35 West

Moises Rendon sits down with Ambassador Francisco Santos Calderón, Colombian Ambassador to the United States and former Vice President of Colombia from 2002 to 2010. They discuss the humanitarian impact of the Venezuelan migrant crisis playing out in neighboring Colombia and the security repercussions of growing criminal presence along the border. Ambassador Santos outlines the recent shifts in the Venezuelan crisis along with his thoughts on why the Biden administration should pay special attention to Venezuela as a regional threat to democracy and stability. 

Moises Rendon sits down with CSIS Senior Advisor Ambassador William Brownfield, former Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and former U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela, Chile, and Colombia. They discuss developments in these three countries considering the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, Chile's constitutional referendum, and the Biden-Harris Administration's priorities for the region. Ambassador Brownfield outlines his policy recommendations for the Biden administration in its efforts to engage the region going forward.

Forced Labor & Environmental Degradation in the Mining Industry

In this special Spanish-language episode, Margarita sits down with Pilar Velasquez of the office of child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking in the bureau of international labor affairs at the United States Department of Labor (USDOL). They discuss informal and illegal gold mining and its connection to environmental degradation and forced labor in the Andean region. Pilar introduces some of the USDOL's efforts to mitigate these environmental and human rights effects and discusses how the private sector and civil society can engage with this issue.

Trabajo forzoso y degradación ambiental en el sector minero

En este episodio especial en español, Margarita conversa con Pilar Velásquez de la oficina de trabajo infantil, trabajo forzado, y trata de personas de la oficina de asuntos internacionales laborales en el Departamento de Trabajo de los Estados Unidos (USDOL). Pilar y Margarita conversan sobre la minería de oro informal e ilegal en la Región Andina y su conexión con la degradación ambiental y el trabajo forzoso. Pilar comparte algunos esfuerzos del USDOL para mitigar estos efectos y analiza el papel del sector privado y de la sociedad civil.

Margarita R. Seminario sits down with Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian, director of the department of social inclusion at the Organization of American States (OAS). They discuss food insecurity, poverty, gender disparities, and other barriers to social inclusion in the region. Betilde outlines how the Covid-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected vulnerable populations, including women, indigenous peoples, Afro-Latinos, and people with disabilities. She shares her vision for how the OAS can work with other organizations to achieve greater equity and social inclusion in the region.

Margarita R. Seminario sits down with Luis Felipe Duchicela, Senior Advisor for Indigenous Peoples' Issues for the Center of Excellence on Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance at USAID's Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance. They discuss how Luis Felipe's background brought him to this leadership position, and USAID's new Policy on Promoting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Luis Felipe outlines the barriers that the international development community has historically faced in assisting indigenous communities, and how those barriers helped shape USAID's new policy.

Moises Rendon sits down with Elisabeth Pramendorfer, Senior Human Rights Officer at the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect. They discuss how the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) applies to the case of Venezuela, particularly considering the report of the United Nations Human Rights Council Independent fact-finding mission. Elisabeth outlines common misconceptions about the use and scope of R2P and discusses next steps for the international community to protect human rights in Venezuela.

Margarita R. Seminario sits down with Ambassador John C. Richmond, the United States Ambassador-at-large to monitor and combat trafficking in persons. They discuss trafficking in persons in the Andean region, and particularly in the context of the informal mining sector. Ambassador Richmond outlines the progress that has been made in the past 20 years to identify, monitor, and combat trafficking in the region, as well as how these efforts have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.  

This is a special Spanish-language episode of 35 West hosted by Dan Runde, Senior Vice President and the Director of the CSIS Americas Program. Dan sits down with María Eugenia Vidal, the former Governor of the Buenos Aires Province in Argentina. They discuss how she got her start in politics, as well as key policy issues she prioritized during her time as governor, including crime reduction and poverty. They also discuss how the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated digital transformation in key sectors, such as education.  

Cómo Reducir el Crimen y la Pobreza: Una Conversación con María Eugenia Vidal

Este es un episodio especial de 35 West presentado por Dan Runde, Vicepresidente y director del Programa de las Américas en CSIS. Dan conversa con Maria Eugenia Vidal, la ex gobernadora de la provincia de Buenos Aires en Argentina, sobre cómo ella se inició en la política y sobre temas en materia de política pública durante su mandato, como la reducción del delito y la pobreza. También conversan sobre cómo se ha acelerado la transformación digital en sectores como, por ejemplo, la educación, a causa de la pandemia de Covid-19.  

Margarita R. Seminario sits down with Felipe Buitrago Restrepo, Viceminister for Creativity and the Orange Economy in the Colombian Ministry of Culture. Viceminister Buitrago shares his experience in designing policies to promote the orange economy in Colombia. They discuss the untapped potential of the creative economy in Latin America, as well as how creative industries have been transformed by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Moises Rendon sits down with John Barsa, Acting Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). They discuss how Venezuela fits into Administrator Barsa's global vision for USAID, the challenges the agency has faced in providing critical humanitarian assistance to the Venezuelan people, and the United States' perspective on Venezuela's upcoming parliamentary elections.