All posts by CPNN Coordinator

About CPNN Coordinator

Dr David Adams is the coordinator of the Culture of Peace News Network. He retired in 2001 from UNESCO where he was the Director of the Unit for the International Year for the Culture of Peace, proclaimed for the Year 2000 by the United Nations General Assembly.

Pittsburgh : Black leaders seek ‘city of peace’

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An article from the Post Gazette

A month ago, a group of African American lawmakers announced an initiative to curb the wave of gun violence and violent crime throughout Allegheny County.

The group, which calls itself the Black Elected Officials Coalition, announced it would begin a series of community events to promote peace in the streets. Democratic state Rep. Ed Gainey, who represents Lincoln-Lemington and is favored to win the Pittsburgh mayoral race next week, acted as the primary spokesman for the group, raising dramatically the expectations for the BEOC’s access to resources and cooperation across bureaucracies.

Mr. Gainey said the lawmakers, in cooperation with partners in government, the nonprofit sphere and law enforcement, would work together with at-risk young people to “create a city of peace” and promote a culture of nonviolence. This is a tall order, but not an impossible one, especially when elected officials are willing to stand behind their work with their names and reputations attached.

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Question related to this article:
 
How can culture of peace be developed at the municipal level?

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Even before BEOC was formed, Pittsburgh City Councilman Ricky Burgess, whose district includes Homewood, East Liberty and Garfield, had been working with Councilman Daniel Lavelle, whose district includes Downtown, the Hill District and Oakland, on the Stop the Violence Trust Fund.
 
Both councilmen are deeply involved in the effort to give $9 million to the Center that CARES, a Hill District nonprofit that deploys a dozen outreach workers to seven neighborhoods where most of the violence has been centered. All studies show that early intervention before neighborhood beefs escalate is the key to curbing conflicts.

This initiative will be one part of the strategy that these elected officials will lean on in the coming years. What BEOC proposes goes far beyond the usual “throw money at the problem and hope for the best.” These are elected officials who understand the nature of the problem and are heartbroken by the disappointing results of previous efforts.

This is too important to be left to law enforcement to figure out. The BEOC believes it has the empathy and motivation required to make this initiative a game changer.

Others on the coalition are Allegheny County Council members Olivia Bennett and DeWitt Walton and state Rep. Jake Wheatley, D-Hill District.

For their willingness to put their names and reputations on the line, the Black Elected Officials Coalition deserves our respect and appreciation. If the coalition succeeds, it will help Pittsburgh to serve all of its people, including those formerly without hope and left to settle scores on their own, in the streets.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, North America

Mexico City successfully holds the World Forum of Cities and Territories of Peace

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from Cultura Colectiva (translation by CPNN)

The Head of Government of Mexico City, Claudia Sheinbaum, was the host of the third World Forum on Cities and Territories of Peace. It brought together important world leaders, an important event in the fight against inequality that exists in the XXI century. Within a complex scenario due to the covid-19 pandemic, major proposals were presented in the capital by mayors who were invited from different cities.


Video of conference

The opening session demonstrated the power of women and their influence in the most important positions to run large cities in the world.

One of the main conclusions of the Forum was to recognize that the fight to end social inequality is one of the main strategies to combat violence and achieve global peace. Claudia Sheinbaum, head of government of the Mexico City and host of the event, pointed out that “you cannot talk about peace or ending violence, if you do not fight against inequalities.” Sheinbaum stressed that it is essential to guarantee access to human rights of health, education, security and a healthy environment to improve equity. “If we do not attend to access to human rights, it will be difficult for us to attain a territory of peace.

In the first session of the event, all the participants were women. Claudia Sheibaum (representative of Mexico City), Claudia López (mayor of Bogotá), Ada Colau (mayor of Barcelona), Manuela Carmena (former mayor of Madrid) and Reyna Rueda (mayor of Managua).

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(Click here for the original article in Spanish.)

Questions related to this article:

Do women have a special role to play in the peace movement?

How can culture of peace be developed at the municipal level?

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Reflections towards the future

“We cannot think of peace without equality. We know that there will be no peace if inequalities are not reduced; that is why we must work to end them,” said Ada Colau, mayor of Barcelona, ​​Spain, who participated virtually. She stressed that violence is related to all aspects of life. For example, she said, it is impossible to talk about peace in the world without addressing the climate crisis. “Climate change implies population displacement and more violence,” she noted. However, she clarified, global peace begins in the cities themselves; For this reason, it is important not only to actions, but also to raise our voiceto denounce the violation of human rights and support those who suffer injustice.

