Following the cost-benefit methodology of the Copenhagen Consensus Center (CCC) which identified challenges and solutions for the world and then for Latin America, through the “Consulta San José”, the Central American Dialogue was designed to focus the exercise in a smaller region in order to obtain more accurate results.
The dialogue took place in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica in September 2008. Bjorn Lomborg from the CCC traveled to the region to support the events. The question to be answered was: With limited resources, how can we do the best possible in the region? Prior to the event, Estrategia & Negocios magazine carried out a survey, in which an equitable and representative portion of society in each country was asked to prioritize the 10 challenges previously identified in the Consulta San José. Four challenges per country were identified. Based on these results, the events counted on four working tables in each country, with 6 to 8 people from different sectors. National cost-benefit solutions to the four challenges that had been prioritized in the “previous consultation” were recognized for each country.

Dialogues and round tables based on the results for the region (education, poverty, unemployment and democracy and institutions), have taken place in the region after the Central American exercise. The project results have also been used as basis for other organizations to follow up on their plans (The Netherlands Development Organization, Vital Voices, Central America chamber of commerce).
Although the project has been successful especially because it has created awareness of the challenges faced by the region between social civil society, there are still key sectors that are not taking the results into consideration.

1. How do we get the Central American governments to see the importance of prioritizing challenges for each country and the region based on measuring the effectiveness of the solutions to be implemented?
2. How do we get them involved?
3. How do we manage to create a long-term vision culture for our countries in order to achieve continuity between our governments?

The project began in March 2008 when I started visiting possible participants (members of civil society, governments, private sector and experts), and identifying the main challenges for each country. The first event took place in September 2008 when Bjorn Lomborg came to the region. The project has continued with dialogues and round tables based on the results in order to find possible solutions. Bjorn returned to the region in March 2009 for a dialogue on malnutrition. Every year I organize an average of 6 to 8 events and bring experts to hold conferences on the topics identified as the main challenges and I look forward to finding solutions to solve poverty, education, unemployment and democracy in our countries.