Democracy and Governability in Northern Central America
7 December 2021 10:00 - 11:00
Virtual Event | Organised by Alianza Americas | Held in United States in Spanish with Interpretation to EnglishContact details: holea@alianzaamericas.org
Defending against authoritarianism
Register here
A notable absence in the Summit of the Americas is that of the Northern Central American countries. The one-hour analytical conversation will discuss ideas and current efforts to strengthen the rule of law and governability in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. The three speakers are Oswaldo Samayoa from Guatemala, Efraín Días Arrivillaga from Honduras and Ana Gabriela Santos from El Salvadores. They are university professors, who will discuss their vision and ideas around building inclusive democracies in their respective countries. The challenges of confronting authoritarian tendencies, fighting endemic corruption, and upholding human rights emerge as competing goals. The conversation will consider whether it is possible to pursue them simultaneously, considering the specific historic, economic, and political challenges that each nation faces. The conversation will be moderated by Oscar Chacón, Executive Director of Alianza Americas. The event will be in Spanish with interpretation to English.
Presenters
Oswaldo Samayoa
Faculty Member at the Law School of Universidad San Carlos de Guatemala and Universidad Rafael Landívar. He is pursuing a JSD Degree in Constitutoinal Law at Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala. He is a consultar on International Constitutional Law, International Human Rights Law and Criminal Law. He is also a human rights defender.
Efraín Díaz Arrivillaga
Has a BA on Economics from Georgetown University and an MS on Agricultural Economy from Kansas State University. He has more than 50 years of professional experience on project evaluation, public policies, and human development. He is a Faculty Member at the Economics Department of Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras. He has been a government official holding several positions, including Sub-Secretary for Natural Resources and as a diplomat. He was elected to Congress and was the President of the Cristian Democrat Party.
Ana Gabriela Santos
Lawyer from Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas in El Salvador. She is pursuing a JSD Degree at Universidad Católica de Chile. She is the Director of Undergraduate Studies at the Law School of Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas. She is also a researcher interested on Elections Law, Constitutional Law, Human Rights and Democracy.
Oscar Chacón
Co‐founder and executive director of Alianza Americas. Before stepping into his current role in 2007, Oscar served in leadership positions at the Chicago‐based Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights, the Northern California Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, the Boston‐based Centro Presente, and several other community-based and international development organizations.