Claudia López, mayor of Bogotá, pointed out that Colombia has been the only country in Latin America affected by an internal armed conflict in the recent century. Despite this, she highlighted the work done to achieve the peace agreements that ended the conflict. “We knew that as long as the conflict with the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) occupied the epicenter of Colombian politics, there was no way for the causes of women, equity, the environment and other issues to take place,” she said. She pointed out that reconciliation was important since it not only meant a peace agreement, but also to bring tranquility to all Colombians in all areas. “But for this, it is necessary to attend to the social demands for equity, justice and opportunities.”

Finally Reyna Rueda, mayor of Managua in Nicaragua, praised the role of women in current politics. “Obviously there is a lot to do, but women are working on full and comprehensive development,” she said. She stressed that all the inhabitants of the planet must be promoters of peace: “We must promote it, strengthen it, and leave indelible marks for future generations.”

The World Forum on Cities and Territories of Peace began as the World Forum on Urban Violence, in Madrid, Spain, and has now become a process of global and collective reflection that seeks to strengthen peacebuilding from the local spheres. For 2021, Mexico City is the headquarters of its third edition.

(Editor’s note: It was decided that the Fourth edition of the Forum will take place in Bogota, Colombia.)

Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

United Kingdom : Little Amal: Coventry welcomes giant refugee puppet to city

. TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY . .

An article from BBC News at bbc.co.uk/news (reprinted by permission)

Coventry has welcomed a giant puppet of a child to the city as it nears the end of a 5,000-mile walk from Syria to “rewrite the narrative about refugees”.

Crowds of people greeted the 3.5m (11.5ft) puppet, named Little Amal, in the city centre on Wednesday afternoon.


The crowds grew larger as Little Amal made her way towards the centre of Coventry

Little Amal represents a nine-year-old girl on a journey, in a project called The Walk.

The puppet, whose name means “hope” in Arabic, started its 8,000km journey in Gaziantep, Turkey on 27 July and has travelled across Greece, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and France.

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Question for this article

The refugee crisis, Who is responsible?

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Organisers said the aim had been to shine a light on the stories of the millions of displaced refugee children she represents.

Coventry, the current City of Culture, which is known as a city of peace and reconciliation, is thought to be home to about 1,500 people seeking refuge.

Julia, who arrived in Coventry from Kenya, said: “Amal is symbolic to a lot of us.

“I don’t think people understand survival until they are put in a situation. You think ‘why are you running? Why can’t you go to the police?’

“Sometimes it’s not a choice you have when you are just a common person.”

After Coventry, Little Amal will visit Birmingham, Sheffield and Barnsley before the 14-week travelling street theatre ends in Manchester on 3 November.

Little Amal’s story began in Good Chance Theatre‘s award-winning play, The Jungle. The critically-acclaimed production was based on the stories Good Chance’s founders Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson encountered when they created their first Theatre of Hope in the 2015 Calais refugee camp. Little Amal appeared as a character in The Jungle who represented the hundreds of unaccompanied minors in the Calais camp who were separated from their families. Following the success of The Jungle, which contributed to a global conversation about refugees and shared humanity, Good Chance felt Little Amal’s story still had so much more to say.

Europe, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

2021 Nanjing Peace Forum successfully concluded and released the “Nanjing Peace Consensus”

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An article from Teller Report

On October 26, the 2021 Nanjing Peace Forum, which lasted for 3 days, closed. With the theme of “Harmony and Coexistence: Peaceful Coexistence with Nature” this year’s Peace Forum, it discussed in depth “How man and nature can live in peace”.


Getty Image

The “2021 Nanjing Peace Consensus” was released at the closing ceremony, sending an invitation to the world to “build a community of life on earth”.

Xia Zehan, the representative of UNESCO to China, said in his concluding remarks that active peace must include environmental protection, not only for mankind, but also for all life on earth : “We can build a global peace of sharing, mutual benefit and stability in the future.”

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Question related to this article:
 
How can culture of peace be developed at the municipal level?

