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Director, New Business Development, Latin America and the Caribbean Ariana Szepesi-Colmenares
Ariana Szepesi-Colmenares, a citizen security and governance specialist with 13 years of international development experience, serves as Chemonics’ Director for New Business Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, overseeing business development across a wide array of technical sectors, including rule of law, citizen security, environmental conservation, economic growth, youth and women empowerment. Previously, Ariana worked as a citizen security specialist with DC-based international governmental organizations and US donors, managing capacity-building projects, liaising with Latin American authorities, and fostering a culture of evidence-based policymaking to advance governance, citizen security, and the rule of law. She also worked with several local civil society organizations to help consolidate democracies in the region, focusing on Venezuela and Ecuador. Ariana holds an M.A. in Latin American Studies and a Certificate in Refugees and Humanitarian Emergencies from Georgetown University and an M.A. in Political Science and International Relations from Sciences Po Bordeaux.
by Ariana Szepesi-Colmenares
Shifting the Migration Narrative: From Fragility to Resiliency and (Re)Integration
Migration from Central America remains on the rise, amidst dynamic human mobility patterns with complex and evolving demographic profiles. The growing waves of return and transit migration, with migrants fleeing dire living conditions in other countries in the Hemisphere (such as Venezuela, Nicaragua, or Haiti), are creating new pockets of fragility for Central America. Insecurity,…
To Respond to the Venezuelan Migration Crisis, Let’s Also Tap the Private Sector
Globally, new momentum is building for the private sector’s participation in alleviating migration crises worldwide and supporting migrants’ and refugees’ integration. From investing in migrant-owned businesses to engaging a migrant workforce or securing resources for optimal basic service delivery for migrants and host communities, private sector engagement offers unique avenues for helping to solve migration…
A New Solution for Advancing Criminal Justice in Latin America
Nearly half of Latin American countries rank among the nations with the highest impunity scores worldwide, suggesting that criminal justice systems lack resources to prosecute and try crimes effectively in a context of widespread crime and violence. Yet, Latin America has the partners, the resources, and the interest to tap one promising solution to the…