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Areas Of Practice

Institutional Integrity

The Institutional Integrity Program pursues transparency and integrity in government, supporting civil society, judicial independence, and intersecting efforts to hold officials and institutions accountable. 

Through this program, we collaborate with civil society organizations promoting openness, transparency, and accountability. The Vance Center sees corruption as one of the main challenges for institutional integrity and the enjoyment of human rights and emphasizes the responsibility of the legal community to prevent, address and redress corruption. Through this program, we lead efforts to strengthen anti-corruption mechanisms, including improving legislation and public policy, enforcement, and capacity building of the legal community in this matter. 

We also support initiatives and organizations supporting judicial independence and integrity as key components of the rule of law, including various judicial associations in Latin America and the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers.  

We recognize that the judiciary is a key institution for protecting and advancing the rule of law, which also makes it a target for corrupt actors and regimes striving to concentrate power and assert their will.  

The Vance Center supports judicial independence and addresses obstructions to the rule of law by equipping justice operators with tools to push back against corruption and attacks on their independence and protect themselves and their colleagues from threats. We mobilize our team of in-house lawyers and our global network of legal partners to respond to emerging needs at the national and regional levels and strengthen the capacity of and increase resources for independent judges, lawyers and other participants in the justice system to ensure their independence and integrity.  

We consistently engage the international justice community in this critical work, building toward a robust global network of anti-corruption actors and independent justice defenders. Recognizing their essential role in ensuring accountability, we prioritize supporting civil society organizations facing threats from closing civic space. 

Our Lawyers Council for Civil and Economic Rights, which convenes private-practice attorneys across the Americas to work together on these issues, provides important insight and leadership for these initiatives. 

Clients and Partner Organizations

Acción Ciudadana, TI Chapter in Guatemala
Association for a More Just Society, TI Chapter Honduras
Central American Federation of Judges for Democracy (FECAJUD)
Costa Rican Association of Judges
Derechos Humanos & Litigio Estratégico Mexicano (DLM)
Fundación para el Desarrollo de la Libertad Ciudadana, TI Chapter in Panama
Fundación Nacional para el Desarrollo (FUNDE), TI Chapter El Salvador
Global Financial Integrity
Guatemalan Association of Judges for Integrity
Latin American Federation of Judges (FLAM)
TOJIL
Transparencia por Colombia
Transparency International USA

New Projects

Judicial Integrity Assessments

Since 2022, we have produced a series of assessments of judicial independence in fifteen Latin American countries....

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Judicial Integrity Assessments

Since 2022, we have produced a series of assessments of judicial independence in fifteen Latin American countries, in coordination with national judicial associations, regional entities Federación Latinoamericana de Magistrados (FLAM) and the Federación Centroamericana de Juezas y Jueces por la Democracia, law firms, and other partners. These assessments are regularly updated to ensure they remain relevant. Under this project, the Vance Center has also collaborated with FLAM and FECAJUD to host workshops on key issues related to judicial independence, submitted cases and organized hearings through the Inter-American human rights system, and convened regional events for judges across Latin America. These events have created spaces for judges to connect and share concerns and best practices, and produced practical outputs including manuals and expert reports.

Latin America Anti-Corruption Assessment

This unique regional study examines seventeen countries and maps legal efforts to prevent and combat corruption....

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Close

Latin America Anti-Corruption Assessment

This unique regional study examines seventeen countries and maps legal efforts to prevent and combat corruption. Unlike other studies that focus on measuring corruption or perceptions of corruption, this assessment uses legal practice as a basis to analyze legislation and practices to prevent, punish and combat corruption. This document captures the views of anti-corruption practitioners in various sectors, including law firms, companies, academia, civil society organizations, and human rights defenders, among others.

Corruption and Migration

The Vance Center worked with Derechos Humanos & Litigio Estratégico Mexicano to produce a report and guide for migrants in Mexico to report corruption....