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This Nanjing Peace Forum conducted a lively and in-depth discussion on the natural environment and human destiny, sustainable development goals and green investment, environmental challenges and youth actions, global green recovery and good business, peace actions and international practices. The “2021 Nanjing Peace Consensus” was passed.

Liu Cheng, head of the Chair of Peace Studies at Nanjing University, and the youth representative Isabel jointly read the “2021 Nanjing Peace Consensus”.

Qin Changwei, Secretary-General of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO, delivered a closing speech. He suggested that everyone quickly translate the results of this forum into practical actions to promote the noble cause of peace for the benefit of all mankind : “We must seize the day, quickly transform the results of this forum into practical actions, and earnestly implement the “2021 Nanjing Peace Consensus”, starting from me, starting from daily, starting from our own work, bravely exploring, and constantly innovating , Design for peace, work for peace, implement the concept of protecting nature and promoting the harmonious coexistence of man and nature, and encourage more people to join the noble cause of promoting world peace and benefiting all mankind.”
　
Finally, Li Qi, vice chairman of the Nanjing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, announced the successful conclusion of the 2021 Nanjing Peace Forum, sending the voice of Nanjing to peace-loving people around the world: “Here we extend an invitation to the world, and welcome more friends who are committed to peace building to join in the construction of Nanjing International Peace City. Let us work together to promote science and technology, education, humanities, innovation and other fields to connect, communicate, and communicate with the world. Mutual sharing.”

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, East Asia

World Peace Congress concludes in Barcelona with successful participation

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

A press release from the International Peace Bureau

The World Peace Congress organised by the International Peace Bureau (IPB) and the International Catalan Institute for Peace (ICIP) ended this Sunday (October 17) in Barcelona after three days of conferences, workshops, and cultural events.

Under the title “(Re)imagine the world. Action for peace and justice”, more than 2,500 people took part in this hybrid congress, with activities in Barcelona. The events took place in the Centre of Contemporary Culture (CCCB) and the Blanquerna – Universitat Ramon Llull, and broadcast on the Internet.

1,000 people attended to the congress in person, while 1,500 attended online. Participants came from 126 countries. In Barcelona, activists from 75 countries including South Korea, the United States, Afghanistan, India and Mongolia, were also able to listen to the speeches covering issues such as nuclear disarmament, climate justice, racism and the rights of indigenous peoples.

As IPB Executive Director, Reiner Braun, explains, this is the biggest international peace event of this year. “The congress was a great success. We got a great support from the city of Barcelona and the president of the government of Catalonia. From my point of view, it was the right congress in this difficult political time and in the right place because we got a big support from the city. The IPB will definitely continue working on the way of more engagement for peace after the congress”.

Questions related to this article:

Where in the world can we find good leadership today?

Jordi Calvo, IPB Vice-President and member of the local committee, affirms: “At the congress we have seen that the peace movement is not alone. The large participation of feminist, anti-racist and global justice movements in the conferences and seminars shows that pacifism is more alive than ever, but that it needs to adapt to new narratives and generations. After this congress, the Catalan, Spanish, European and global peace movement is stronger”

The congress started on Friday 15 October with an event attended by the President of the Generalitat Pere Aragonés and the Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau. The opening session was attended by prominent names such as British politician Jeremy Corbyn and ICAN Executive Director Beatrice Fihn. The open plenary can be accessed  here .

Sean MacBride Award

Each year, IPB gives the Sean MacBride Peace Prize to an individual or organisation that has done outstanding work for peace, disarmament and/or human rights. This year the award was awarded to Black Lives Matter for the movement’s dedication and work to create a world where the lives of black people can thrive.

On the second day of the World Peace Congress in Barcelona, Rev Karlene Griffiths Sekou, community minister, academic and activist, and director of Healing Justice and International Organizing received the award on behalf of the social movement.

“Our movement is not a moment in time, it is a constant reminder to eradicate white supremacy, change racist policies and overthrow oppressive systems”.

“We thank the International Peace Bureau for their recognition and thank the community leaders, local activists and ancestors, who fuel the relentless will of our movement and inspire us to re-imagine a world for our children and for future black generations,” she added.

Photos from the congress:

You can access the photos of the congress via this  link.

