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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. View all posts by CPNN Coordinator →

Conakry: former deputies launch a new coalition for peace, rights and development, COFEPAD-Guinea

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

An article from Guinee Matin (translation by CPNN)

Former members of the National Assembly of Guinea have created a platform, called “Coalition of women parliamentarians and actors for peace, rights and development in Guinea” (COFEPAD-Guinea). This organization was announced by a public declaration issued this Friday, January 7, 2022 in Conakry.

video of the press conference

COFEPAD-Guinea is led by Dr. Zalikatou Diallo, former MP and former Minister of Citizenship and National Unity, and its vice-presidents are Dr. Hadja Aïssata Daffé and Ms. Nanfadima Magassouba. Its main objective is to contribute effectively to the preservation and consolidation of achievements in the defense of the rights of women, children and vulnerable people in the Republic of Guinea.

DECLARATION

We, the women who have participated in the various legislatures of the National Assembly of the Republic of Guinea, as well as we, actors working for peace, the defense of the rights of women, children and vulnerable people, have taken the initiative to the establishment of the COALITION OF WOMEN PARLIAMENTARIANS AND ACTRESSES FOR PEACE, RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT IN GUINEA (COFEPAD-GUINEA).

The launch of the activities of this Coalition, whose head office is located in Conakry, in the Commune of Ratoma, in the district of Lambanyi, has as its primary objective to contribute effectively to the preservation and consolidation of achievements in the defense of the rights of women, children and vulnerable people in the Republic of Guinea.

COFEPAD-GUINEA has the following essential mission:

– Allow its members to interact in order to pursue the noble and exalting struggle for gender equality and the consideration of the gender dimension at all levels of the Guinean Nation, while promoting lasting peace, a society of cohesion, a culture of good citizenship and the other values necessary for the socio-economic development of Guinea.

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(Click here for the original French version)

Questions for this article

Can the women of Africa lead the continent to peace?

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– Contribute to the maintenance and consolidation of achievements in favor of Guinean women in legal texts, favorable to gender equality, in order to enable Guinea to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG): Nations Nations No. 5 as well as the provisions of the Maputo Protocol of the African Union, adopted on July 11, 2003 in Maputo and entered into force since November 25, 2005.

– Carry out advocacy and lobbying actions at the level of the authorities and bodies of the Transition, with a view to amending all provisions that discriminate against women and vulnerable people. Promote ctions that contribute significantly to the implementation of UN Resolution 1325 and its related resolutions.

– Recommend the strict application of criminal sanctions against perpetrators of rape and conduct awareness campaigns to reverse this trend in Guinean society.

– Work to strengthen lasting peace and national unity in the Republic of Guinea by an extensive awareness campaigns at all levels, supported by a synergy of action between our Coalition and the administrative and local authorities, as well as other actors involved in the same dynamic. These actions should put Guinea on track to achieve the SDGs by 2030, as well as the African Union’s Agenda 2063. In particular with regard to Aspiration No. 6, namely: “An Africa whose development is people-driven, which relies on the potential of its people, especially women and young people, who care about the well-being of children.

In order to achieve the results produced, the members of COFEPAD-GUINEA propose a strategic plan accompanied by an action plan in accordance with the statutes of the Coalition.

Through multiple activities, COFEPAD-GUINEA proposes to :

– Contribute to strengthening a durable culture of peace, a sine qua non condition for the harmonious and balanced development of Guinea;

– Strengthen the partnership between men and women and the capacities of the members of the Coalition to better fulfill their missions of defending women’s rights while preserving what has already been achieved;

– Harmonize and strengthen partnership with other national and international institutions, organizations, and networks that promote gender equality;

To enable it to achieve this panoply of objectives, COFEPAD-GUINEA count son the support of administrative authorities, national and international institutions, as well as collaboration with NGOs defending the rights of women, children and vulnerable people in Guinean society.

Long live the women of Guinea

Long live gender equality

Long live peace, unity and the development of Guinea

May God bless Guinea and all Guineans

Amen!

January 17, 2022Africa, WOMEN'S EQUALITYAfricaCPNN Coordinator

Spain : Films for peace – ten years of MUSOC

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article by Pablo Batalla Cueto in Lamarea86

A meeting place between cinema, social activism and critical thinking, which seeks to deepen the knowledge of human rights and the culture of peace: this is how MUSOC, the Social Film and Human Rights Exhibition, is presented ; a cinematographic event organized by Acción en Red Asturies. The event is supported by more than 40 organizations and groups and it has become an increasingly well-known reference –in Asturias and outside it– of the cultural programming related to the art of the cinema.

