Over the past decade, many Latin American governments have made significant strides in developing domestic policies that have succeeded in reducing poverty and strengthening democratic institutions. Yet the impact of profound transformations in the global economy, climate change, and new information and communication technologies makes it clear that the region’s future will be inextricably connected to developments taking place beyond the borders of individual nations.
On March 8, 2012 the Inter-American Dialogue held an exchange with El Salvador’s first lady and secretary of social inclusion Vanda Pignato—who discussed Ciudad Mujer, the country’s imaginative approach to providing needed services to women.
The Incubadora Afro Brasileira is an organization that challenges the deep-rooted problem of social and economic exclusion of African descendants by providing business training for African-descendant entrepreneurs in Brazil. Giovanni Harvey, founder and director of Incubadora, and program economist Dalton Franco led a discussion at the Inter-American Dialogue on October 19, 2007.
On December 3, the Dialogue partnered with the Victory Institute to host the event “LGBTQ Rights and US Foreign Policy: A Need to Lead” as part of the 2020 International LGBTQ Leaders Conference.
On December 15, the Dialogue hosted “Economic Recovery and Rebuilding the Social Fabric in Latin America and the Caribbean,” an online event organized in partnership with United Way.
In the midst of democratic decline in the region, young people are emerging as agents of change. Their active participation not only represents a fresh and vibrant voice in regional politics but also offers a new perspective and focus to address the challenges facing the region.