Press Release and final declarations:

You can find all the press releases and the final declarations  here.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, global

Exchange between students in France and Mali : An interview

. TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article from Sahel 2r3s

Emmanuelle Dufossez is a professor of Fine Arts at the Ferdinand Fabre College and High School in Bédarieux, in the Academy of Montpellier. In December 2018, in collaboration with Bakrene Ag Sidimohamed (who lives and works in Tessalit, in the Kidal region of northern Mali), she initiated an exchange between two groups of students from their respective municipalities. The objective of the project was to promote intercultural exchanges in a common spirit of citizenship, without neglecting the specific reality of each environment.


Video made by the students in Mali

First, can you explain to us the reasons why you started this project? What were the means used? How did you make the connection?

For personal reasons I joined a Facebook group linked to Tessalit and started chatting with Bakrene. In the third message, he asked me to help him contact children’s education NGOs. It was so direct, so unexpected … and it touched me. He didn’t know I was a teacher yet. As for me, I was far from imagining at the time the scale of the disaster in the region …

So I suggested to my principal, Mr. Pierre Fournier, that we set up an exchange between students and he immediately accepted (he was much more aware of the situation than I was), and put everything in place. to make this possible. With Françoise, the CPE, we organized a meeting of the students of the civic life council of the school, and they decided to take part. Two weeks later, I had a webcam and Skype in my room and we were waiting for Issouf, the principal and his students from Tessalit!

For his part Bakrene had succeeded in convincing the director of Minusma (the United Nations Peacekeeping Force) and he went to involve everyone in town. This is how the project began. It was very rock’n’roll, but we managed to talk to each other by videoconference, almost every week until the end of the year.

Sometimes the connection was not possible and we waited for nothing, but that was part of the game and everyone understood the difficulties. I give credit to Minusma which has played a good role in promoting a project clearly in favor of peace and sharing, and also the families in Tessalit who have agreed to take risks by allowing their children to participate in the exchange.

From this first year, we initiated a small educational project with a geography colleague who was to do a case study around the management of natural resources. The children sent the questions to the Tessalit group via Bakrene, and in return, they sent us short videos about the situation for water in Tessalit.

Our students in Bédarieux are very involved. They set up a book drive to rebuild the Tessalit library which was burnt down during the conflicts. We are now awaiting assistance to transport the books.

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(Click here for the original French version of this article)

Question related to this article:
 
Youth initiatives for a culture of peace, How can we ensure they get the attention and funding they deserve?

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What is the importance of your approach and that of the citizen competition project? What are your goals?

This year, we immediately wanted to start a long educational project with my history-geography colleague and a fourth grade class that we have in common, as well as our colleagues from Tessalit, Issouf Maïga, director and State teacher, Bakrene Ag Sidimohamed and Ahmed Ag Zouemar. It is about corresponding and getting to know each other through the simultaneous discovery of the text of the Universal Declaration of the Rights of the Child signed by the members of the UN in 1989.

The exchange, the discovery of the other, their way of life, their habits, their tastes, everything that allows us to take into account otherness and differences is at the heart of our concerns.

It is time to reopen minds, in France as elsewhere, if we really want to live in a world at peace. This common reflection that we are carrying out with very young adolescents addresses the rights of children and at the same time reveals to them the disastrous situation in northern Mali; The program 2r3s contributes in its own way by involving young adults through the citizen competition.

For us in any case, this project is also a cry of alarm to the international community so that it can help us improve the education system in this conflict region.

How did the exchanges go between the students of Bédarieux and Tessalit?

The discussions turned out to be materially difficult given the dire situation of the school in Tessalit. Without the volunteer workers from the Tazunt association, Issouf, the teacher would not be able to carry out the work, since he is alone.

The language barrier was also a big difficulty. In addition, it is important to remember that schools closed in 2012 in the North and that they have struggled to reopen since 2018. The French language is being lost in the region, for lack of practice … but the amazing joy of living brings the children together.

On several occasions we even sent us short videos in which children, French and Malian alike, sang for their comrades! But the situation of the students of Tessalit is worrying for the future.

What are the differences that you have observed?

As I said above, the differences are glaring. It is even hard to believe that children live on the same planet in a world that has designed a common text for their equality. Nevertheless, they are children, who love to sing, laugh, and of course, play soccer!

Did you encounter any difficulties during this project? If so, what were they?