A frame from the film ‘Six Days Current’.

This year marks the decade anniversary : a special edition that will once again be displayed by several Asturian municipalities and educational centers in the region with film screenings (with the thematic sections Outskirts, Another Station, Creators looking to the South, Transits and Daughters of Guy) as well as some parallel activities: his Visible Dialogues , a colloquium between filmmakers, activists and the public; the MUSOCeduca pedagogical project, consisting of the dissemination of human rights and peace culture in eighty schools; and the delivery of the Chema Castiello Award.

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(Click here for the original Spanish version of this article.)

Question for this article:

Film festivals that promote a culture of peace, Do you know of others?

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The inauguration is on Friday, January 7. It will open the exhibition Six days current , directed by Neus Ballús, winner of the Chema Castiello 2022, Espiga de Plata in the last Valladolid Festival. The film features three workers from a small plumbing and electricity company on the outskirts of Barcelona. One of the workers, of Moroccan origin, has to demonstrate for a week that he is ready to be the replacement for his partner Pep after his retirement and dissolve the doubts of Valero, the other partner, who doubts that those who require the services of the small company will accept a worker from the Maghreb in their homes .

On successive days, and until January 30, MUSOC attendees will be able to see films such as Mali Twist, by Robert Guédiguian, a film set in the revolutionary Bamako of the sixties, which will be screened at the Niemeyer Center in Avilés ; As Far As I Can Walk, by Stefan Arsenijevi ?, starring a Ghanaian migrant who meets his wife in a Serbian refugee center, which can be seen at the Philharmonic Theater in Oviedo on the 18th; or, at the Riera Theater in Villaviciosa, Nora’s Awakening, by Leonie Krippendorf, about the adolescent infatuation of two young Berlin girls, Nora and Romy.

Other films concern the trans pioneer and activist against AIDS Connie Norman, the rural exodus in Kenya, the criminalization of abortion in El Salvador, the life of the last republican mayor of Seville and the dramas about Kosovo, Mexico and India.

Oviedo, Gijón, Avilés, Cangas de Onís, Langreo, Siero, Navia, Castrillón, Villaviciosa and Llanes are the participating towns, distributed from west to east throughout the region, of this edition. They take into account the current pandemic by the observance of the COVID-19 protocols, with accesses and exits to the spaces in an orderly and staggered manner and the obligation to use a mask and hydroalcoholic gel.

Creativity, diversity, freedom, reflection and commitment: these are the values to which this festival seeks to embrace; these virtues are essential in increasingly tough times. Hence the title of another of the films in this MUSOC, which will be screened in Navia on the 13th: A Little Plan… How to Save the World.

January 13, 2022EDUCATION FOR PEACE, EuropeEuropeCPNN Coordinator

Mexico: The government integrates the Mayan Train in the program Promotion of the Culture of Peace and Reconstruction of the Social Fabric

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article from Polìtico MX

The Ministry of the Interior (Segob), has reached an agreement with the Undersecretariat of Democratic Development, Social Participation and Religious Affairs, and the National Fund for the Promotion of Tourism (Fonatur) for the integration of 13 municipalities on the route of Mayan Train in the program Promotion of the Culture of Peace and the Reconstruction of the Social Fabric.

Editor’s note: But the route is being contested by some of the indigenous communties that will be displaced.

The project reinforces the indigenous consultation process, according to the agency’s statement. In this way, it seeks to guarantee a state of well-being and security in the communities that are part of the development plan.

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(Click here for the Spanish version)

Questions related to this article:

How can tourism promote a culture of peace?

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Segob explained that among the municipalities that are integrated into the program are:

Quintana Roo: Isla Mujeres, Benito Juárez, Solidaridad, Tulum, Felipe Carrillo Puerto

Tabasco: Tenosique, Balancán

Campeche: Candelaria, Escárcega

Yucatan: Mérida, Maxcanú, Valladolid,

Chiapas: Palenque

The program for the Promotion of the Culture of Peace and the Reconstruction of the Social Fabric seeks to promote actions among local communities, municipalities, and the Government of Mexico to meet the 2030 sustainable development objectives, specifically those that refer to the reduction of inequalities; generation of spaces for equality and eradication of gender violence, as well as guaranteeing peace, security and justice to the communities.

