Alongside Europe and North America, Latin America is one of the world’s most democratic regions and therefore an important partner for Germany in the creation of a rule-based, multilateral world order. KAS has been working with Latin American states in a spirit of trust for over 50 years to foster close dialogue on the topics of democracy, the rule of law, decentralisation and social market economics through its 12 Foundation offices and 5 regional projects.

When it comes to their histories, cultures and mentalities, Germany has more in common with Latin America than almost any other region. This ‘natural partnership’ with the region is also reflected in KAS’s international work, which started with the first Foundation offices in Venezuela and Chile (1962).

Latin America has experienced sweeping changes since the early days of cooperation. Apart from a few exceptions, the countries in the region are governed democratically and adhere to the principles of market economy. At the beginning of the millennium, Latin America experienced a period of prosperity thanks to the huge revenue brought in from the resources boom, which significantly reduced poverty levels in many countries and boosted the region’s self-confidence on the international stage. However, a number of social and political challenges, including corruption, social inequality, a lack of trust in politics and state institutions, along with crime and violence, continue to exist despite the economic upswing. These factors are hampering the region’s development - now that the economic heyday is over and many states have to fight the serious impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Latin America

KAS helps Latin American partners to tackle these political and social challenges. Specifically, KAS is committed to the following priority areas in Latin America:

• cooperation with Christian-democratic and other centrist parties
• promotion of the rule of law, constitutional reform processes and fighting corruption
• regulatory dialogue on the structure of economic and social policies
• contribution to the sustainability of democratic structures and institutions
• consulting of governments and parliaments
• promotion of political participation and human rights
• cooperation with organisations in civil society and the media
• promotion of decentralisation processes
• dialogue on environmental politics, climate change and energy security
• dialogue on foreign and security policy within the region and with Europe and Germany

The work of the Foundation offices in Latin America is divided into three project regions, which are coordinated from Berlin.

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Mexico and Central America

​​Mexico and Central America

The project region of Mexico and Central America is characterised, at first glance, by considerable heterogeneity. Thanks to its size and economic power, Mexico sticks out as a member of the G20 and the OECD, and is also an important actor in an international context. Costa Rica is securely anchored in the western community of shared values and serves, alongside Panama, as a politically stable and reliable interlocutor for Germany and the European Union. In the Northern Triangle of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, the most dominant issues on the agenda are security policy challenges and the topic of migration.

The KAS Foundation offices in Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Panama work closely with local partner institutions to strengthen democracy and the rule of law, as well as to promote active participation (particularly amongst indigenous populations, women and young people) in politics and society. Political dialogue with partner parties plays a particularly important role, especially in Mexico and Costa Rica. In addition to national aspects, issues in regard to regional cooperation, such as migration, security and foreign trade, as well as relationships with Europe and Germany are also addressed. Based in Panama, the ‘Alliances for Democracy and Development with Latin America’ regional programme (ADELA) makes an important contribution to the promotion of multilateralism and the strengthening of partnerships between Germany, Europe and Latin America as democratic partners with shared values.

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​​​​​​​Andean states

Andean states

The situation in the Andean states of Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia has been extremely volatile in recent years. Encouraging news, such as the historic peace agreement in Colombia that ended six decades of conflict with the FARC guerilla group in 2016, are juxtaposed with dramatic developments in the neighbouring country of Venezuela, which is currently experiencing a massive humanitarian, political and economic crisis and was the location of one of the 21st century’s largest refugee disasters. Social protests shook large parts of the region in autumn 2019, laying bare the full extent to which political polarisation and dissatisfaction over inadequate socio-economic participation are dividing the societies of the Andean countries.

The KAS Foundation offices in the Andes, which besides the country projects in Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia also include the regional projects for ‘Indigenous Political Participation’ based in Bolivia, the ‘Rule of Law Programme Latin America’ based in Colombia and the ‘Energy Security and Climate Change in Latin America’ programme, work closely with local political, judicial, media and civil society partners in their areas of activity. The Foundation offices focus on specific national issues, such as the implementation of the peace process in Colombia, the decentralisation of government in Peru, the promotion of civil society in Venezuela and political dialogue in Bolivia. Although based in the Andean states, the regional projects work across borders and pursue overarching topics, such as promoting the rule of law in Latin America, socio-political participation amongst indigenous populations and the debate surrounding climate change. Since mid-2020, the KAS Foundation offices in the Andean states have also been focusing their efforts on the consequences of the Venezuelan refugee crisis, as the countries in the region have, in the meantime, taken in the majority of around five million migrants and born the brunt of the mass exodus from Venezuela.

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Cono Sur

Cono Sur

The Cono Sur project region covers Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay and fosters party dialogue and democracy through the regional programme based there. Compared with the other regions, Cono Sur enjoys a relatively high level of political stability. Nevertheless, increasing societal polarisation can also be observed here. Despite a generally high level of development, the countries are characterised by significant regional differences and show large income disparities. Violent demonstrations erupted in apparently stable Chile during 2019, mostly in protest of social injustices and demanding a new constitution. Social and economic reforms are difficult to implement in a polarised environment, as shown by the example of Argentina. Brazil and Argentina play an important role thanks to their size and economic power. Both countries are members of the G20, a group of the twenty most important industrialised and emerging economies. Chile and Uruguay show consistent commitment to multilateralism. All four countries are important interlocutors for Germany and the European Union.

The Foundation offices in Argentina, Brazil and Chile focus primarily on the political dialogue with local partner parties and institutions, focusing on both national issues and the shared challenges of a more interdependent world: in addition to political education and dialogue formats for officials and junior staff on a national and municipal level, discussions also address global topics such as trade relationships, adapting to climate change and the development of regional security structures. KAS Brazil’s annual ‘Forte de Copacabana’ security conference has become firmly established on the global security policy agenda.