Given the security context in Mali, we had to face many difficulties. The differences in living conditions do not always make it possible to approach things in the same way, since it depends on whether one is positioned in Bédarieux or Tessalit. Material difficulties also have a strong impact.

Have you observed in the pupils a real awareness of the rights and duties which they have? Has their relationship to education changed?

Yes. For example, here in France, we have succeeded in recovering some students who were dropping out of school. As for the issue of awareness, it is real, in France as in Tessalit where part of the population is trying to find solutions, without much help for the moment. But my colleagues at Tessalit would be better able to answer this question.

Africa, Europe, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY,

Lawan, Forum Task Nigerians On Religious Tolerance

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article from Leadership Nigeria

Senate president Ahmed Lawan and Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace have said religious tolerance is a veritable tool for peaceful co-existence in a plural religious society like Nigeria.

They made the assertion yesterday in Abuja at the Interfaith Roundtable with the theme: “Building a culture of peace and unity in our country,” which was organised by the Methodist Church of Nigeria.

Senator Lawan who was represented by the Senate minority whip, Senator Philip Aduda, said the quest for peace and unity should be the responsibility of all citizens of the country because peace is a process that requires patience, understanding and tolerance to achieve.

He said, “By achieving this, it needs people of different faiths and it is also possible because we have come a long way and the efforts of our founding fathers have been rewarding enough for us to build upon as leaders.

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Question related to this article:
 
How can different faiths work together for understanding and harmony?

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“We have again been instinctively in emphasising the importance of peace and the benefits of unity was great.”

Similarly, the president, Vision Africa and co-chair Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace, Bishop Sunday Onuoha, said that there is a lack of tolerance among different religions.

He said this is the reason for the violent outbursts and hostility towards other beliefs and the manner they choose to practice or express their religious cravings.

According to him, intolerance towards people of different beliefs, because of blind and fixed psychological delusion that one is pure and the other is an error has resulted to various intra religious  disturbances.

Bishop Onuoha said another problem bedevilling the country was the ‘state of origin’ which he said if abolished would stop hatred, disunity, and agitations among people of different geopolitical zones.

He added that, “If we want to build one country, the state of origin should be removed from the bio-data.”

In his welcome address, the Bishop of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, His Eminence, Dr Samuel Chukwuemeka said the essence of organising the event is for the Muslims and Christians to be able to express their feelings.

Chukwuemeka said what is happening today is as a result of ignorance because people interpret religion differently.

The emir of Bichi, Alhaji Nasir Ado Bayaro, said social interaction would help “our people to build trust, harmony and embrace tolerance across all the religions.”

Africa, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

CEPEJ Takes Peace, Environmental Advocacy To Schools Across Nigeria

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from Tribune Online

Niger Delta-based Center for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ) has inaugurated Peace and Environment Clubs (PECs) in over 15 secondary schools across the country with a mandate to promote peace and environmental best practices among young ones for a better society.

The most recent PECs were established at the Federal Capital Territory to serve as “safe spaces” with the idea of catching them young and bringing the next generation together from different social and cultural backgrounds to discuss critical issues relating to peace, conflict prevention/management and environmental sustainability, as well as share values of tolerance and civic responsibility.

The National Coordinator of CEPEJ, Comrade Sheriff Mulade appreciated the FCT board for the partnership to enable the NGO to establish the Peace and Environment Clubs and to inaugurate PEC coordinators for Government Senior Secondary School, Bwari, and Mabushi Secondary School, both in Abuja.

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(Click here for the original version of this article in French)

Question for this article:

Where is peace education taking place?

Can a culture of peace be achieved in Africa through local indigenous training and participation?

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FCT Secondary School Board Chairman, Hon. Yahaya Musa Muhammed, who was represented by Assistant Directors, Mr Itam Nneoyi and Mrs Mary Ajibola, appreciated CEPEJ for the laudable initiative.

They pledged to work with the CSO to educate and guide the youths in the ways of life.

Speaking in the same vein, the Principals of Government Secondary School, Bwari, Dr Mrs Nse Martina Ikwo, and Government Secondary School, Mabushi, Mr Muhammed Shaba thanked CEPEJ for establishing the peace clubs to educate pupils on the need to imbibe the culture of peace and environmental protection, highly needed in Nigeria today.

They promised to ensure the sustainability of the clubs.

