2009 Annual Report

2009 Latin America and the Caribbean Highlights

During 2009, the most dramatic political event in the region was the Honduras political crisis, which led to the ousting of elected President Zelaya and the installation of a de facto government headed by former President of Congress Micheleti. This crisis generated strong reactions throughout the region, mobilized the Organization of Americas States, attracted international concern, and exposed the hemisphere’s deep polarization.

Human rights violations and institutional distortions were reported by domestic and international organizations. While the crisis was not completely resolved, elections in late November 2009 paved the way for political recovery.

Two countries in the hemisphere stand out for their democratic deficits: Cuba and Haiti. Cuba is the only remaining dictatorship in the Western hemisphere, and during 2009 its ancient leadership did not show any willingness to embrace freedom or political and economic pluralism. Haiti remained haunted by tragic natural disasters, acute dependency on international aid, and multifaceted institutional weaknesses.

The main political threat in the region is a trend towards undermining democracy from within, most notably seen in Venezuela and in Nicaragua. After gaining access to power through competitive elections, Presidents and their supporting coalitions have utilized democratic institutions and processes to weaken democracy. The emerging dynamic is characterized by acute concentration and personalization of power; distortion of the electoral processes; manipulation of the judicial system to persecute and penalize dissidents; and violation of human rights, freedom of expression and association. Both Venezuela and Nicaragua continued on this path of democratic decay during 2009. Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez promoted and won a referendum to eliminate term limits for all elected officials; Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega obtained a similar ruling from the Constitutional Court.

Another set of serious challenges to democracy in the region in 2009 stemmed from the expansion of violence and crime. Impunity, weak state institutions and fragile rule of law, limited socioeconomic opportunities, and ill-defined public policies are all contributing to this expansion. Mexico and the Central American countries are particularly vulnerable to the combined effects of ordinary and organized crime, gang activity and narco-trafficking, and international criminal networks.

In the Caribbean, the Endowment approved grants for Cuba and Haiti. In Cuba, the Endowment focuses on fostering civil society development; providing humanitarian assistance to dissidents and democratic activists; breaking the island’s information blockade; and raising international awareness about the state of human rights there. In Haiti, NED supported grass-roots organizations working to strengthen the capacity of local elected officials and rural communities. Programs also promoted a culture of peace in conflict-ridden communities, strengthened nascent networks of democracy and human rights activists, and provided legal assistance in cases of documented worker rights violations.

In the Andean Region, NED awarded grants in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela to organizations working to reduce political and ethnic polarization; encourage citizen participation; strengthen local governments to improve performance, accountability and good governance; provide objective and pluralistic information on key reform efforts; and empower women, youth, indigenous communities and other traditionally-excluded sectors.

In Mexico, NED-related programs focused on sub-national levels of government, particularly in the more impoverished central and southern states; supported reforms to deliver democratic and socioeconomic benefits in a transparent and accountable fashion; and empower traditionally marginalized sectors, such as indigenous peoples and women. At the national level, NED-funded programs promoted public security and freedom of expression.

In Nicaragua, NED awarded grants to encourage citizen participation and good governance at the local level; promote civic education on democratic values and the rule of law; and sustain civil society organizations and independent media. In Guatemala, NED supported organizations to provide citizen oversight of government-sponsored conditional cash transfer programs; increase the political participation of indigenous populations and women in legislative, electoral and political affairs; and to facilitate citizen involvement in local governments

In the Southern Cone, NED awarded grants in Argentina to improve citizen participation at the sub-national levels and strengthen checks and balances both at the national level and between the provincial and the federal governments, and bolster civil society in key provinces. In Paraguay, NED-supported programs encouraged citizen participation; worked on improving government administration; and promoted the development of the country’s nascent civil society.

The Endowment also awarded grants to carry out regional programs. These covered a variety of topics, such as training in human rights law and effectively leveraging the Inter-American System of Human Rights. NED-supported programs also worked on, among many other issues, strengthening the oversight capacity of civil society in civil-military relations, defense and security; defining a democratic social agenda to address inequality and poverty; and improving accountability and transparency in conditional cash transfer programs.

Other programs focused on enforcing the right to identity and identity documentation for underrepresented populations; providing a civil society voice in regional forums such as the OAS and the Summit of the Americas; and providing training for emerging political leaders.