Washington Office On Latin America Inc

Colombia - in 2024, wola deepened its efforts to advance peace, human rights, and racial justice in colombia. In november, wola organized a congressional delegation led by u.s. Representative hank johnson to cali, buenaventura, and bogota. The delegation met with social leaders, journalists, and officials to reinforce u.s. Support for the 2016 peace accord-especially its ethnic chapter-as well as the u.s.-colombia labor and racial action plans. Throughout the year, wola played a critical role in preserving u.s. Assistance for peace and human rights in the fy2024 and fy2025 budgets, and helped mobilize 46 members of congress to sign a letter in support of afro-colombian and indigenous communities. These efforts underscored wola's long-standing commitment to promoting inclusive peace and elevating the voices of historically marginalized groups in colombia.

Venezuela - wola's venezuela program in 2024 focused on the country's presidential elections, addressing critical human rights issues and supporting democratic processes. The program hosted a weekly video series breaking down key issues that could shape the election outcome and analyzing significant developments. Wola also organized interviews with venezuelan journalists, electoral experts, and human rights defenders to shed light on the electoral conditions and possible political scenarios. The venezuela program led efforts to privately seek support of international actors for democratic efforts, while publicly demanding transparency after the july 28 election and respect for human rights in the midst of a brutal crackdown on civil society and protestors. Later, wola addressed the permanent council of the organization of american states about the situation in venezuela, calling for continued mediation efforts and international pressure to safeguard the rights of venezuelan citizens. Wola urged oas member states, who are also members of the un human rights council, to vote in favor of renewing the mandate of the un independent fact-finding mission; it was subsequently renewed for two more years.

Central america - in 2024, wola's central america program remained a key voice in washington on human rights, democracy, and the rule of law amid continued authoritarianism across the region. In el salvador, wola closely monitored the country's contested elections and the deepening erosion of democratic norms. We published "el salvador's election integrity under scrutiny, and joined a high-level delegation to san salvador with u.s. Representative jim mcgovern to meet with civil society, government officials, un staff, and families of victims detained under the state of exception. Wola's central america director testified before the tom lantos human rights commission, raising alarm about the state of judicial independence and the lack of justice for victims. In guatemala, wola focused attention on the upcoming selection process for the supreme court and court of appeals, pushing for u.s. Support to the oas observation mission and advocating for transparency and independence in the process. Across the region, wola continued to elevate regional voices, document violations, and press the u.s. Government and international actors to uphold democratic norms and human rights.

Mexico - in 2024, wola's mexico program centered its efforts on justice and human rights in the context of mexico's presidential elections and the ongoing crisis of disappearances. Ahead of the june elections, wola hosted a virtual discussion about what the outcome of the election could mean for women's rights, and published several articles outlining critical human rights issues both ahead of and following the election of president claudia sheinbaum. Wola's mexico director traveled to mexico city to engage with key stakeholders and provided live analysis on al jazeera during election day coverage. As part of ongoing advocacy to address disappearances, wola's 2024 human rights award honored the collective of family members of the disappeared in guanajuato for their tireless work to uncover the truth, demand justice, and speak out against militarization. Their advocacy has become a powerful voice for thousands of families still searching for their loved ones across mexico. Both the house and senate appropriations committees recommended u.s. Funding to strengthen mexico's search for and identification of the disappeared. Wola reinforced this advocacy by organizing meetings between u.s. Policymakers and our 2024 human rights award honorees from mexico.

Border security and migration - in 2024, wola's border security and migration program informed u.s. Political discourse and shaped the conversation through rapid analysis, public education, and advocacy. Our weekly border updates continued to serve as a trusted source for journalists, congressional staff, and civil society, and we expanded their reach with a twelve-part video series ahead of the elections to unpack policy changes, clarify data, and counter misinformation. In april, wola published "kidnapping of migrants and asylum seekers at the texas-tamaulipas border reaches intolerable levels," a joint effort by our mexico and migration programs based on field interviews with humanitarian workers and shelter staff. The report featured audio testimony documenting extreme violence against migrants and laid out policy recommendations for u.s. And mexican authorities. In june, wola released "migrants in colombia: between government absence and criminal control," based on fieldwork along colombia's migration routes from the ecuador border to the darien gap. Wola staff also testified before house and senate committees, speaking out against proposed policies that would further restrict access to asylum at the u.s.-mexico border.

Drug policy - wola advocates for policies in the u.s. And globally that mitigate the harms caused by the drug trade and by punitive drug policies, prioritizing public health and responsible drug regulation. In 2024, wola's drug policy work focused heavily on advocating to end the unjust ban on traditional uses of the coca leaf. Following the march 2024 session of the un commission on narcotic drugs (cnd), wola partnered with the transnational institute (tni) in publishing the second issue of our coca chronicles series examining the world health organization's ongoing "critical review" of the coca leaf's status in the un drug control treaties. Through consistent participation in forums and spaces of discussion, wola's expertise has urged governments throughout the hemisphere to collaborate with civil society to implement policy reforms that overcome the punitive approaches that have trampled human rights and failed to curb illegal drug markets.

Cuba - wola's cuba program concluded in 2024 after continued efforts to support civil society and advocate for more constructive u.s.-cuba engagement. In its final year, the program published an analysis welcoming new u.s. Policies aimed at strengthening cuba's private sector and digital freedoms amid the island's deepening humanitarian crisis.