The Programme Director of CEPEJ, Mrs Nafisat Amadu Abdulmalik, however, listed improved life skills (leadership, negotiation, decision making, values, self-esteem, conflict management etc.), enhanced advocacy skills-speaking up for self and for others, among others.

She said CEPEJ would facilitate training the trainers’ workshops in the coming weeks before the activities would kick off fully.

Others in attendance included Vice Principals, administrative staff, as well as senior teachers and students.

These advocacies are expected to help the young lads to imbibe values of mutual respect, fairness, teamwork, discipline and tolerance, in order to birth a society with a mindset that values peace and environmental best practices.

Africa, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Colombia: ‘5th with 5th Crew’, rhymes and colors for peace in Norte de Santander

. EDUCATION FOR PEACE . .

An article by Anderson Salinas for Radio Nacional Colombia

The cultural and social foundation ‘5ta con 5ta Crew’ was born in 2007, with the idea of ​​strengthening the social fabric among the youth in the department of Norte de Santander. It is a group that deals with violence through the arts from the Itinerant School of the North Bravos Hijos in 12 municipalities of the department.

With rap, graffiti, urban dance and audiovisual productions, this foundation has become a pedagogical path for young people in the department.


Rap video from the foundation

They are a team of 20 young professionals who travel through different rural and urban areas, bearing messages that transcend the memory of violence in the territories affected by the armed conflict.

“I started rapping long before, with passionate rap partners we began to share that music that we liked. To the point, that my mother’s house on 5th Street and 5th Avenue in the Motilones de Atalaya neighborhood, became the main headquarters for a time, ”explains Jorge Botello, leader of the foundation.

The initiative focused on working with young people between 16 and 25 years old, promoting artistic expressions in favor of life and the defense of the rights of youth, activities that provide the region with spaces for coexistence and reconciliation.

“In this space we begin to enjoy every moment from rap, graffiti, muralism, urban dance, audiovisuals, weaving, theater, community cinema, which began a new stage in the foundation, and where we try to manage always the historical look at our reality,” adds Jorge.

‘Ahiman,’ the artistic name by which Jorge is known, found that music provided a way to teach in the search of historical memory and truth. “It was something we did without knowing it, the lyrics, the processes, became the opportunity to express what we felt,” he explains.

(click here for the article in Spanish.).)

Question related to this article:

Do the arts create a basis for a culture of peace?

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

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The border area and the Catatumbo are those spaces of resistance, where their cultural processes allow children and adolescents to compose the history that is hidden in each of its 11 municipalities.

“Young people have found the possibility of amplifying the voice, that their voice not only represents themselves, but a whole group, a community, and that through these spaces they allow to transform relationships, and thus have a better coexistence” says Botello.

Currently, the foundation is carrying out the ‘Crafts for peace, memory and truth’ project in the departments of Arauca, Santander, Norte de Santander, Bolívar and César. According to Laura Rangel, a member of the team, this initiative is developed with the purpose of training 510 youth in the Comprehensive System of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Non-Repetition.

“We reflect around the truth. We find incredible, heartbreaking, hopeful, resilient stories that are very motivating for our work in the territory and today we are closing this project and opening the door for our next stop: the art of truth,” Botello indicates.

This work will be present in Norte de Santander for a year, where it will work for the legacy of the Truth Commission and the fundamental role of youth in the non-continuity of the armed conflict with children and young people.

For Darwin Delgado, one of the young people who participates in these foundation processes, it is necessary to continue keeping history alive in these territories marked by violence in Colombia.

“It is better that the trumpets sound and we do not have the rifles, it is better that the paint is spilled and not the blood of the Colombians; that is the value of art for our region, it allows us to visualize ourselves and represent ourselves under a different perspective before society,” he affirms with a tone of hope.

‘Ahiman’ points out that it is the new generations who must make use of the lyrics, beats, dances and colored lines to rebuild the social fabric that has been fractured by decades.

“For every violent act there are many more rhymes, more murals, more colors, many more break dance steps, art became what holds the new generations to say that there is an opportunity to have a better country,” he says. .

