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Grants >> 2004 Latin America and the Caribbean Program Highlights
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In 2004 the Endowment helped to address these concerns by supporting groups working to increase citizen participation so that legitimate complaints can be channeled into democratic alternatives. In 2004, NED focused on supporting efforts to improve and increase citizen participation in politics, promote more effective and transparent government, and protect and promote human and political rights. Once considered one of the strongest democracies in the hemisphere, Venezuela is now facing a period of intense political and social change. The consolidation of power in the executive branch has severely limited the ability of state institutions to operate independently and legal reforms threaten to restrict political space and liberties. In Venezuela, Endowment funding supported civic education campaigns, conflict mediation activities and human and political rights. CIPE worked with its Venezuela grantee Centro de Divulgación del Conocimiento Económico (Center for the Dissemination of Economic Information), to better understand the needs of workers in the informal sector and bring their concerns to the attention of economic policymakers. In a year when the independence of the Supreme Court came under threat, grantee Consorcio Justicia (Justice Consortium) worked with regional partners in Peru and Ecuador to monitor the effectiveness and independence of the judicial systems in all three countries as a means to develop specific recommendations for their improvement. To address human rights abuses against members of the press, the Instituto Prensa y Sociedad – Venezuela (Press and Society Institute – Venezuela) provided protection for journalists by establishing a network to monitor acts of aggression and intimidation against journalists, and the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) trained Venezuelan journalists and NGOs in international human rights norms and the role of the Inter-American System in the litigation of human rights abuses. Cuba continues to present the greatest challenge to the promotion of democracy in the region. Despite government efforts to control economic and political reform, some opening and change have occurred. Human rights groups have been joined by independent associations of journalists, farmers, doctors and economists in their efforts to provide links between the outside world and the Cuban people. These independent activists continued to recover from the March 2003 crackdown, which resulted in prison sentences for 75 activists. The Endowment supported the efforts of independent journalists to provide a source of objective news on the island, and groups such as CubaNet collected and disseminated this information both inside Cuba and abroad. The Federación de Plantas Eléctricas, Gas y Agua (Federation of Electric, Gas and Water Plants) worked with independent labor activists inside the island to increase awareness of international labor law and document violations of international labor standards. The Federation distributed these reports, as well as information about the seven independent labor leaders jailed in the March 2002 crackdown, internationally. NDI and IRI supported independent activists on the island and disseminated information about their activities to an international audience. Last year witnessed increasing assistance by Eastern European groups to Cuban dissidents. The People in Need Foundation, a Czech-based group, used NED support to train Cuban journalists in the preparation of samizdat literature and shared their experiences of democratic transition. Ecuador’s government and institutions continue to be wracked by corruption and instability. The country is riven by geographic, political and ethnic divisions that have severely undermined the country’s governability and economic and political performance. Large numbers of indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian citizens are often overlooked by their elected officials. To increase the democratic participation of indigenous citizens, Fundación Q’ellkaj (Q’ellkaj Foundation) conducted a successful election education campaign for the 2004 local elections, distributing information on candidate platforms and organizing candidate debates specifically for indigenous communities. The Foundation is now working with local government to improve communication between these communities and their elected officials. Nearly four years after his election as President of Mexico, Vicente Fox is still grappling with the legacy of more than 70 years of one-party rule, and a government that is crippled by corruption and patronage. While the administration of President Fox has created new opportunities for the consolidation of a more open political system, there are still significant challenges in Mexico for the government and democratic reformers. In Mexico, the Endowment continued to support training on freedom of information, women’s participation in government and human rights. Centro de Diálogos y Encuentros (Center for Dialogue and Encounters) educated citizens in the state of Morelos on municipal management and budgeting and brought together civic leaders and municipal authorities to develop a common public agenda. To promote more responsive political parties, NDI collaborated with Mexican parties to strengthen political party training institutes. Grantees Democracia, Derechos Humanos y Seguridad (Democracy, Human Rights and Security) and Instituto para la Seguridad y Democracia (Institute for Security and Democracy) addressed the need for police reform by conducting studies on police-community relations and police corruption and abuse. The Endowment actively supported a number of activities at the regional level that sought to bring representatives from different countries together to share experiences and expertise. Regional programs strengthened political parties, trained unions and promoted press freedom. In April, NDI brought together young political party leaders from seven countries for a training in leadership skills and practical strategies for party reform and modernization. Argentina-based grantee SER en el 2000 educated civilian legislators about defense budgeting and developed an index to measure defense budget transparency. ACILS worked with unions throughout the Andean region to provide training and technical assistance on negotiation techniques to improve the capacity of democratic unions to represent workers’ needs. |
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