The Institute for Human Security for Latin America and the Caribbean (ISHALC) was founded on 14 December 1999. The programme initially set out to advance research in the legal and social sciences.
In 2010 ISHALC ran one of the largest crime prevention programmes in the country, agreed with TV Bandeirantes: the television programme "Tribunal na TV", hosted by journalist Marcelo Rezende, with 52 episodes broadcast between April 2010 and March 2011 — regarded as one of the most effective crime prevention programmes of its time.
In 2013 ISHALC held the World Forum – Criminology and the UN Millennium Development Goals, with the aim of advancing Human Security in Latin America. In 2016 the UN adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals – the 2030 Agenda – Global Compact.
In 2018 ISHALC held the Second World Forum – Human Security in Latin America, together with ILANUD and with the participation of the Special Adviser on Human Security to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. From that forum onwards, the Institute broadened its work on advancing Human Security across Latin America and the Caribbean.
In 2019 ISHALC organised the General Assembly of the Latin American Standing Committee for Crime Prevention (COPLAD), an ILANUD programme, extending the structuring of the economic, food, health, environmental, citizen, community, legal and political pillars of Human Security, in alignment with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.