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Corruption and Migration

The Vance Center worked with Derechos Humanos & Litigio Estratégico Mexicano to produce a report and guide for migrants in Mexico to report corruption. Throughout Latin America, migrants are a vulnerable population group and one of the most impacted by corruption. This is especially relevant in Mexico, a key transit country for migrants moving through the region. This comparative study presents the legal framework for the human rights of migrants, whistleblower protection, and mechanisms for reporting corruption. The report identifies clear examples of abuses and human rights violations, collects testimonies documenting clear cases of systematized corruption, provides information on existing hotlines and other options for internal and external whistleblowers, and offers detailed information on their protection. 

Read the report in Spanish here. 

Comparative Analysis of Universal Jurisdiction

This comparative analysis examines the legal provisions that would allow filing criminal complaints regarding crimes that could be pursued through universal jurisdiction in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Uruguay....

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Comparative Analysis of Universal Jurisdiction

This comparative analysis examines the legal provisions that would allow filing criminal complaints regarding crimes that could be pursued through universal jurisdiction in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Uruguay. Universal Jurisction provides an opportunity to bring the perpetrators to justice, even if their country of origin is unwilling or unable to conduct the investigation and prosecution, and provides a measure of reparation for victims and their families. At the same time, the use of universal jurisdiction sends a clear message to perpetrators of serious crimes that they cannot evade accountability for their actions, no matter where they are.

The executive summary and analysis are available in English here, and the full report is in Spanish here.

New Projects

Judicial Integrity Assessments

Since 2022, we have produced a series of assessments of judicial independence in fifteen Latin American countries....

Read more
Close

Judicial Integrity Assessments

Since 2022, we have produced a series of assessments of judicial independence in fifteen Latin American countries, in coordination with national judicial associations, regional entities Federación Latinoamericana de Magistrados (FLAM) and the Federación Centroamericana de Juezas y Jueces por la Democracia, law firms, and other partners. These assessments are regularly updated to ensure they remain relevant. Under this project, the Vance Center has also collaborated with FLAM and FECAJUD to host workshops on key issues related to judicial independence, submitted cases and organized hearings through the Inter-American human rights system, and convened regional events for judges across Latin America. These events have created spaces for judges to connect and share concerns and best practices, and produced practical outputs including manuals and expert reports.

Latin America Anti-Corruption Assessment

This unique regional study examines seventeen countries and maps legal efforts to prevent and combat corruption....

Read more
Close

Latin America Anti-Corruption Assessment

This unique regional study examines seventeen countries and maps legal efforts to prevent and combat corruption. Unlike other studies that focus on measuring corruption or perceptions of corruption, this assessment uses legal practice as a basis to analyze legislation and practices to prevent, punish and combat corruption. This document captures the views of anti-corruption practitioners in various sectors, including law firms, companies, academia, civil society organizations, and human rights defenders, among others.

Corruption and Migration

The Vance Center worked with Derechos Humanos & Litigio Estratégico Mexicano to produce a report and guide for migrants in Mexico to report corruption....

Read more
Close

Corruption and Migration

The Vance Center worked with Derechos Humanos & Litigio Estratégico Mexicano to produce a report and guide for migrants in Mexico to report corruption. Throughout Latin America, migrants are a vulnerable population group and one of the most impacted by corruption. This is especially relevant in Mexico, a key transit country for migrants moving through the region. This comparative study presents the legal framework for the human rights of migrants, whistleblower protection, and mechanisms for reporting corruption. The report identifies clear examples of abuses and human rights violations, collects testimonies documenting clear cases of systematized corruption, provides information on existing hotlines and other options for internal and external whistleblowers, and offers detailed information on their protection. 

Read the report in Spanish here. 

Comparative Analysis of Universal Jurisdiction

This comparative analysis examines the legal provisions that would allow filing criminal complaints regarding crimes that could be pursued through universal jurisdiction in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Uruguay....

Close

Comparative Analysis of Universal Jurisdiction

This comparative analysis examines the legal provisions that would allow filing criminal complaints regarding crimes that could be pursued through universal jurisdiction in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Uruguay. Universal Jurisction provides an opportunity to bring the perpetrators to justice, even if their country of origin is unwilling or unable to conduct the investigation and prosecution, and provides a measure of reparation for victims and their families. At the same time, the use of universal jurisdiction sends a clear message to perpetrators of serious crimes that they cannot evade accountability for their actions, no matter where they are.

The executive summary and analysis are available in English here, and the full report is in Spanish here.