Freedom House invites you to a special virtual event:
Thursday, June 3, 2021
10-11 a.m. ET
Via Zoom
Amid the global pandemic, corruption in Latin America continues to thrive, fueling repression, narrowing civic space, and eroding public services that could help stymie the spread of COVID-19. In 2020, 13 of 23 countries in Latin America declined in their freedom scores according to Freedom House’s Freedom in the World report.
Governments across the region encroached on citizens’ rights under the guise of enforcing quarantine restrictions, and the pandemic spotlighted persistent failures in public health systems. Regional watchdogs have attributed many of those failures to graft, resulting in unfinished hospitals, insufficient medical equipment, and shortages of medications. Given the increasingly transnational nature of corruption, the international community has an important role to play in holding corrupt actors to account and addressing the crippling human rights and public health consequences of corruption in the era of COVID-19 in Latin America.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed the landscape for corruption and impunity for human rights violations in Latin America? What is the status of ongoing investigations to stop corruption and how has COVID-19 affected the pursuit of accountability? What does a realistic vaccine roll-out plan look like in Mexico, Argentina, and Venezuela, amid rampant corruption in their respective health sectors?
Join Freedom House on Thursday, June 3 from 10:00-11:00 am ET for a public, virtual event alongside the United Nations General Assembly’s first ever Special Session on Corruption, where experts from local chapters of Transparency International in Argentina, Mexico, and Venezuela will discuss the intersection of corruption, human rights, and public health and to explore how unchecked corruption has impacted the health sectors and respective responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in these countries. Register Now.
Panel:
Eduardo Bohorquez, Executive Director, Transparencia Mexicana
Pablo Secchi, Executive Director, Poder Ciudadano - Argentina
Mercedes de Freitas, Executive Director, Transparencia Venezuela
Closing Remarks:
Delia Ferreira, Chair, Transparency International
Moderator:
Gerardo Berthin, Director of Latin America and the Caribbean Programs, Freedom House
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This event will be conducted in Spanish, with simultaneous interpretation in English available through Zoom.
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