COORDINATING EFFORTS & EQUIPPING CIVIL SOCIETY
USAID recognizes that the task of promoting the rule of law
in Latin America and the Caribbean cannot be accomplished
alone. For this reason, USAID coordinates its efforts with
other actors and stakeholders. USAID collaborates with the
U.S. Departments of State and Justice to make sure that all
efforts in the rule of law work together to achieve the greatest
results. USAID also works with the Summit of the Americas
and the Organization of American States to coordinate efforts
in the region, and it assists organizations that work across
borders to promote the rule of law.
Also, USAID recognizes that enabling reform-minded professionals
leads to greater success and ongoing action after USAID funding
has ceased. For example, leaders of the USAID-supported Justice
Studies Center of the Americas (JSCA, also known as CEJA)
in Chile ultimately succeeded in implementing Chilean criminal
code reform and are now directing a regional clearinghouse
for training and justice reform. Participants in the initial
justice sector reform in Panama later became key counterparts
in elected government. As a young professor, the former dean
of the University of San Carlos in Guatemala received a USAID
scholarship for graduate study at the University of Costa
Rica. He is now a leader in reforming law school curricula
and teaching methods in Guatemala and elsewhere around the
region. A staff-member of the Legal Reform Commission supported
by USAID is now the Attorney General of El Salvador. The inter-American
Institute for Human Rights in Costa Rica began with USAID
funding in 1980 and continues to coordinate and promote regional
training, networking, and research towards judicial and other
reforms. All of these players have long-standing relationships
with USAID, and incorporate the training and ideals they gained
through USAID programs toward further efforts today.
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