Fundación Salvadoreña para el Desarrollo Económico y Social (FUSADES)

The Salvadoran Foundation for Economic and Social Development (hereinafter FUSADES or the Foundation) is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit development organization, founded in 1983 by businessmen and professionals to serve as a think tank to improve social and economic conditions in El Salvador. Since then, it has been dedicated to "the permanent search for the common good" by conducting policy-oriented research in the areas of economic development, social institutional studies and political studies. At the same time, it promotes actions with the fundamental objective of increasing the economic, social, intellectual and physical well-being of the Salvadoran population, as well as their security, within the framework of a system of economic and individual freedom.

Mission: We want El Salvador to be a nation where there is a more humane, supportive, prosperous, sustainable society, integrated to the world and with opportunities for all, which allows the realization of dreams and potential of people, where the rule of law and democratic institutions are respected.

Vision: To be a center of thought and research of high credibility that promotes the economic and social progress of Salvadorans, through sustainable development, under a democratic system and individual freedoms, encouraging dialogue as a mechanism for seeking peace agreements.

Fokus Area(s) of Work

FUSADES conducts research and implements projects aligned with the following strategic areas: 1) rule of law and democracy, 2) economy and competitiveness, 3) innovation and technology, 4) sustainability and inclusion, and 5) leadership training.

Research and actions related to the area of sustainability and inclusion, in particular, focus on promoting equal opportunities, sustainable management of natural capital, and fostering the discussion and formulation of policies to address climate change.

To produce knowledge and carry out actions that promote sustainable development, FUSADES is divided into the Think Tank and the Development Center.

The Think Tank is dedicated to research and analysis, as well as networking in the economic, social, legal, institutional and political areas. It is composed of 4 research departments (Economic, Social, Legal and Political) and the Center for Research and Statistics. Together, they provide research with a solid academic base, a diversity of knowledge and experience, and a deep knowledge of the Salvadoran reality and the region.

The Action Center promotes the implementation in the field of the public policy proposals researched by the Think Tank. It is worth mentioning a permanent support program for young people, which is dedicated to train, motivate and inform youth, in democratic principles and individual freedoms. It is integrated by FORTAS, PROINNOVA, Laboratorio de Calidad Integral and CREO.

The Think Tank and the Action Center have jointly developed experience and leadership in seeking and promoting sustainable development. A sample of these areas is as follows: (a) Analysis of the economic, social, legal and institutional situation; (b) Competitiveness and the investment climate; (c) Growth and employment (labor market); (d) Innovation and entrepreneurship; (e) Poverty and inequality; (f) Migration and local development; (g) Education; (h) Environmental sustainability; (i) Health and nutrition; (j) Political system; k) Respect for the rule of law and strengthening of democratic institutions; l) Governance, transparency and accountability; m) Empowerment of women; n) Citizen security; o) Generation of primary information with its own installed capacity to conduct surveys of various types, as well as qualitative research.

Method(s) Used to Achieve Objectives

FUSADES as a member of different networks is constantly updating its knowledge through the best world practices in research and project implementation.  Accounting and administrative certifications, environmental friendliness and sustainable and participatory strategies. The foundation has a monitoring, evaluation and learning system, which allows verifying institutional performance and obtaining useful feedback for the continuous improvement of the work being done and its results.

Institutional objectives are established based on our mission and vision, and are developed and designed in strategic plans that include short, medium and long term actions.

Among the methods used to achieve institutional objectives are the following: 1) production and dissemination of research and public policy analysis, 2) design and administration of surveys to obtain primary information, 3) design and implementation of development projects based on local needs, 4) support for innovation and entrepreneurship development, 5) leadership training and development, 6) creation of working and discussion groups, 7) facilitation of qualified dialogues on strategic issues, and 8) program and project evaluations.

Project(s)

• AgroExporta: Training for suppliers of export anchor companies Train 800 entrepreneurs in the beekeeping, aquaculture, fishing and dairy sectors in exporting and GMP.
• ARCO - GAP courses: Develop two GAP courses in two locations in El Salvador.
• USDA' Support for innovation and entrepreneurship:Project to support entrepreneurs and MSMEs in innovation and new business development.
• Empowering women in agricultural value chains for a low carbon transition in Central America: promoting gender equality and empowering women
• El Salvador Women and Technology: Research to identify gender gaps, barriers and opportunities for digital transformation. The current landscape of El Salvador's digital economy will be assessed by conducting a literature and policy review, a stakeholder mapping exercise, surveys and focus groups among women entrepreneurs. Fusades will organize three workshops with women entrepreneurs to share findings and provide technical training.
• Enterprise Surveys 2023 in Costa Rica: Establishment-level surveys aimed at gaining an understanding of the experience of enterprises and the perception of the environment in which they operate. The surveys will use analytical and benchmarking tools.
• Survey Experiment to Measure Childcare in Rural and Urban Areas in El Salvador: Survey Experiment to Measure Childcare in Rural and Urban Areas in El Salvador
• ECADE Specialized course "Strengthening Women as Agents of Change" and Diploma Course "General Aspects of Political Systems and Public Management".
• Election plan Ning and status of the electoral system heading to 2024 general elections: Two research projects and an International Forum for Political Analysis
• Young leaders for citizenship and social action: Training 100 young people on open civic space and implementation of social initiatives through social networks.
• Implementation of ESCV Workshops: Workshops on information return, local diagnostics, local leadership and youth leadership as feedback and capacity building as a result of the information resulting from the ESCV Observatory.
• Diploma Course on Leadership and Democracy (4th ed. AD): Emerging Leaders Forum
• Citizenship 2023 Course: Virtual or face-to-face basic training course, which consists of 6 units on issues of citizen participation, democracy, State, human rights and spaces for citizen participation.
• Miles X Democracy (5th ed. AD) Strengthen and promote democratic and civic education and skills, in order to promote leadership, participation and informed voting among young people in El Salvador, during the 2024 electoral process.
• USAID RETO Project: Education Research for Transformative Opportunities The project seeks to create demand for sustainable and affective solutions to youth violence through evidence-based programs. RETO also seeks to create demand for evidence-based policy by leveraging strong relationships with key education stakeholders and mobilizing youth, civil society and private sector actors to hold governments accountable for the use of evidence by addressing knowledge systems to provide relevant evidence to key stakeholders in the education sector in a practical and actionable format that addresses the gaps in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. RETO will leverage the expertise of partners to drive change, reinforced by the expertise of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in evidence synthesis.

Project Partner(s)

• CIPE
• USAID-Palladium
• USAID-AMEXCID - Chemonics
• USDA'SETEFE
• IDRC
• CIPE
• BANCO MUNDIAL
• Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung
• Instituto Republicano Internacional
• Fundación Gloria Kriete
• Fondo de Innovación para el Cambio para América Latina y El
• Fundación Raíces
• Fundación Poma
• IRI

Funding

FUSADES experience is based on a long history of research, management and execution of projects with international entities, cooperation agencies and friendly governments, such as the World Bank (WB), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), European Union (EU), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC); as well as some of the leading universities in the U.S. and Europe, among others. Some of the leading universities in the USA and Europe, among others.

ACCREDITATIONS

The Foundation is accredited by the United Nations and the Organization of American States as a civil society organization, and was part of the "Think Tank Initiative" promoted by IDRC.