Franz Chávez

Franz Chávez has been an IPS Correspondent from Bolivia since November 2003. He covers Bolivian current affairs and the country’s dynamic transition from market-oriented government to government supported by indigenous people and low-income sectors of society. To provide adequate coverage of the complex Bolivian reality, especially for an international audience, Chávez tends to focus on those stories generally neglected by mainstream media, putting a special effort into contextualising events in what is currently one of the poorest countries in Latin America.

November 9, 2026

Diplomacy/Editorials

Maldives Abuse Scandal and a Former UN President

Editorial The arrest of Abdulla Shahid, former Foreign Minister of the Maldives and President of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, over allegations of sexually abusing a minor is

Columns/Geopolitics

The Midterms Just Made the World More Dangerous

After being massively repudiated in Tuesday’s midterm election, Donald Trump has become a lame-duck president with significantly curtailed authority. What is likely to happen in the remaining two years until a new chief executive is sworn in on January 20,

November 9, 2026

Sri Lanka Navy Secures Top Ranking at National Productivity Awards

News/Sri Lanka

The Sri Lanka Navy has secured first place in the Public Sector Inter-Departmental Category at the National Productivity Awards 2025/26, emerging as one of

Blue Moon Over Trump’s La La Land

Columns/Geopolitics

That was exquisite, but not surprising. The result was a manifestation of frustration and anger towards Trump, and it cannot be mistaken for a

Bolivian Women Fight Prejudice to Be Accepted as Mechanics

September 23, 2023

Bolivia

In Bolivia, more and more women have gone from being homemakers or street vendors to joining the noisy world of engines, their hands now covered in grease after learning that special touch

Women Recyclers in Bolivia Build Hope, Demand Recognition

July 19, 2023

Bolivia/Human Rights

They haul many kilos of recyclable materials on their backs but receive little in return. These Bolivian women who help clean up the environment from dawn to dusk are fighting for recognition