From Vision to Execution: A Roadmap to Success for the U.S. Root Causes Strategy in the Northern Triangle

Publisher: Alliance for Peacebuilding

Authors: Liz Hume, Nick Zuroski, and Saurav Upadhyay

Publication date: September 2021

Abstract: Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras face widespread economic insecurity, violence, poverty, and weak and corrupt governance. The Biden Administration recently released its Root Causes and Collaborative Migration Management Strategies as mandated in a February 2nd Executive Order. AfP welcomes the Root Causes Strategy that outlines a comprehensive five-pillared approach.

To ensure successful implementation of the Executive Order and Strategy, AfP urges the U.S. government to implement recommendations including ensuring alignment with the Global Fragility Act through a long-term integrated strategy that is evidenced based. Additionally, conflict prevention and peacebuilding must be integrated throughout all sectors, including climate change, and it is vital that programs and the strategy are locally led and owned and work with faith-based organizations. It is also critical for those implementing the strategy to understand the U.S.’ history in the region and to work with humility. Finally, immigration continues to be a key wedge issue and is used to amplify divisions in the U.S. A comprehensive response to challenges faced by the U.S. immigration system especially at the Southern border also requires an examination of the long-term impact of immigration on polarization in the U.S. and how to support initiatives that build social cohesion.

Recommendations:

1     Align with the Global Fragility Act

2    Ensure Robust Interagency Coordination

3     Integrate Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding Across All Sectors and Avoid Siloes

4     Build Political Will in Host Countries

5     Empower Locally-Led Civil Society

6     Integrate Climate Change Programming

7     Take a Humble Approach

8   Support the Revitalization of Public and Private Community-Based Structures to Address Local Conflict, Justice, and Worsening Social Cohesion