The Merida Initiative and Central America

May 22, 2009

The Merida Initiative and Central America

Co-sponsored by the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) and the Brookings Institution

Tuesday, May 26, 2009, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

The Brookings Institution, Falk Auditorium, 1775 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC

To RSVP, please call the Brookings Office of Communications at 202.797.6105, or click here.

In October 2007, the U.S. government announced the Merida Initiative, a 3-year program that provides funding for a wide-range of drug interdiction, prevention and intervention activities throughout Mexico, Central America and select Caribbean countries.  While the Mexico side of the Merida Initiative has received widespread attention from the press, policy-makers and officials throughout the region, relatively little focus has been given to the Central American experience, which differs in its orientation and programmatic allocations.

On May 26, the Latin America Initiative at Brookings and the Washington Office for Latin America will host a discussion on the Central American component of the Merida Initiative. Panelists will examine the security challenges in Central America and the adequacy of the Merida Initiative to provide effective responses within the context of existing and future national and regional initiatives. Particular attention will be placed on the suitability of the Initiative to deal effectively with the issue of Central American youth gangs, or maras.

After the program, the featured speakers will take questions from the audience.

Introduction and Moderator

Kevin Casas-Zamora
Senior Fellow
The Brookings Institution

Featured Speakers

Geoff Thale
Program Director
Washington Office on Latin America

Jose Miguel Cruz
Latin America Public Opinion Project
Vanderbilt University

Mario Pozas
Expert on Juridical Issues and Migration
Central American Integration System (SICA)

Roberta Jacobson
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs
U.S. Department of State

H.E. Roberto Flores Bermudez
Ambassador of Honduras to the United States