<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Carolina Foundation presented this week its new annual report, entitled “Latin America in a perplexed world” and in which it predicts “an economically uncertain and politically turbulent year” in which “the siege on the values and institutions of democracy will persist”.</strong></h4> The presentation of the report that the Carolina Foundation prepares each year on the current situation in Latin America took place this Wednesday at the headquarters of the Ateneo de Madrid. The event was attended by the Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Eva Granados; the director of the Carolina Foundation (and coordinator of the report), Érika Rodríguez Pinzón; and Marisa Ramos, professor of Political Science at the Complutense University of Madrid and also coordinator of the report. The study, entitled “Latin America in a perplexed world: Insecurity, economic turbulence and besieged democracies,” pays special attention to the prospects for the international economic insertion of Latin American countries, the state of their democracies, their evolution in terms of feminist foreign policy, the challenges of environmental governance, social cohesion and migration, and the new security challenges that have diversified and expanded in recent years. As explained by the Foundation in a press release, the study offers “a comprehensive and multifaceted vision of the challenges and opportunities that Latin America has faced in 2024 and those that await it in 2025, a year that is economically uncertain and politically turbulent, under a tense global context, in which the siege on the values and institutions of democracy will persist, but which could also mean, for the countries of the region, a boost in terms of mobilization of financial resources, institutional resilience, defense of human rights, and political representation of women.” A distinguished group of specialists - all of them female researchers - who collaborate or are members of the Studies and Analysis area of the Carolina Foundation participated in its preparation: Andrea Mila-Maldonado, Arlene B. Tickner, Azul A. Aguiar Aguilar, Carolina Sampó, Cecilia Güemes, Érika Rodríguez Pinzón, Esther del Campo, Julieta Zelicovich, Marisa Ramos Rollón, Sandra Miled Hincapié Jiménez, Sofía Pérez Gil and Yanina Welp. During the event, Eva Granados delved into the shared objectives between both regions: “the strengthening of democracy, as a political system that favors sustainable development; the promotion of greater social cohesion, supporting the fight against the effects of climate change that is at the origin of significant population displacements; and support for regional integration processes and regional organizations as a way of achieving collective progress by countries on specific issues.” For her part, Érika Rodríguez Pinzón warned that “the fears that already existed in Latin America and the Caribbean have become globalized and the consensus on development is in crisis.” “The West is fragmenting, and its institutional and political model is losing its anchor. We need to rethink development and build new consensus,” she added. Finally, Marisa Ramos called for the recovery of dialogue to address current political crises, and highlighted the relevance of publications such as the one presented for this purpose: “This report is necessary because, in a complex context such as the one we live in, it is urgent to engage in dialogue and action to protect what can still be protected. Reflection and analysis are key tools.” The Carolina Foundation, linked to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is a public-private institution for the promotion of cultural relations and cooperation between Spain and the countries of the Ibero-American community of nations, particularly in the scientific, cultural and higher education fields, through its relations with the foreign ministries and with Ibero-American academic institutions.
