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Political instability, civil unrest, poverty, environmental issues, social change, and population growth challenge effective management of municipalities in Central America. To strengthen local governance, two networking organizations have received USAID support: the Federation of Central American Municipalities (FEMICA) and the Latin American Center for Urban Managers (LACUM), both headquartered in Guatemala.

FEMICA and LACUM network with local public and private sector officials— a group with a variety of personalities and interests that otherwise might have little contact—to share experiences and lessons about local governance and urban management. For their constituents, many of whom hold important government positions, FEMICA and LACUM enable interpersonal exchanges, networking, dialogue, and support for joint initiatives. While traditional face-to-face networking is the preferred mode of contact at FEMICA, some association members now have computers, and modern information technology (IT) is enhancing personal networking as a means of exchanging information. read more..