Description:

Ambassador Brian Nichols served as the assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs and was formerly ambassador to Peru and Zimbabwe. Ambassador Todd Robinson served as the assistant secretary for International Narcotics and Labor Affairs and was the ambassador to Guatemala and Charge d’affaires in Venezuela.

While Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean are large and diverse regions, their communities have faced mixed outcomes and have looming challenges that will be difficult to overcome without development, humanitarian assistance, and America’s partnership. These areas have high mortality rates, face a “population quake” and may suffer disproportionately from tariffs and travel bans. Millions languish in poverty; crime and violence plague several countries; corruption and political instability are immediate challenges; and there are humanitarian crises in the Congo, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, and Haiti.

Against this bleak backdrop, what are committed students, humanitarians, development agencies, and international organizations to do? In this conversation, Ambassadors Nichols and Robinson will explore the causes of the setbacks across these regions, and what efforts can be undertaken to support national and local efforts to forge a new future for these critical areas.