For the second consecutive year, Optio participated in the Central America Donors Forum (CADF), an annual event organized by the Seattle International Foundation (SIF) that brings together regional and international stakeholders to promote human rights, democratic values, and social justice in Central America.
The forum opened with remarks from President of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo, whose presence reinforced the critical need for collaboration between civil society and governments to drive meaningful, rights-based change in the region—particularly in advancing women’s rights and gender equality.
As part of the event, Optio joined the simultaneous panel “Abortion Rights Defenders are Defenders of Democracy,” organized by Women’s Link Worldwide. The discussion focused on the growing threats posed by authoritarian and anti-democratic governments to sexual and reproductive health services, and the urgent need to protect the lives, health, and autonomy of women and girls across the region.
The panel underscored how reproductive justice and democratic integrity are inextricably linked, and how the rollback of rights in one area signals broader threats to civil liberties and institutional accountability.
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