Building Trust and Transparency
4 ways USAID fosters democratic governance in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras
Persistent challenges of corruption and weak rule of law, among other factors, drive a record number of people from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to migrate north.
When there is a culture of impunity, the legitimacy of the institutions in the country are jeopardized. Citizens lose confidence in their leaders, their own ability to prosper, get an education, start a business, and have their rights respected.
Corruption fundamentally stymies development, undermines public service provision, and diverts resources from addressing critical challenges such as public health, humanitarian crises, climate change, and food insecurity. Corruption also keeps foreign direct investment away. It keeps the private sector from the United States, who might wish to invest in the region, on the sidelines.
For these reasons, the Biden administration identified corruption as a core national security interest. Within her first two months at USAID, Administrator Samantha Power established an Anti-Corruption Task Force to elevate, strengthen, and integrate anti-corruption work throughout the Agency. Administrator Power recognizes transparent and inclusive democracy is the cornerstone of sustainable progress for the people of Central America.
As Secretary of State Blinken stated, people in the region have “consistently demanded accountability on the part of their governments and private actors.”
USAID is ramping up activities that target endemic corruption and advance good governance.
Here are four ways we’re helping Salvadorans, Guatemalans, and Hondurans foster greater transparency, accountability, and democratic governance — critical components of sustainable development.
1. Supporting Corruption Fighters in Honduras
USAID supports the National Anti-corruption Council (CNA), which has identified about $68 million in alleged acts of corruption in its Corruption in the Times of COVID-19 report. These allegations involve overpriced purchases of medical equipment, including personal protective equipment and ventilators, low-quality materials to improve hospitals’ infrastructure, and seven mobile hospitals. CNA published four additional reports on alleged corruption at triage centers and in the management of municipal funds for combating the COVID-19 pandemic. The council has trained more than 600 public officials and nearly 300 civil society actors on transparency and the fight against corruption, including public procurement best practices. And as part of USAID’s plan to counter irregular migration, CNA trained nearly 30,000 people in anti-corruption advocacy, and reached more than 2 million Hondurans through anti-corruption campaigns.
2. Supporting Victims of Violence
Violence against children is the second most frequently reported crime in Guatemala with 40,697 cases in 2019. USAID partnered with the Public Ministry to design and implement the Integrated Attention Model for Children and Adolescents (MAINA), bringing together 11 government institutions to provide specialized attention to children and adolescent victims of violence, exploitation, and trafficking. By housing these justice sector institutions under one roof, MAINA has dramatically reduced wait times for investigative and judicial procedures. During its first year of operation, MAINA responded to more than 3,200 cases, 753 of which were registered since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
3. Improving Regional Citizen Security
USAID — in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme and more than 45 governmental institutions, civil society organizations, and academic institutions — delivered tangible security improvements to governments throughout the region through the rollout of several initiatives, including the School Violence Warning System in El Salvador. The system, administered by the Salvadoran Ministry of Education, provides reports on homicides, harassments, suicides, and threats made in or near schools.
4. Expanding Regional Human Rights Protections
USAID is helping expand early warning systems in the Offices of the Ombudsman for Human Rights of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras; these systems detect trends that can lead to human rights violations and provide prevention recommendations to the government. In addition, USAID supported the development of a Central America Regional Report on Stigma and Discrimination against people living with HIV and gender and sexual minorities.
Recently, USAID announced new initiatives to advance democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Namely, we will be providing more than $19 million to strengthen anti-corruption efforts and promote entrepreneurship, employment, and inclusion, particularly for youth, women, and Indigenous Peoples in Guatemala.
In addition, USAID will provide $3.7 million for democracy and governance programs that will foster civic engagement and promote election transparency in Honduras.
In El Salvador, up to $35 million will be invested in reducing impunity for gender-based violence, while up to $30 million will enable Salvadorans to access educational and economic opportunities so that they can provide for themselves and their families.
Learn more about our assistance in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
About the Author
Jessica Brown is an Outreach and Communications Specialist in USAID’s Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean.