Segob and Fonatur carried out a work tour in the last months of 2021, holding meetings with the municipal presidents to explain the program and to establish actions to coordinate their collaborative work.

January 9, 2022Latin America, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

Dominican Republic: 11 Thousand People Train in Conflict Resolution and Culture of Peace in 2021

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article in El Nuevo Diario

The National Conflict Resolution System (Sinarec), reported this Tuesday (January 4) that in the past year 2021 it trained more than 11 thousand people in its citizen education programs for alternative conflict resolution and culture of peace. The programs are aimed at community leaders, members of the Public Ministry and administrative personnel of the public prosecutor’s offices of the country and abroad.

Sinarec highlighted that the trainings consisted of workshops, discussions, conferences, round tables, diplomas and specialized courses in mediation, alternative conflict resolution, culture of peace, human rights and non-violent communication, among other methods of violence reduction. .

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(click here for the original version in Spanish).

Question for this article:

Mediation as a tool for nonviolence and culture of peace

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It was indicated that these preventive actions served as an extension to the daily work of Sinarec, which mediates between parties in conflict, providing guidance and support to reach agreements that avoid the need for judicial prosecution.

Sinarec added that during the year just ended, the mediators received hundreds of citizens and achieved peaceful resolutions in 90% of the cases.

In a statement, it was pointed out that these services are permanently available at the agency’s headquarters, located at 237 Barney Morgan Street, in the Luperón expansion, under rigorous measures. of biosafety and with the participation of personnel trained in mediation.

The director of Sinarec, Petronila Rosario Adames, explained that with the endorsement of the Institute of Higher Education National School of the Public Ministry, 78 members of the career of the Dominican and Chilean Public Ministry participated virtually and completed the diploma in Conflict Management and Mediation .

She added that participants included 315 professional members of the Dominican Association of Psychology (Asodopsi), the Integral Ethnic Foundation (Lafei), Dominican Association of Teachers (ADP), members of the National Police, community and ecclesiastical leaders.

Rosario Adames emphasized especially the Youth Mediation and Restorative Practices course, taught to 45 adolescents inmates at the Comprehensive Care Center for Adolescents in Conflicts with the Criminal Law (CAIPACLP), in Manoguayabo, where there was a positive change in the behavior of the participants after receiving training in peer mediation.

January 8, 2022EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin AmericaLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

Colombia: Forum in the Valle del Cauca commemorates the five years of the signing of the Peace Agreement

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION . .

An article from Government of Valle del Cauca

On November 23, 2021, the Secretariat for Territorial Peace and Reconciliation of the Government of Valle del Cauca, in its mission to promote spaces for reconciliation between the various actors of the armed conflict and generate a culture of sustainable peace, held the forum “Towards a Colombian countryside”. The forum looked at the Final Peace Agreement from the perspective from Valle del Cauca, five years after the signing of the Final Agreement. The Forum was held in alliance with the Truth Commission, the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), the ConPaz de la Pastoral program Social – Cáritas Colombiana, the Tuluá Mayor’s Office, the national initiative Tejiendo un Acuerdo para la Vida and the Central Unit of Valle del Cauca (Uceva).

Questions related to this article:

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

The event allowed the active participation of farmers, peasants, victims of the armed conflict, the reincorporated population and members of civil society.

An interdisciplinary and inter-institutional environment was fostered, allowing the exchange of knowledge regarding the implementation of Point 1 of the Final Agreement for the Termination of the Conflict and the Construction of a Stable and Lasting Peace, five years after its signature.

With this review of the event, the Secretariat for Territorial Peace and Reconciliation reaffirms its commitment to continue working for peace and reconciliation, fostering spaces for the exchange of knowledge, where different views are shared that generate reflection and dialogue around the implementation of the Final Peace Agreement.

Download here the review document that collects the perspectives of the dialogues held at the event.

(Click here for a Spanish version of this article.)

January 8, 2022FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin AmericaLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

Brazil: Practices that promote a culture of peace at Funase had good results in 2021

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An article from the blog of Didi Galvão

Restorative justice actions, aimed at promoting a culture of peace in socio-educational units in Pernambuco, had good results in 2021. During this period, 77 circles of restorative justice were carried out with 458 participants, including adolescents and young people in compliance with socio-educational measures and employees of the Socio-Educational Service Foundation (Funase), an institution linked to the Department of Social Development, Children and Youth (SDSCJ) of Pernambuco.

