Report on President Funes's First Year in Office as he Governs El Salvador Against the Headwinds of History

WASHINGTON, June 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In "Expectations for Change and the Challenges of Governance," the Center for Democracy in the Americas (CDA) examines accomplishments and unfinished business as President Funes completes his first year as El Salvador's president.

"El Salvador is an ally and a key to regional stability," said Sarah Stephens, CDA's executive director. "Policy makers in the U.S. need to take note of what President Funes has accomplished and the enormity of his challenges going forward:  crime, impunity, persistent poverty, inadequate fiscal capacity, and the stresses that come from having so many Salvadorans resident in the U.S.  El Salvador needs our cooperation."

The report on El Salvador was written by Linda Garrett, edited by Sarah Stephens, and translated by Patricio Zamorano.  

Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-3), active on U.S. policy toward El Salvador for decades, and co-chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, wrote the preface.

"President Funes is making important progress for El Salvador against the headwinds of his country's history and the complexity of its domestic problems and regional relationships," said Linda Garrett.

"He has taken El Salvador from the brink of bankruptcy, apologized to the nation for crimes committed during the civil war, demonstrated good governance with a rapid response to natural disasters, and begun to change the composition of the national budget to address more directly the problems of the poor. His police appointees are reforming the security apparatus, tackling corruption and organized crime. This is real progress."

The report culminates more than a year of research and reporting on events in El Salvador since the March 2009 election of Mauricio Funes.   It reflects information gathered from a diverse range of sources in ninety-eight meetings with more than 70 key actors during six trips to El Salvador by the CDA.

The Advance Edition of the report is available now at the CDA website.  The final report will be issued in July.

The Center for Democracy in the Americas (CDA) is devoted to changing U.S. policy toward the countries of the Americas by basing our relations on mutual respect, fostering dialogue with those governments and movements with which U.S. policy is at odds, and recognizing positive trends in democracy and governance.

SOURCE The Center for Democracy in the Americas