Vance Center Hosts Two Sessions at Central America Donors Forum

Jaime Chávez Alor and Ignacio Obando lead the discussion during the session “Resilience through Legal Representation: Pro Bono in Times of Crisis” on October 6. Photo credit: Vance Center.

The Vance Center and network partners organized two sessions during the 15th Central America Donors Forum, held on October 6-7, 2025, in Guatemala City.

This year’s forum, held under the theme, Resist, Bridge & Rebuild in Times of Change, brought together more than 800 people from across 450 organizations and 30 countries. Over two days, panels and workshops covered urgent topics including solutions to protect democracy and the rule of law, investing in sustainable environmental action, encouraging economic opportunities, and mobilizing resources to protect civic space.

Associate Executive Director Jaime Chávez Alor and Senior Fundraising Manager Emily Reers Wright represented the Vance Center at CADF.

Resilience through Legal Representation: Pro Bono in Times of Crisis

On October 6, Chávez Alor facilitated an interactive workshop, “Resilience through Legal Representation: Pro Bono in Times of Crisis.” The workshop aimed to address some of the growing threats to civil society in Central America by highlighting how pro bono legal support can offer a vital lifeline for frontline organizations and human rights defenders.

Chávez Alor led the workshop along with three co-facilitators and Vance Center partners:

• Andrea Barrios, coordinator of Colectivo Artesana, a Guatemalan organization that advocates for the rights of incarcerated women and their families and a member of the Vance Center’s Women in Prison Network;
• Ignacio Obando, a Chilean lawyer and co-coordinator of the Pro Bono Network of the Americas; and
• María Isabel Luján, partner at law firm ALTA Guatemala and President of the Pro Bono Association of Guatemala.

The workshop offered a personalized, hands-on opportunity for representatives of civil society organizations to learn more about pro bono legal services, how to access them, and how the Vance Center’s network can help connect them with legal support.

Obando presented the work of the Pro Bono Network of the Americas and its regional clearinghouses. He highlighted the contributions of its member organizations, the Network’s broad geographic reach, and the types of legal matters that clearinghouses can support. Luján described the role of the Pro Bono Association of Guatemala and, in response to specific questions from participants, emphasized the motivations that drive lawyers to engage in pro bono work. She also pointed to the need for specialized knowledge to ensure pro bono services consistently meet the same high standards as paid legal work.

Barrios shared insights into Colectivo Artesana’s work with women impacted by Guatemala’s criminal justice system. She noted how the legal expertise of the Vance Center and international law firms have helped boost the organization’s regional and international impact.

Through the workshop, attendees learned how pro bono can go beyond providing immediate legal relief to build resilience and strengthen the ability of civic actors to protect their communities, demand transparency and advance equitable civic participation.

Co-facilitators of the session on pro bono support for civil society (L-R): Jaime Chávez Alor, Andrea Barrios, María Isabel Luján, and Ignacio Obando. Photo credit: Vance Center.

Update on José Rubén Zamora

The next day, the Vance Center hosted a closed-door meeting to brief attendees on the latest developments in the legal cases against Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora. The Vance Center is representing Zamora, who has been imprisoned since his arrest in July 2022, in proceedings before international human rights mechanisms including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

Read more about our work on Zamora’s case

The session focused on examining the strategy and tactics behind the increasingly complex and opaque legal proceedings against Zamora, led by Guatemala’s Public Prosecutor’s Office in coordination with sectors of the judiciary.

Participants reviewed the status of both open cases, discussed possible future developments, and emphasized the critical support that organizations can provide to sustain advocacy efforts at both national and international levels. Attendees agreed on the need for greater coordination between organizations and expressed a shared commitment to ensuring that these efforts remain unified and effective.

The Vance Center continues to work closely with Zamora’s legal team in Guatemala to keep national and international legal strategies aligned and impactful. By continuing to share up-to-date information and shine a light on the current state of the convoluted legal cases against Zamora, we hope to contribute to a broader understanding of the legal issues at play and their broader implications for due process and access to justice.

While at CADF, Vance Center staff met with contacts from a diverse range of civil society organizations and regional groups. It was a chance to connect with current and former clients across our four areas of practice, as well as philanthropic leaders committed to supporting human rights, local reporting, environmental defense, and other issue areas across Central America. We look forward to building on these connections and exploring new opportunities to support more civil society actors throughout the region.

The Central America Donors Forum is an annual event that brings together representatives from civil society, philanthropy, government, and business sectors to discuss priority issues in Central America, expand networks and advance development, equity and justice in the region.