Colombia is home to one of the world’s longest ongoing armed conflicts, which has resulted in severe economic and social disparities, and victimized approximately 15 percent of the country’s population. Many analysts agree that, regardless of the ongoing peace negotiations between the government and the country’s largest guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), peace must be constructed at the local level.

While youth in Nicaragua make up one quarter of the country’s population, the next generation of leaders faces significant barriers to getting involved in their country’s political process.

In 2014, reforms to the Nicaraguan Constitution increased the authority of the president and limited the ability of citizens, including young people, to get involved in the political process.

LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) groups, both in Central America and elsewhere, face a common challenge: how to build coalitions around a common cause among diverse people and groups who do not always share the same needs or goals.

The campaign for Guatemala’s Sept. 6 presidential, legislative and municipal elections is unfolding against a backdrop of ongoing protests that erupted following charges of corruption against a former vice president and other political leaders. This challenging political environment is further complicated by intimidation and threats of violence, particularly against Guatemalan observers monitoring election preparations.