At Work Around the World

Bolivia

Waging Peace

Background

After three presidents in a three-year span, Evo Morales was elected President of Bolivia in December 2005, amid social conflict and political uncertainty.  Morales' surprisingly large electoral victory and status as the first president of indigenous heritage in the country, led him to initiate a process of political "transformation" based on a new constitution. As one of the poorest countries in the hemisphere, Bolivia's attempt to transform its democracy represents one of the most important processes in Latin America today.  Though some important steps towards changing power sharing and relations have been made, many challenges remain, including issues of regional autonomy and decentralization, indigenous autonomy, decriminalization of coca leaves, presidential influence on democratic institutions, and government-media relations.  
 
Many different identities based on history, territory and ethnics have led to the formation of a collective multiethnic and pluricultural country. The various worldviews stemming from diversity often leads to conflicts over economic integration, globalization, and control of natural resources. These problems have been exacerbated by Bolivia's political culture, which often takes political disputes to the brink of conflict.  
 
Demands from social movements for immediate distribution of government resources, the political culture, and a government overwhelmed by growing conflicts finds itself forced to focus on day to day crisis-control rather than long-term planning and change. It is in this context that the Bolivian government asked for Carter Center assistance in helping to create the mechanisms, develop skills, and generate spaces needed to increase tolerance, inclusion and, ultimately, consensus in order to provide a legitimate way to develop co-existence between social groups and an inclusive political system.
 
In September 2007, The Carter Center opened a field office in Bolivia in response to a formal request from the minister of the presidency to provide assistance in conflict-management training and media relations.  From 2004-2006, The Carter Center had a field office in Bolivia dedicated to the promotion of access to public information.
 
Conflict-Management Training
 
One of the Carter Center's goals in Bolivia is to build capacity for conflict management by providing comprehensive training to government officials from different levels of the national administration as well as to sub-national dependencies and other social and political actors. The Carter Center aims to broaden spaces, enhance capacities, and increase political will for dialogue and tolerance at the intermediate level. 
 
In January 2008, The Carter Center signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Institute for Agrarian Reform (INRA) to provide them with technical assistance for public policy design. Under the agreement, workshops and training in conflict management tools were given to INRA functionaries in Potosí, Sucre, Cochabamba, and La Paz.
 
The Carter Center also established cooperative alliances with various social organizations, government and multilateral agencies such as the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the National Democratic Institute (NDI), International IDEA, UNIR Foundation, the Ministry of Social Movements, Fundación Jubileo, Instituto Nacional de Reforma Agraria (INRA), and the Ombudsman's office, among others, for the development of activities in Bolivia. On Feb. 21, 2008, The Carter Center and its partners held a major conference with 850 participants, led by conflict transformation specialist John Paul Lederach. Professor Lederach also conducted a two-day training seminar for 150 representatives of civil society organizations and officers of INRA from all nine departments in which Bolivia is divided.
 
The Carter Center field representative in Bolivia has provided training in conflict management tools under various programs with the mentioned partners to approximately 3,000 participants from different civic organizations, social groups, departmental authorities, and young political leaders across the country.
 
The Carter Center with the National Press Association, the Bolivian Radio Association of Journalists, and International IDEA launched a series of international seminars for journalists in Santa Cruz and La Paz about freedom of the press and journalism and social conflict.
 
Promoting the Right of Access to Information

Following civil society protests and President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada's resignation in October 2003, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter traveled to La Paz in December 2003. President Carter met with then president Carlos Mesa, representatives of the main political parties, and civil society leaders to explore issues affecting Bolivian democracy and to discuss ways to collaborate with the Center's access to information initiative. At all the meetings, participants stressed that access to information was a priority in Bolivia as a means to further social inclusion and support development initiatives and was a fundamental human right.

In a speech to the joint session of Congress at the year-end closing, President Carter said, "You have enjoyed democracy with its benefits and its faults for more than two decades, and you have demonstrated that even in times of greatest conflict, democracy is your preferred method to resolve problems. But now you face a crossroads in your journey, and only you can choose the path you will follow. Will it be a new Bolivia, unshackled from the constraints of the past or a Bolivia still trapped by social and economic divisions?

"We have seen in other countries how lawmakers and civil society have re-established broken relationships as they drafted and implemented this [access to information] law, and we are looking forward to seeing the same in Bolivia. In collaboration with government and civil society, we will remain engaged after the law is passed to support its full implementation and effective enforcement. The Carter Center looks forward to working with Bolivia on this important initiative and to witnessing the flourishing of rights, responsibilities, and democracy."

A free flow of information can serve to underpin the democratic transformation and help advance citizen participation, development, and socio-economic rights. The Carter Center has worked in Bolivia since 2003 to support the establishment of an access to information culture. The Center has collaborated with the government to increase its capacity by providing expertise on archiving and records management best practices and by training of civil servants on access to information. The Center supported the establishment and implementation of a voluntary openness strategy, piloted by select ministries and agencies, which allowed the government to demonstrate their commitment to transparency more immediately and to learn valuable lessons to be applied once the comprehensive law is passed. 
 
Additionally, The Carter Center worked with Bolivia's government, congress, and civil society to support the drafting of an access to information law that met emerging international standards, sharing its international experiences and exchanging ideas with local actors while recognizing that an access to information law must be formulated and disseminated in a manner appropriate to local circumstances.  The Carter Center provided observations on the draft law upon request of the Bolivian government.  To strengthen the involvement of civil society in the drafting process, the Center helped create a forum for dialogue among key stakeholders and published guidebooks that were widely distributed and served to inform the debate. Finally, The Carter Center facilitated the creation of local and national civil society consortia to promote the passage of the law.
 
Learn more about the Bolivia Access to Information Project.

Learn more about the Carter Center's Americas Program.

UPDATED AUGUST 2008