35 West

On July 28, Pedro Castillo Terrones, was inaugurated as Peru’s 63rd constitutional president. Castillo’s victory came after a highly contentious electoral process that was characterized by health and safety concerns due to the Covid-19 pandemic and false accusations of electoral fraud. Castillo ultimately won by 44,263 votes. In this episode, Margarita R. Seminario sat down with Dr. Jo-Marie Burt of George Mason University and discussed how a rural schoolteacher and union leader like Castillo captured the imagination of poor, rural, indigenous Peruvians who have lived excluded and marginalized for decades. Dr. Burt shared her insights on the recent elections, what to expect during the first 100 days of the Castillo administration, and she highlighted some policy concerns and recommendations for the US government regarding engagement with Peru. Dr. Burt also recently published a book called “Transitional Justice in the Aftermath of Civil Conflict Societies: Lessons from Peru, Guatemala and El Salvador” found here: http://www.dplf.org/sites/default/files/pictures/transitional_justice_final.pdf

Haiti on a good day is highly complex. The recent set of events triggered by the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse created a power vacuum and threw the Caribbean nation into even deeper turmoil.  Margarita R. Seminario sits down with Georges A. Fauriol, Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, to discuss the current crisis in Haiti and how key actors, like the Haitian government, civil society, private sector, and the international community, can play an effective role in sketching a more stable path forward. Fauriol also sketches recommendations for the Biden-Harris administration and the U.S. Congress.

Margarita R. Seminario sits down with Michael Eddy, Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Latin America and the Caribbean Bureau of the U.S. Agency for International Development to discuss Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing in the Western Hemisphere. Highlights of their conversation include: who is impacted by IUU fishing and how, the challenges of combatting IUU fishing, the importance of multilateral efforts and interagency collaboration, as well why this is a priority for the Biden-Harris administration.This podcast was made possible through the generous support of the U.S. Agency for International Development through Environmental Incentives. To learn more about the work of the U.S. Agency for International Development on IUU Fishing, please go to: https://www.usaid.gov/biodiversity/illegal-unreported-and-unregulated-fishing

Please enjoy this special Building the Future episode with 35 West host and CSIS Americas Deputy Director Margarita R. Seminario. In this episode, we talk with Mia Mitchell (from the U.S. Department of State) and Sonja Kelly (from the Women's World Banking) to understand the barriers we face to enabling inclusive access to finance to women around the world while discussing the various opportunities that the U.S. government has in overcoming such hurdles.

In this "Best of" 35 West episode, Margarita R. Seminario sits down with Logan Coleman, a Program Manager at the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF). They discuss the challenges faced by Venezuelan youth and women in the Caribbean, an often-overlooked host destination for migrants. Logan explains the value of using a gender lens to understand the migrant crisis and explains why Venezuelans are vulnerable to trafficking in persons. She and Margarita explore how programming by PADF and other organizations can address these circumstances.Read PADF's " A Story of Hope" here.This episode was first released on April 15, 2020. 

Margarita R. Seminario sits down with Dr. Jennie K. Lincoln, a Senior Advisor for Latin America and the Caribbean at The Carter Center on peace initiatives, to discuss the deterioration of democracy, human rights, and governance in Nicaragua under the Ortega regime. They cover the lack of conditions for elections in November, the challenges faced by voters and candidates, the Ortega regime’s systematic actions against opposition presidential contenders, and need for the international community to act in a determined and coordinated manner. Since the podcast was recorded on June 7th, two more presidential candidates have been detained and imprisoned and multiple opposition voices brutally silenced.

En este episodio especial en español, Margarita R. Seminario conversa con Juanita Millán Hernández, Capitán de Corbeta de la Reserva Activa de la Armada Colombiana y asesora principal en materia de seguridad del equipo de reserva de expertos en mediación del Departamento de Asuntos Políticos y Consolidación de la Paz de las Naciones Unidas.Juanita comparte su experiencia como mediadora durante el proceso de paz de Colombia y nos cuenta su experiencia como la única mujer de la delegación de las Fuerzas Militares de Colombia en la mesa de negociación entre el gobierno colombiano y las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia. Durante la entrevista, se analiza la importancia de la aplicación de un enfoque de género y como las mujeres efectivamente llegaron a jugar un papel relevante en las negociaciones y en la implementación del proceso de paz. Se referencia en la entrevista una publicación altamente útil: "Una perspectiva de género en la construcción de la paz" que se puede descargar aquí.Gender Perspective and the Colombian Peace Process: A Conversation with Juanita Millán HernándezIn this special Spanish-language episode, Margarita R. Seminario sits down with Juanita Millán Hernández, a Lieutenant Commander of the Colombian Navy's active reserve and Senior Mediation Advisor for security arrangements on the Standby Team of the United Nations' Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA).Juanita shares her experiences as a mediator during the Colombian peace process and as the only woman in the Colombian military's delegation to the negotiations between the Colombian government and the FARC. During the interview, they analyze the importance of the incorporation of a gender perspective and discuss how Colombian women came to effectively play a relevant role in peace process negotiations and implementation. The interview references a useful publication: "Una perspectiva de género en la construcción de la paz" can be downloaded in Spanish here.

In this special guest host episode, Dan Runde, Senior Vice President and Director of the CSIS Americas Program, sits down with Ricardo Mussa, CEO of Raízen, a Brazilian integrated energy company focused on bioenergy and renewables. They discuss how Ricardo got his start in the bioenergy business, the steps Raízen is taking to achieve its public commitment to emission reductions, and the status of bioenergy implementation in Brazil as well as its benefits for everyday Brazilians. They also examine the biofuel production process, debunking elements of the "food versus fuel" argument that biofuel production risks interference with food supply security, and analyze the future of U.S.-Brazil cooperation in the biofuels space.

Margarita R. Seminario sits down with Jose Miguel Cruz, Director of Research at Florida International University's Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center.  Jose Miguel shares the results of two USAID-funded studies prepared with Democracy International on gang disengagement in Guatemala and Honduras. They examine the conditions that facilitate gang exit and the role non-state actors like the faith-based groups, civil society organizations, and the private sector can play in promoting gang disengagement. Also, they discuss practical policy recommendations for the U.S. and Northern Triangle governments to promote an enabling environment that reduces gang involvement and promotes decent employment for youth to break the cycle of encierro, destierro, y entierro. "A Study of Gang Disengagement in Honduras" can be found here."A Study of Gang Disengagement in Guatemala" can be found here.

Margarita R. Seminario sits down with Logan Coleman, a Program Manager at the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF). They discuss the challenges faced by Venezuelan youth and women in the Caribbean, an often-overlooked host destination for migrants. Logan explains the value of using a gender lens to understand the migrant crisis and explains why Venezuelans are vulnerable to trafficking in persons. She and Margarita explore how programming by PADF and other organizations can address these circumstances.  Read PADF's " A Story of Hope" here.