On March 15, the Perry Center concluded the resident phase of two courses: Civil-Military Relations in Armed Violence Reduction and Prevention (AVRP) and Combating Transnational Threat Networks (CTTN). Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Enrique Roig provided the keynote address to the graduating class of 89 participants from 18 countries.

Deputy Assistant Secretary Enrique Roig

Deputy Assistant Secretary Roig emphasized that “ensuring security should never come at the expense of eroding democracy or human rights. The two goals are interwoven…We know from human history that the struggle for human rights will persist and will be hard; perfection will be elusive, but nevertheless, we should keep striving for it because we are also talking about human lives – our families, friends, and neighbors. In the end, when it comes to human rights, we need to keep aiming for that perfection.” He urged graduates to listen to civil society, ensure accountability, and promote preventive approaches.

During the courses, participants analyzed security and defense challenges, such as environmental crime, corruption, the convergence of illicit networks, arms trafficking, vigilantism, cyber delinquency, IUU fishing, and human trafficking. The new AVRP course focused on developing policies and evaluation frameworks to address high levels of criminal armed violence by creating dialogue and shared indicators for strengthening joint military-civilian efforts and police capabilities. Participants developed Armed Violence Reduction Action Plans as part of their final projects.

Participants and facilitators represented a cross-sector of society, including lawyers, judges, police, scholars, private sector professionals, and government employees who offered diverse perspectives and opinions that enriched dialogue and fostered a nuanced analysis of the region’s current challenges. At the graduation ceremony, Perry Center Director Dr. Paul Angelo thanked course directors Dr. William Godnick and Celina Realuyo, deputy directors Dr. Boris Saavedra and Dr. Erin McFee, and Visiting Professors Jason Francis, Dr. Ervyn Norza, Ricardo Gomez-Hecht, and Dr. Yadira Galvez for putting together these world-class programs.