Americas

Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean are facing constant threats to democracy. Human rights abuses, gang and political violence, malign influence by foreign actors, and authoritarian trends are plaguing the region. Over the past several years, citizens have taken to the streets in multiple countries throughout the region to protest lack of social mobility, infringement of human rights, food and fuel shortages and other social issues. Many of these demonstrations have been met with brutal crackdowns from governments. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic has only highlighted the reality that Latin America has the highest social inequality of any region in the world, bringing voters to take out their frustrations both in the streets and at the ballot box.

IFES has been developing and implementing programs in the Latin America and Caribbean region since its foundation in 1987. Working together with government officials, electoral management bodies and civil society organizations, our projects have achieved significant success in promoting transparency and accountability in electoral processes, as well as in increasing civic engagement and the inclusion of marginalized groups in political life. Through activities that range from the assessment of electoral operations procedures and technical assistance with tabulation of results to the organization of voter education campaigns, IFES is supporting sustainable improvements to democratic institutions throughout the Americas. It is also an important part of IFES’ mission in the region to support greater horizontal cooperation and peer-to-peer exchange among democratic institutions. We invite you to visit the country webpages and related resources to learn more about IFES’ activities in Latin America and the Caribbean. Please follow @IFESAmericas on Twitter.