Angélica Medina is the gender and vulnerable populations expert for the USAID Human Rights Activity (HRA) in Colombia. HRA responds to a history of human rights violations in Colombia by promoting a culture of human rights. Why is social inclusion important for the development of Colombia? Inequality in Colombia has largely overshadowed women’s progress to…
Kaelan Sullivan Fleury (she/her/hers) is passionate about supporting inclusive workplaces, programs, and communities. She has 10 years of international development experience in gender and social inclusion integration, project management, operations, training, business development, and research. She currently serves as the Operations Director for Chemonics’ USG Business Line Support Division. In her prior role as the…
In 2012, the government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) embarked on a peace process, which concluded successfully in 2016 and helped end fifty years of violent conflict. Since signing the peace agreement, the government has had to address the key challenge of ensuring that citizens in conflict-affected regions have access…
After Colombia’s internal conflict that began in 1964, the country’s government and civil society needed to cultivate a public and institutional culture that prioritized protecting human rights and preventing violations of them. The USAID Human Rights Program (HRP) strengthened the capacity of the government and civil society organizations to prevent and address human rights violations.…
Although recent modernization and market reform have improved Vietnam’s economy, there are still vulnerable populations that have been unable to reap the benefits of this growth. The USAID Governance for Inclusive Growth (GIG) program worked with the public and private sectors in Vietnam to enhance governance and facilitate trade. The program improved the country’s legal…
As the government of Mexico implements its National Human Rights Plan at the federal and state levels, it must address structural challenges to human rights and enhance its dialogue with civil society organizations.
Despite gains made through prior USAID initiatives, Colombia still faces challenges in securing ongoing respect and protection for human rights. Vulnerable populations generally lack knowledge of protection mechanisms and of government efforts to prevent and respond to human rights violations. USAID’s Human Rights Activity (HRA) uses a three-pronged strategy — promote a culture of human…
As the 2015 landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision allowed lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI)* couples to legally marry, 76 countries continue to uphold laws making homosexual conduct illegal, and at least five countries find execution a reasonable punishment for same-sex acts. Internationally, cultural acts of violence against the LGBTI community are vastly underreported…