UN official calls for closer EU–Latin America dialogue amid democratic pressures

ROME -- A senior United Nations official called for closer dialogue between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean, warning of growing indifference towards democracy and institutional fragility across the region.

  Michelle Muschett, UN assistant secretary-general and regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), made the remarks Friday during a presentation of the agency’s Democracies Under Pressure report at the Centro Studi di Politica Internazionale (CeSPI) in Rome.

  She identified the Italy–Latin America and Caribbean ministerial conference and the EU–Mercosur agreement as opportunities for Italy and the EU to deepen political dialogue with the region.

  Muschett distinguished “growing indifference” towards democracy from its outright rejection, pointing to political inequality, weak representation and the uneven capacity of state institutions as obstacles to strengthening democracy.

  The report, published in May, found that more than four in five people in the region live under democratically elected governments. However, it warned that political polarization, organized crime and disinformation are placing additional pressure on already fragile democratic institutions.

  Muschett emphasized the need to “renew democracy” by strengthening institutions and improving their capacity to respond to citizens needs.

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