Content
Latin America and Caribbean
Democracy, the rule of law and the participation of the poor
In order to address the structural causes of poverty in Latin America, Germany is promoting efforts to strengthen democracy and the rule of law, and improve the participation of the poor and disadvantaged throughout the region.
Core concerns in this priority area are:
- Respecting, protecting and ensuring human rights – for example by strengthening the office of the ombudsman, whose task is to protect the rights and interests of the people vis-à-vis administrative authorities which constitute the apparatus of state power, and to build trust between citizens and state
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Promoting the monitoring of government by parliament and civil society
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Improving the judicial system – for example, by according disadvantaged groups in particular easier access to judicial services
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Fostering political and economic participation
by indigenous people and women -
Promoting good governance in public finances to achieve pro-poor, transparent and efficient budget and fiscal policy.
Crisis prevention is an important cross-cutting issue in countries where there is the potential for conflict. The focus here is on improving the dialogue between the state and civil society and on supporting mechanisms for non-violent conflict management.
Strategic partnerships with the Inter-American Development Bank and the UN Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC) should be developed further as platforms for policy dialogue. Youth and violence in Central America, human rights, women’s rights and socially compatible tax reforms are important topics covered by the dialogue.
Publications
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Promoting democracy in German development policy: Supporting political reform processes and popular participation
Special 137
(PDF 482 KB) -
Human Rights in German Development Policy
BMZ Strategy Paper
(PDF 574 KB, accessible) -
Strategy for Development Cooperation with Global Development Partners
(PDF 543 KB, accessible)
