As events of the last year have demonstrated, even in Latin American countries once considered successful democracies, stability remains fragile. Throughout the region, Latin American countries are experiencing a crisis of representation and governance. Discontent with political elites and institutions is growing as citizens increasingly feel that their leaders are unaccountable, unresponsive and, in many cases, corrupt. trust in political parties has declined dramatically, while social and political institutions are struggling to adjust to new constituencies and popular demands. Despite these challenges within the region, democracy in several countries remained remarkably resilient. The challenge for democracy in the Western hemisphere is to ensure that the concepts and institutions of justice, accountability and honest and efficient government are deepened and expanded. In 2003 NED’s programs in Latin America supported and worked with groups to improve citizen participation in policy making and government, combat corruption and increase governmental efficiency, and better defend and protect human and political rights.
In Argentina, while the country was still recovering from the political and economic turmoil of the past few years, the Endowment supported programs that were instrumental in organizing a broad array of popular and civic organizations
around key democratic reforms that had emerged during the social upheaval in 2001. IRI partnered with the Center for the Implementation of Public Policies Promoting Equity and Growth to train youth in four provinces of Argentina on political communication skills, ethics, accountability and democratic values to promote good governance among new and emerging political leaders. CIPE helped forge a business-agenda for rule of law reform to serve as a platform for
business leaders to work with the newly elected government.
Endowment funding in Colombia supported the election and training of local justices of the peace, established a network for the protection of elected city council members in war-torn areas, provided support to journalists who were
under threat, and established means to provide legal services to remote and refugee populations. The Liga de Mujeres Desplazadas (League of Displaced Women) established community centers and with Endowment support provided legal assistance for displaced indigenous and Afro-Colombian women.
In Venezuela, NED grantees were instrumental in supporting the results of the international negotiations to resolve the country’s political impasse. NED grantees conducted civic education and outreach campaigns to support the constitutional referendum process. At the same time, in poor and remote areas of the country, grantees such as Consorcio Justicia, Justicia Alternativa, Acción para el Desarrollo, Accion Campesina, and Asociación Liderazgo y Vision trained
thousands of local residents and governments in conflict resolution and mediated local political and social disputes. CIPE and ACILS helped to organize and represent the vast informal sector, canvassing informal sector workers and owners to better understand their interests and demands.
This year marked a difficult period for civic activists inside Cuba. In March the government brutally cracked down on members of independent groups from various sectors and in closed-door trials sentenced seventy-five activists to prison. The crackdown provoked international condemnation, and intensified international solidarity with independent Cuban activists. The Federación Sindical de Plantas Eléctricas, Gas y Agua (Federation of Electric, Gas and Water Plant Workers in Exile) used NED support to disseminate accurate and credible reports of labor rights conditions, and worked with counterparts
in other countries to raise the issue of labor conditions in international fora. Despite the toll exacted on independent journalists by the March crackdown, Endowment grantee CubaNet continued to publish articles on conditions in Cuba and support the independent journalists who wrote them. In response to the crackdown, several international groups worked to coordinate humanitarian assistance for political prisoners and increase awareness of the status of the political prisoners and their families and the internal democracy movement.
In Mexico, the Endowment continued to support training for government officials and civic organizations on freedom of information issues, promotion of women’s participation in government, election monitoring and human rights. The Instituto
para la Seguridad y la Democracia (the Security and Democracy Institute), the first non-profit organization in Mexico to address the issue of police reform at the national level, worked with police administrators, legislators, investigators and civil society to develop proposals and a plan to improve police accountability.
Throughout the region, NED supported a hemispheric civil-military network that is monitoring defense budgets and defense policy and working with governments to improve transparency of defense expenditures. The organization, Red de Seguridad y Defensa en América Latína, this year also established an association of congressional defense commissions that is training legislators and the staffs
in defense and security policy and providing policy and technical support to congresses throughout the region.
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