Next month, a landmark United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) regional analysis focused on democratic resilience will be unveiled in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo. Scheduled for June 8 at the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the launch event of the report *Democracies under Pressure: Reimagining the Futures of Democracy and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean* will gather a diverse cross-section of key stakeholders, including senior national government officials, representatives of international bodies, and leading development practitioners from across the hemisphere.
The event will feature opening and keynote participation from some of the highest ranking figures in both the Dominican government and UNDP’s regional leadership. Dominican President Luis Abinader and Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez will join UNDP Regional Director Michelle Muschett and UNDP Chief Economist Almudena Fernández for the presentation, with independent analyst Ana María Díaz set to moderate the post-presentation discussion that will follow the official launch.
The 2024 report dives deep into a cascade of interconnected challenges that have put growing strain on democratic systems across every corner of Latin America and the Caribbean. Its research covers six of the most pressing stressors testing regional democracies today: deepening political polarization, the rapid spread of harmful disinformation across public discourse, the uneven impacts of widespread digital transformation, stubborn systemic social inequality, the accelerating fallout of climate change, and ongoing large-scale migration movements. Beyond identifying these growing pressures, the UNDP analysis also puts forward a set of actionable, evidence-based strategies designed to strengthen democratic institutions, boost the operational capacity of state bodies, and foster more inclusive, resilient, and socially cohesive communities across the entire region.