History

In 1984, a group of development specialists with long field experience throughout Latin America joined together to formally create the Esquel Group. Their ambitious agenda, at a time when most of Latin America was governed by harsh dictatorships, was to help define the pathway to economic and social improvement that would include strong grassroots civil society organizations that gained direct participation of the citizenry in affairs that made a difference in their individual lives and collectively in their societies. From its beginnings, Esquel Group sought to promote policies and programs that incorporate social equity and environmental concerns through strong participatory democracies and a strengthened role for civil society. Esquel became a civil society promoter and “think-tank.”

Under the Presidency of Ambassador Juan Felipe Yriart, Esquel helped create a Grupo Esquel network, with like-minded but independent Esquel Groups in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay. These sister organizations have been able to tap into a unique blend and linkages of North American and Latin American human resources and skills. Collectively, Esquel’s multicultural board, staff and advisors are able to bring to bear decades of professional experience working with civil society organizations, governments, international agencies and the private business community. Their activities have included research, advocacy, and technical cooperation focusing on development, democracy and civil society in Latin America.

Esquel was a primary catalyst for civil society issues with the both the Organization of American States and the Inter-American Development Bank, as both sought to work with and promote civil society organizations. In undertaking these initiatives, Esquel provided counsel at the highest policy levels, and assisted international institutions, governments and private organizations to create mechanisms for cooperation. Esquel and its partner groups were also instrumental in the call for the UN Convention to Combat Desertification in 1992, and in promoting its landmark international agreement. Esquel participated in and directs a continuing Task Force that promotes the goals of the Summit of the Americas meetings of heads of state, first convened by President Bill Clinton in Miami in 1994. Esquel continued its engagement with subsequent Summit meetings held in Santa Cruz, Bolivia in 1996, in Santiago, Chile in 1998, in Quebec, Canada in 2001, in Monterrey, Mexico in 2003 and in Mar del Plata, Argentina in 2005. It expects to be similarly involved in the 2009 Summit in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. Esquel and its sister groups continue to organize forums to raise public awareness of steps needed to institutionalize the democratic process and participatory development.

Esquel recently carried out a series of case studies of civil society and social movements and their roles in building stronger democracies in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Project responsibilities were shared with the Esquel Group in Brazil (Fundação Grupo Esquel Brasil, FGEB), and the enterprise was supported by the Inter American Development Bank (IADB) as part of its efforts to strengthen democratic governance in the Region. The findings have been published in both Spanish and English by the IADB: Civil Society and Social Movements: Building Sustainable Democracies in Latin America (July 2008). (add link).

Technical and financial support for these efforts has come from individual contributions and from foundations such as C.S. Mott, CODESPA, MacArthur, Ford, Botwinick-Wolfensohn, Banyan Tree, Rockefeller, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund among others. Esquel also has contracted with international organizations such as the IADB, the United Nations, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada, the World Bank. As a 501(c) 3 charitable organization, personal contributions to Esquel are deductible from US income taxes.