InfoSegura, promoting discussion and exchange on citizen security policy

First Citizen Security Week

In November 2022, InfoSegura hosted the First Citizen Security Week in Central America and the Dominican Republic. The event positioned itself as a reference for high-level discussions about security policy and for analysis of challenges and opportunities based on evidence and the exchange of experiences.

The event focused on improving security, social cohesion, justice and promoting effective governance aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 16 on peace, security and justice.

 

 

 

And after the rewarding experience of 2022, UNDP and USAID, through the regional InfoSegura program, organized Security Week once more, now in its second edition from January 23 to 25, 2024 in Panama, with the presence of high-level authorities from the region, experts in citizen security, justice and violence prevention, members of academia, etc., to continue paving the way for the countries of the region on public policies in terms of citizen security.

This year's theme is "Innovative people-centered solutions", with deeper and broader analysis of the issues and a greater number of participants in the sessions both online and in-person expected, as well as greater impact on social media. 

The First Citizen Security Week featured high-authorities and policymakers addressing issues of security, justice and violence prevention throughout the region. Participants included key members of national and local governments, statistics institutes and offices, representatives of academia, think tanks, the private sector, national and international experts, as well as representatives of USAID and UNDP, like Haven Cruz-Hubbard,

director of USAID Guatemala, and José Cruz-Osorio, Manager, Regional Hub for UNDP Latin America and the Caribbean.

Notable events and activities:

-       Keynote address by Laura Chinchilla, former president of Costa Rica kicked off Citizen Security Week.

-       High-level discussions: There were two high-level policy dialogues on citizen security and violence against women and girls.

-       Launched the study on the costs of violence: Presentation on the study about the costs of violence in the countries in the north of Central America

-       Thematic sessions: Sessions covered different issues, like information management and public policy, modernizing citizen security administration, costs and public expenditure of violence, contributions by the CONOSE Network, violence against women and girls, digital justice and territorial approach toward citizen security.

-       Many geographic regions were represented: Participants came from fourteen different countries, with 25 specialists from all over Latin America and the Caribbean.

-       Tools and experiences: Presented five tools to prevent violence against women and girls, and shared nine experiences of citizen security and violence against this demographic.