The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) and the Seattle International Foundation
In conjunction with the Congressional Central America Caucus
Invite you to the launch of
The Central America Monitor: Tracking U.S. Assistance and Assessing Impact
With opening remarks from
Mauricio Vivero
CEO, Seattle International Foundation
Featuring
Adriana Beltrán
Senior Associate for Citizen Security, WOLA
Helen Mack
Executive Director, Myrna Mack Foundation
Migdonia Ayestas
Executive Director, University Institute on Democracy, Peace and Security (IUDPAS)
Moderated by
Clare Seelke
Specialist in Latin American Affairs, Congressional Research Service
With remarks from Rep. Norma J. Torres (D-CA), co-chair of the Central America Caucus
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
U.S. House of Representatives
Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2255
45 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20515
To RSVP, please fill out the form on the right.
This event will be held in English and Spanish, with simultaneous translation available.
Over the past three years, the arrival of thousands of Central American migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border has brought renewed attention to the region and its challenges. Many of these children, teenagers, and their parents fled violent neighborhoods and a lack of economic opportunities in their home countries, as well as weak governments unable to address the deep insecurity many of their citizens face. One part of the response has been a considerable increase in foreign assistance intended to address these issues.
The U.S. Congress has worked on a bipartisan basis to provide comprehensive development and security assistance to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Ensuring that this assistance is being wisely invested and properly implemented—and that the governments of Central America are advancing needed reforms—requires systematic monitoring. This is why WOLA, in collaboration with a group of respected and experienced Central American NGO partners, has launched the Central America Monitor.
The Central America Monitor will track and analyze U.S. assistance programs in the region and evaluate the progress in Central America to reduce violence and insecurity, strengthen the rule of law, improve transparency and accountability, protect human rights, and combat corruption. The Monitor will provide a valuable tool to identify the areas of progress and shortfalls of the policies being implemented in the region in a form that is useful for policymakers, donors, academics, and the public. We hope you are able to attend this panel discussion about this new project and its initial findings.
For more information, please contact WOLA Program Assistant Carolyn Scorpio at cscorpio@wola.org or (202) 797-2191.
