Washington Office on Latin America

Description

The Washington Office on Latin America, or WOLA, is a research and advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., that works to advance human rights, democracy and justice across the Americas.

WOLA was founded in 1974, after the 1973 military coup in Chile, when U.S. faith-based organizations grew alarmed at human rights violations under Latin American dictatorships. It connected policymakers in Washington with people who had firsthand knowledge of the disappearances, torture and unjust imprisonment taking place under those regimes. It later helped draft early U.S. legislation that tied military aid abroad to human-rights conditions.

WOLA researches and monitors how U.S. foreign policy affects human rights, democracy and development in Latin America and the Caribbean, and it proposes policy alternatives through advocacy and public education. It partners with human rights defenders, social justice advocates and civil society organizations across the region on issues such as drug policy, organized crime, violence, migration, climate change, and gender and racial justice. It works within networks that bring together the human rights community, the foreign policy community, academic institutions, and peace and religious organizations.

WOLA is an independent non-governmental organization funded by foundations, foreign governments and individual donors. Today its work covers inclusive democracy, security and peace rooted in justice, and equity amid the climate crisis, gender inequality and migration.