In 2017, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights determined that marriage equality was a human right. In the face of resistance in the region, in a recent IACHR hearing on the matter, commissioners committed to enforce it.
The IACHR held a hearing on marriage equality after a year of delays from the region in implementing the Court’s 2017 decision
By Hunter T. Carter / colombialawbiz /
Climate Change
Latin American and Caribbean countries are competing to host the 2019 UN climate talks. That’s good news for the region and the world
By Guy Edwards & Isabel Cavelier / GuyEdwards /
Since the incoming government of Jair Bolsonaro backed out of Brazil’s plan to host the COP25 meetings next year, five Latin American and Caribbean countries—Barbados, Chile, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Jamaica—have stepped up.
Democracy & Elections
In Costa Rica, an Easter surprise sees voters reject a conservative firebrand
By Lucas Perelló / lucasperello /
In a surprise vote marked by high turnout and polarization surrounding same-sex marriage, Carlos Alvarado defeated Fabricio Alvarado. But Fabricio may not have been the biggest loser in the landslide election.
Democracy & Elections
After a surprise vote, a showdown between Alvarados will determine Costa Rica’s next president
By Lucas Perelló / lucasperello /
Following a surprising result on Sunday, Fabricio Alvarado and Carlos Alvarado will face off in a run-off election on April 1.
Democracy & Elections
In Costa Rica, uncertainty looms over Sunday’s presidential election
By Lucas Perelló / lucasperello /
In a country long known as one of Latin America’s most stable democracies, a socially conservative outsider is leading polls ahead of Sunday’s first-round vote.
Foreign Policy & U.S./Latin America Relations
Violence in Central America: Do no harm, Mr. Trump
By Kevin Casas-Zamora /
Crime and violence in the Northern Triangle is a regional issue that requires a collective response to the structural factors driving it: weak state capacity, corruption within police forces and the judiciary, and insufficient data. Deporting refugees back to the region doesn’t help.
Economics, Trade & Development
Ending the middle-income trap through policy design
By Javier Gutiérrez / jantgut / MENU
If Central America wants to get out of the middle-income trap it would do well to follow Uruguay’s lead and develop a focused, comprehensive industrial policy that builds on the region’s trade advantages.
Economics, Trade & Development
Trade in services: Central America’s big opportunity?
By Javier Gutiérrez / jantgut /
While global trade in services is booming, most Latin American countries continue to export basic goods. Here’s what Panama and Costa Rica did to catch up. Other countries should follow.
Economics, Trade & Development
Can demographics and policy reform help Central America’s creative industries?
By Javier Gutiérrez / jantgut /
Against grim economic news in Latin America, Central America is expected to grow by 4.3 percent this year. But that won’t be enough. Here’s how the region can grow further, leveraging its creative industries.
Human Rights & Multilateral Organizations
Going Down the Rabbit Hole of the UNHRC’s Universal Review Process
By Chris Sabatini & Amy Williams /
Even in Latin America, a region often thought to share the same democratic orientation and values of the U.S. and Europe, there are some striking differences among groups of countries regarding supporting norms and practices on human rights internationally, with some countries lining up more with autocratic countries of the Global South.