Latin America & the Caribbean

Despite advances across Latin America and the Caribbean since the 1970s, democracy in the region is under strain. In several countries, there has been an increase in political polarization, electoral institutions have become targets of attacks and fake news and unfounded accusations of electoral fraud have increased.

International IDEA’s Regional Office prioritizes the assessment and monitoring of democracies in the region, paying special attention to the deterioration in some areas and addressing their governance challenges. In 2022 International IDEA and UNDP published the document "Governance, democracy and development in Latin America and the Caribbean."

International IDEA also provides assistance to electoral bodies, crucial given the increasing attacks on them during polarized elections and the widespread spread of fake news. In 2022, for example, RLAC organized two electoral missions to Brazil, invited by the Superior Electoral Tribunal.

Promote dialogues to identify proposals that strengthen democracies is one of our main objectives. In 2022, RLAC organized an international seminar on Central America, whose report will be published. In addition, RLAC, through its partnership with UNDP and UN Women, supports gender equality in democratic institutions and practices through the ATENEA program.

The Institute in Latin America and the Caribbean works in collaboration with diverse actors such as electoral management bodies, national and subnational governments, parliamentarians, policymakers, and constitution-makers, civil society, political parties, journalists, academics, and other relevant entities. This effort will also extend to working with the United Nations (UN) and other international organizations.