Caribbean & Central America
Caribbean & Central America - September 2020
Click here for full report
- Introduction
Central America
- HONDURAS: A worsening situation for human rights defenders
- EL SALVADOR: Transparency concerns mount over pandemic response
- NICARAGUA: Drug money seizures raises eyebrows
- REGION: Four Central American nations buck negative regional trade trend
- PANAMA: Labour reform sparks trade union uproar
Caribbean
- HAITI: Moïse under fresh international pressure to address impunity
- JAMAICA: JLP looks to extend its run
- TRINIDAD-SURINAME-GUYANA: Stability at last
- BARBADOS: IMF emphasises importance of sticking to reforms
Economic Highlights
- Economic Highlights
At the end of July, the international NGO Global Witness published its annual report which found that killings of human rights defenders (HRDs) in Honduras rose from four in 2018 to 14 last year, making it the most dangerous country per capita for land and environmental defenders in 2019.
Caribbean & Central America - August 2020
Click here for full report
- Introduction
CENTRAL AMERICA
- GUATEMALA: Judges’ election sparks high level tensions
- NICARAGUA: International community piles on the pressure
- REGION: US under pressure to stop deportations
- REGION: Worrying times for agriculture in Central America
CARIBBEAN
- TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: Violence and racial tensions as Trinidad heads to the polls
- SURINAME: Tempered relief at the departure of Bouterse
- REGION: Finding a way forward for the Caribbean
- DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Abinader faces economic storm after winning election
ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
- Economic Highlights
The first piece in this August edition of Latin American Regional Report: Caribbean & Central America looks at tensions in Guatemala which have erupted following an order by the constitutional court (CC) for the process of electing supreme court (CSJ) judges and appellate magistrates to be suspended.
Caribbean & Central America - July 2020
Click here for full report
- Introduction
Central America
- REGION: Prison systems helpless before pandemic
- PANAMA: Pandemic adds to Canal’s woes
- HONDURAS: Hernández hails new steps to fight drug trafficking
- REGION: Northern Triangle remittance inflows suffer sharp fall
- REGION: Costa Rica border restrictions throw regional trade into doubt
Caribbean
- REGION: Testing the limits of democracy
- REGION: Covid-19 inflicts unprecedented damage
Economic Highlights
- Economic Highlights
When the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic first reached Latin America, the horrifying prospect of its proliferation through the region’s often grossly overcrowded, understaffed, unsanitary and aging prisons was described by various human rights organisations as a “ticking time bomb”.
Caribbean & Central America - June 2020
Click here for full report
- Introduction
CENTRAL AMERICA
- REGION: Fears of another ‘pandemic’
- EL SALVADOR: Bukele’s pandemic response sparks human rights concerns
- REGION: Fiscal pressures intensify due to coronavirus pandemic
CARIBBEAN
- CUBA: Activation of Title III of Helms-Burton Act - one year on
- REGION: Caricom at odds with the EU over blacklisting
- REGION: Feeling for a way forward
ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
- Economic highlights
The United Nations (UN)’s World Food Programme (WFP) and Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) are among various bodies warning of a risk of a “hunger pandemic” as a result of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
Caribbean & Central America - May 2020
Click here for full report
- Introduction
CENTRAL AMERICA
- REGION: Pandemic reignites corruption concerns
- HONDURAS: Cocaine production takes hold
- NICARAGUA: New human rights concerns on key anniversary
- REGION: Tourism industry lobbies for gov’t support
- REGION: Palm oil industry seeks to turn a page
CARIBBEAN
- SURINAME: Pre-election distrust multiplied by coronavirus crisis
- ST KITTS & NEVIS: Coronavirus emergency to delay elections
- REGION: Upcoming hurricane season shaping up to be a bad one
- REGION: Unprecedented pressure on Caribbean economies
ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
- Economic Highlights
At the end of March, the international anti-corruption NGO Transparency International (TI) warned about “serious corruption risks” in Latin America’s emergency response to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
Caribbean & Central America - April 2020
Click here for full report
- Introduction
CENTRAL AMERICA
- EL SALVADOR: Executive-legislative tensions escalate
- NICARAGUA: Press freedom concerns intensify
- REGION: New reports highlight migrants’ plight
- REGION: Coronavirus highlights need to reform labour markets
CARIBBEAN
- GUYANA: Pressure mounts for resolution
- REGION: Covid-19 could overwhelm Caribbean’s health services
- REGION: Paradise lost
ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
- Economic Highlights
The bold action by El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele to address the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19) in the country may have been welcomed given the urgency of the pandemic.
Caribbean & Central America - March 2020
Click here for full report
- Introduction
CENTRAL AMERICA
- GUATEMALA: Giammattei’s initial moves
- NORTHERN TRIANGLE: Measuring the direct and indirect costs of crime
- HONDURAS: Hernández ends speculation over Maccih
- CENTRAL AMERICA: Wrangling threatens much needed energy investment
CARIBBEAN
- REGION: Seeking to address the brain drain
- REGION: Mitigating Caribbean disaster vulnerability key to progress
ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
- Economic Highlights
The first piece in this March edition of Latin American Regional Report: Caribbean & Central America begins with Guatemala, where President Alejandro Giammattei took office for a four-year term on 14 January.
Caribbean & Central America - February 2020
Click here for full report
- Introduction
CENTRAL AMERICA
- COSTA RICA: Alvarado claims further security progress
- EL SALVADOR: Bukele hails further fall in homicides
- REGION: The new face of China's chequebook diplomacy in Central America
CARIBBEAN
- HAITI: Ten years on since the earthquake
- REGION: IMF urges Caricom to renew integration efforts
- REGION: Guyana’s oil surge distorts regional outlook
- REGION: US accused of 'divide and rule'
ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
Since assuming the presidency of Costa Rica in May 2018, Carlos Alvarado and the centre-left ruling Partido Acción Ciudadana (PAC) have overseen promising improvements in public security.
Caribbean & Central America - January 2020
Click here for full report
- Introduction
CENTRAL AMERICA
- NORTHERN TRIANGLE: Migration accords continue to attract concern
- PANAMA: Seeking to address a major priority
- REGION: The ongoing struggle against femicide in Central America
- CENTRAL AMERICA: Ambitious plans for Central American integration?
- GUATEMALA: Giammattei faces a raft of issues as Guatemala’s new president
CARIBBEAN
- CARIBBEAN: A big year for elections in Caricom
- SURINAME: Suriname finds oil at last
ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
- Economic Highlights
We begin this January edition of Latin American Regional Report: Caribbean & Central America by looking at three bilateral migration accords signed last year by the US and (separately) El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras which continue to attract international condemnation.