but also by our unique identity as a truly hemispheric organization. Based in Washington, we conduct our work throughout the Americas and in partnership with leading institutions from around the world. A majority of our Board of Directors are from Latin American and Caribbean nations, as are more than half of the Dialogue’s members and participants in our other leadership networks and task forces.

The Dialogue’s standing as the preeminent, independent Hemispheric forum is supported by our ranking as a leading think-tank.

For six consecutive years, the University of Pennsylvania has ranked the Dialogue among the top US and foreign policy think tanks. In 2014, London’s Prospect Magazine named the Dialogue “US Think Tank of the Year” and in 2017 it was honored as the “One to Watch“. 

The Dialogue, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, is funded by contributions from individuals, corporations, governments and foundations that help support its programs and provide essential operating revenue. The Dialogue is transparent in listing all donors in our Annual Reports and on our website. The Dialogue’s 990s are readily available to any individual or organization by request.

The Dialogue was rated by Charity Navigator as a 4-Star organization, its highest rating.

Visit our Support Us and How to Give pages to learn how you can join the Dialogue.

For more information, download our Dialogue One-Pager and Dialogue Programs One-Pager.