The Mesoamerican corridor has long facilitated the illegal movement of drugs north to the United States and of arms from the United States to Mexico and countries further south.  Humans and endangered species also form part of the flow of illegal traffic bound for markets in the United States and beyond.  Evidence suggests that the traffic of drugs, arms, people and animals in the region is highly integrated, with organized crime syndicates with an international reach playing an increasingly significant role.

During the half-day event, panelists examined multiple forms of illegal trafficking (arms, drugs, people, and wildlife) in the Mesoamerican corridor and consider the following issues: the extent to which the different flows of products, people, and animals converge; the roles played by international organizations and civil society groups in addressing trafficking; and how security and law enforcement agencies within the affected countries can better collaborate to tackle trafficking and organized crime.

Agenda

8:00-8:30 am

Registration

8:30-9:45am

Panel 1: “The Social, Political, and Economic Implications of Trafficking and Organized Crime in Mesoamerica

Raul Benítez Manaut, Centro de Investigaciones sobre América del Norte – Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico (Presentation)
Ana Hidalgo, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Costa Rica
Adrian Reuter, TRAFFIC, Mexico (Presentation)

Moderator: Katherine Bliss, CSIS

9:45-11:00am

Panel 2: “International and Regional Agreements Relating to Trafficking Issues: The Role of International Organizations”

Fernando García Robles, Organization of American States (Presentation)
Juan Carlos Vásquez, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES)  (Presentation)
José Manuel Martínez Morales, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Panama (Presentation)
Luis Guillermo Medina Alfaro, INTERPOL, El Salvador

Moderator, Duncan Wood, Instituto Tecnológico Autónoma de México and CSIS

11:15-12:30pm

Panel 3: “Bilateral Cooperation to Address the Challenge of Human Trafficking”

Pamela Diéguez, United States Department of Homeland Security
Akil Baldwin, United States Department of Homeland Security (Presentation)
Óscar González Mendivil, Procuraduría General de la República, Mexico (Presentation)
Antonio Escobedo, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Guatemala

Moderator, David Shirk, University of San Diego and Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars

12:30-1:45pm

Luncheon and Keynote Address

Assistant Secretary David T. Johnson, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, United States Department of State

Moderator, Peter DeShazo, CSIS

1:45-3:00pm

Panel 4: “The Role of Civil Society Organizations in Fighting Trafficking and Organized Crime”

Edith Zavala, Red de Organizaciones Civiles Sobre Migración, Honduras
Javier Melendez Quiñonez, Instituto de Estudios Estratégicos y Políticas Públicas, Nicaragua (Presentation) 
Marta Prado, Humane Society International, United States (Presentation)

Moderator, David Holiday, Open Society Institute

This event is made possible with the generous support of the Open Society Institute