On 21-23 August, NIMD and the Unidad Técnica de Política Limpia (Technical Unit for Clean Politics) hosted a Regional Forum against corruption in politics, with a focus on political party financing.

The event, held in the Honduran city of Tegucigalpa, provided a space for interaction and dialogue among political actors and political financing experts from NIMD’s programme countries in Latin America – Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Colombia – and others in the region.

These delegates were able to share their knowledge, experience and best practices regarding the implementation of laws on the regulation, oversight and transparency over the financing of political parties, candidates and electoral campaigns.

In addition, the Forum aimed to:

• Deepen understanding among the participants of the legislative, cultural and practical tools designed to guarantee that political party financing is legal and transparent.
• Raise awareness of the recent achievements and the remaining challenges.
• Promote the inclusion of women in the political financing agenda.
• Spread the knowledge and experiences shared in the forum through local media and online.

For NIMD, this Forum represents an important step towards countering corruption in politics. By bringing together interested parties and experts in dialogue, the Forum allowed them to build alliances, develop shared initiative and strengthen their role as agents of change in the region.

The participants have committed to maintaining the networks they have built, and use their newly acquired knowledge to promote electoral reforms that favour the effective regulation of transparent political party financing.