EL SALVADOR

AT A GLANCE
Head of Government: President Mauricio Funes
Next Election: 2014
Capital: San Salvador
Population: 6.2 million
Independence: 1821 from Spain
Human Development Index (HDI): 106th out of 182
Gender Gap Index (GGI): 58th out of 130 countries
Gross National Index (GNI) per capita: US$3480

International Conference on Ethics in Democracy

Status: Complete, 2009
Local Organization: FUSADES (Fundación Salvadoreña para el Desarrollo económico y social)
Canadian Experts: Val Napoleon, Isabel Jimenez, Courtney Jung, Melissa Williams, Simone Chambers, Wayne Norman, Xavier Landes, Daniel Weinstock, Andrew Stark, Jeremy Webber, and Mark Warren

In the past decade, the political landscape in El Salvador, and in many other countries in the region, has been characterized by free and fair elections, reforms to state institutions and a withdrawal of the military from state affairs. However, problems such as high poverty and crime rates, lack of social services and a weak justice system continue to plague democratic development.

In San Salvador, from November 11 to 13, 2009, an international conference on ethics in democracy was organized by the Canadian Embassy in collaboration with Rights & Democracy and local partners, including the National Foundation for Development (FUNDE). The main goal of the conference was to bring to the public’s attention important aspects of a democratic society (governance, human rights and transparency/ethics). Deployment for Democratic Development (DDD) enabled eleven Canadian experts to participate in this international conference, which provided space for regional thematic specialists, academics, civil society organizations, businesses and politicians from 10 countries to discuss democratic practices relevant to the region and to create sustainable linkages and networks.