CIAPA is a private, non-profit, high level academic institution. Its mission is to promote academic knowledge through research in the social sciences while contributing to the public policy debate for the solution of economic, political, and social problems in Latin America and particularly Central America. Its work is driven by the research of permanent, associate, and visiting scholars, and includes publications, exchanges with other national and international academic and research institutions, educational programs, and the organization of symposia, talks, and seminars.

CIAPA is a center for research and thought that seeks to stimulate intellectual endeavors. Its work stems from the need of every society to confront the challenges posed by development, both internally and in relation to international economic and political structures. Such tasks are particularly relevant at the start of a new millennium in which global interdependence magnifies the opportunities, but also the challenges, faced by developing nations. CIAPA seeks to contribute to understanding how states can be streamlined to ensure political democracy and material prosperity in a context of accelerated international change.

CIAPA constitutes a national and international forum for the study, debate, and analysis of the issues impacting the social, economic, and political development of Latin American countries.