Dean Taylor Visits Colombia for NED Meeting
In June, the DC-based National Endowment for Democracy met for held its quarterly board meeting overseas for the first time. The NED board is comprised of a range of businesspeople, labor leaders, retired diplomats, politicians, and scholars including Scott Taylor, Pardee School Dean and Professor of International Relations. This meeting was noteworthy as the board decided to stray from its usual proceedings in Washington and hold this meeting and related activities “in the field.”
Colombia is a country of vibrant democratic institutions, alongside entrenched challenges, both domestic and regional, including the crisis in neighboring Venezuela. The confluence of these issues made Colombia a compelling site for the visit, which took NED Board members to Medellin and Bogota. The board met with local organizations in support of Colombian democracy, as well as with programs that aid Venezuelan migrants by providing resources to those communities.
During the trip, Dean Taylor and the NED board also met with current and former political leaders, including the recently elected Vice President Francia Márquez, the first Afro-Colombian vice president in the country’s history. While Colombia continues to struggle with issues of racial and class divisions and regional instability, Dean Taylor came away from his first-ever visit to South America intrigued by Colombian history and politics and the country’s efforts, sometimes halting, to confront its past and create a path toward a more stable and inclusive future.
Dean Taylor with Vice President Márquez:
