Democracies in Latin America at a Crossroads

Juanita Goebertus Estrada
Director, Americas Division
Human Rights Watch

This talk will explore the main challenges that democracies in Latin America and the Caribbean are facing. We will discuss the current situation in the three consolidated dictatorships, explore the tactics of growing authoritarian governments, and identify the shortcomings of democracies in the region. We will also explore potential areas of hope for the future.

Presented by the Kellogg Institute with cosponsorship by the Klau Institute for Civil and Human Rights.

Juanita Goebertus Estrada is director of the Americas Division at Human Rights Watch. She served as a congresswoman in Colombia from 2018 to 2022, where she focused on implementing the peace agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC. She previously held key roles in peace and security, including head of the transitional justice group during the Havana Peace Talks. She holds degrees in law and political science from Universidad de los Andes and an LLM from Harvard Law School.