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About
The Harvard Association Cultivating Inter-American Democracy (HACIA Democracy) is a student-run organization at Harvard University dedicated to promoting democratic values and inter-American understanding. It organizes the annual HACIA Democracy Summit, a major event convening leaders, experts, and students from across the Americas to address threats to democracy, including populism, institutional erosion, and disinformation. Past summits have featured speakers from organizations like the Organization of American States (OAS), Freedom House, and governments in the region, with themes focusing on judicial independence, electoral integrity, and civil society resilience. HACIA Democracy collaborates with Harvard Kennedy School faculty and leverages the university's resources for its programming, including conferences, workshops, fellowships, and publications aimed at evidence-based policy recommendations. The organization maintains a non-partisan stance, emphasizing dialogue to bridge divides between North and South America. Active primarily through virtual and in-person events since its inception, it has grown its network to include chapters or affiliates at other universities and partnerships with think tanks focused on Latin American democracy.