Sixth CONOSE Forum comes to a close

On August 29 and 30 2023, the Citizen Security Knowledge Network (CONOSE), with support by the InfoSegura Regional Project that the UNDP implements in partnership with USAID, held its Sixth Regional Forum, this time on “Evidence-based policies: citizen security and violence in the region,” in the interest of promoting a dialogue between academia and public policymakers by reflecting on evidence of citizen security and violence prevention in Central America and the Dominican Republic.

The venue was in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic and participants included over 20 subject-matter experts sharing their work, research and experiences in keynote lectures, panels and discussions. Notable among the topics addressed during this activity were violence against women and youth, the role of law enforcement, local violence prevention strategies and relationships between violence and technology.

 

ministro interior dominicana

 

During the opening, there were welcoming remarks by USAID Dominican Republic Representative Robert Clink, and addresses by UNDP Dominican Republic Resident Representative Inka Matilla, Vice Minister of Security of the Interior of the Dominican Republic Jesús Feliz, and Cheila Varela, Director at FLACSO Dominican Republic, network partner institution whose support organizing the forum was essential.

FLACSO Ecuador researcher Fernando Carrión, whose career spans 40 years, delivered the keynote lecture called “Violence in Latin America: Global Crime Network," in which he positioned violence as one of the region's main issues, with serious impact on the economy, culture, cities and society in what is one of the most urbanized regions in the world, he noted.

Throughout the event, authorities and representatives of different governmental institutions were present, including the Vice Ministry of Preventive Security, the Specialized Directorate of Attention to Women and Domestic Violence, as well as the Vice Ministry of Technical and Pedagogical Affairs.

 

mesa honor

 

Over 200 individuals from across the region joined online for both days through online streaming platforms Zoom and Facebook Live. Those who missed the opportunity to join can watch recordings of the forum that are available on Facebook Live.

To learn more about what the network does in terms of research, training and dialogue, visit their page at and follow them on social media as RED CONOSE.