Tegucigalpa, Honduras — Following a week of intense negotiations, the mission of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Honduras, headed by its special representative and facilitator, Chilean diplomat John Biehl, has concluded that an inclusive and participative dialogue on the fight against corruption and impunity is possible in the Central American country.
On Friday, some 50 civil society organizations met to express their vision on the national dialogue at the invitation of the OAS facilitator. Each organization put forward its point of view and its ideas to contribute to the end of impunity and generate trust between the country’s government and its citizens.
“The first thing to do was to listen to everyone,” said Biehl, who underlined that “everyone has contributed in a constructive way, presenting their points of view, to identifying what they believe to be the main points of corruption and impunity in Honduras.”
Coincidentally, all the actors agreed that the principal challenges facing democratic institutions in the country are corruption and impunity.
These are the main reasons for which the government has convened a national dialogue to strengthen democracy in the country.
The OAS mission said it will soon carry out a similar exercise to that held on Friday, but focused on the country’s political actors.
On that occasion, the United Nations is expected to join the international efforts toward a dialogue to include all Hondurans.
Based on the meetings held, the OAS has identified a series of measures to create a space for mutual trust between those in government and the social and economic areas of the country.
After making a first report to the secretary general of the OAS, the mission headed by Biehl will return shortly to Honduras.