Today they are a medium that runs from art, a path to coexistence and the promotion of a culture of peace in Catatumbo and all of North Santander, with each expression highlighting its message of peace in different languages.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Mexico: Initiative to create the Law of Culture of Peace for the state of Zacatecas presented in the Legislature

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

Un artículo de La Jornada Zacatecas (translation by CPNN)

Deputies from the parliamentary fractions of Morena, the Encuentro Solidario Party (PES), the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico (PVEM), the New Alliance Party and the Labor Party (PT) have presented an initiative to create a Culture of Peace Law before the 64th Legislature of the state of Zacatecas. This needed to address the causes of violence and to guarantee human rights in a transversal and sectoral manner.


Photo from a previous CPNN article on culture of peace in Zacatecas

In their explanatory statement, they indicated that “The State assumes the commitment to guarantee and respect all human rights, and, above all, the right to a dignified life, free from violence, based on solidarity, tolerance and respect.” For this reason, they pointed out, work must be done to ensure the safety of citizens, as well as to promote peace and harmony and to strengthen a responsible social fabric. This can lead to changes that address the social, cultural, economic and political.
causes of violence.

There are various factors that directly affect the manifestation of violence within these areas, the initiative assured, such as lack of education, poverty, gender inequality, lack of decent job opportunities, social inequalities and unattended antisocial behaviors, which have as a consequence family violence, gender violence, child sexual abuse, organized crime, armed movements and the constant violation of human rights both by individuals and by authorities.

In Zacatecas, it was pointed out, despite the prevention actions, violence continues to grow exponentially, therefore, they considered, a normative body must be legislated and created that permanently articulates public policies as a means of solution to the problem posed. Therefore, the deputies point out, the objective of proposing an initiative by which a Law of Culture of Peace is issued for the state of Zacatecas, in order to regulate actions that promote, develop and implement multisectoral and inter-institutional public policies that generate conditions for the full enjoyment of the human right to peace and the promotion of a positive peace in our entity.

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(Click here for the Spanish original of this article)

Questions for this article:

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

(continued from left column)

The legislative proposal is aimed at the creation of a State Program that foresees the necessary actions to achieve the implementation of the culture of peace, detecting, attending to and eradicating any manifestation of violence; as well as it seeks to generate the conditions for a full enjoyment of the human right to peace.

The proposed law aims to promote a policy of peace and non-violence through the establishment of a Municipal Council for the Culture of Peace or in the existing dependencies in the municipalities with their respective adjustments, seeking to restore the fabric social and fostering communities of peace. This Council and / or agency would actively participate in the elaboration of the State Program, contributing their opinions and suggestions, proposals and demands on the culture of peace.

“All actions within the law are aimed at complying with what is established in international conventions and treaties, as well as being coordinated with international organizations for the prevention of violence of all its types and a correct implementation of the culture of peace, achieving implement positive peace throughout the state ”, they specified.

For this reason, the need for it to work in a transversal and multisectoral manner, and to seek to address the causes of violence and inequalities, and to guarantee human rights in its actions. Likewise, they concluded, its importance lies in the fact that it makes it possible to understand conflict and peace situations, creating the opportune areas of action so that the new generations, through education, are guided by respect for human rights, dignity, and on all that practice the culture of peace in their day to day, creating new forms of coexistence based on respect, tolerance and solidarity.

The initiative was signed by Armando Delgadillo Ruvalcaba, Priscila Benítez Sánchez, Sergio Ortega Rodríguez, Susana Andrea Barragán Espinosa, Víctor Humberto de la Torre Delgado, Violeta Cerrillo Ortiz, Imelda Mauricio Esparza, Anali Infante Morales, Ernesto González Romo, Maribel Galván Jiménez, members from the National Regeneration Movement Parliamentary Group, Zulema Yunuen Santacruz Márquez and Roxana from the Muñoz González Refuge, from the PES, Georgia Fernanda Miranda Herrera from the Green Ecologist Party, Soralla Bañuelos de la Torre, from Nueva Alianza, José Xerardo Ramírez Muñoz, Ana Luisa Del Muro García and José Luis Figueroa Rangel, from the PT Parliamentary Group.

(Editor’s note: In related developments, Soralla Bañuelos, mentioned above among those proposing the initiative, has also made a plea for a program to exchange war toys for educational toys, arguing that “If we want a healthier childhood, that develops better, we have to work even on the type of toys that are given to them.” Also, the national organization, Comnapaz Mexico, has installed a chapter in Zacatecas, which will support the legislation for a culture of peace, saying that “education is the vaccine that the country requires at this time.”)

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America