Image: Divulgação/Funase

The face-to-face activities took place in a manner adapted to the health guidelines resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, with smaller groups of participants, in accordance with the protocol established by Funase. The training processes of multipliers, on the other hand, prioritized the virtual modality. In 2022, the idea is to continue expanding the work of the Center for Restorative Justice (NJR), a group of public servants established in 2019 with the objective of disseminating these practices in the socio-educational system in Pernambuco.

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(Click here for the original article in Portuguese)

Discussion question

Restorative justice, What does it look like in practice?

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Restorative Justice addresses issues such as conflict mediation and non-violent communication, encouraging accountability processes. Marcela Mariz, coordinator of the NJR, believes that the gains have been significant. “We see important results for those who participate. Compliance with the socio-educational measure is not easy. Welcoming, strengthening and empowering are essential actions. And Restorative Justice presents itself as a great tool for that”, she says.

The Socio-Educational Service Center (Case) Jaboatão dos Guararapes, in the Metropolitan Region of Recife, is one of the Funase units where restorative practices are implemented and in progress. “At first, some teenagers show resistance, but later they realize that that moment is theirs and that’s when they can reflect, tell stories and build an internal space for this practice”, explains psychologist and reference technician Cristiane Campelo.

In 2021, training courses were held for managers and technicians on the topic “Restorative Justice in the Socio-Educational System”, with the promotion of Funase in partnership with the Training Center for Public Servants and Employees of the State of Pernambuco (Cefospe). Trainings on coping with LGBTphobia and its parallels with restorative practices were also guided. Another highlight was NJR’s participation in the 1st Latin American Journey “Justice and Restorative Practices: reflections, tools and good practices”, an event held in September, remotely, based in Argentina.

January 8, 2022EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin AmericaLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

López Obrador and the offer of asylum to Julian Assange: honest politics in a time of double standards

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An opinion piece by Javier Buenrostro from RT (translation by CPNN)

Last Monday (January 3), in his first morning conference, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador appeared flanked by Jeremy Corbyn, a British MP and leader of the Labor Party between 2015 and 2020. Corbyn, who is one of the main references of the European left, has strong ties with Mexico since his wife, lawyer Laura Álvarez, is Mexican and for this reason maintains an important bond that extends to all of Latin America. For example, Corbyn does not stop pointing out that Gabriel Boric’s triumph in Chile a few days ago gives him joy and hope.A petition from United National Antiwar Coalition

Obrador (left) and Corbyn (right) at the January 3 press conference (photo from Reuters

Due to Corbyn’s presence, the Mexican press asked López Obrador about his offer of asylum to the Australian journalist Julian Assange , WikiLeaks founder and who is about to have served three years in a London jail and ten years deprived of his freedom, counting the time he was asylum in the Embassy of Ecuador in the United Kingdom.

The United States government is close to prosecuting Julian Assange on charges of espionage and attacking national security, after British judges accepted that the WikiLeaks leader could be extradited to that country. Given this , the possibility of asylum for Assange in a country has once again been considered , as a measure to protect human rights and freedom of the press and information.

Mexico, honoring one of its best traditions in foreign policy, which is that of giving refuge to those persecuted for political or ideological reasons, has on several occasions expressed its intention to provide asylum to Julian Assange, even in the face of the possible controversy and confrontation that could arise. ith the United States.

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Click here for the Spanish original of this article.

Question related to this article:

Julian Assange, Is he a hero for the culture of peace?

Free flow of information, How is it important for a culture of peace?

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López Obrador revealed that on December 23, 2020, he wrote a letter to Donald Trump asking the United States government to exonerate and pardon Julian Assange. In the letter, the Mexican president explained to his counterpart that, in his opinion, Assange was a person moved by ideals and principles, and that for that fact he should be worthy of compassion. Unfortunately, the letter was never answered.

Currently, according to Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s asylum offer to Julian Assange is still in place and his lawyers are in contact , however, for procedural reasons, the offer cannot be made effective at this time . After ten years, Assange is still trapped in legal situations that have kept him confined all this time and one wonders if the United States will ever allow him to enjoy freedom in a host country.

Less than a month ago, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei posted a video on social media where he runs on a treadmill. It is a campaign that has the hashtag #RunForOurRights and that seeks not only the release of Assange but also to raise awareness about the defense of press freedom and human rights.

Ai Weiwei visited Assange in London in October 2016, while the WikiLeaks founder was in asylum at the Ecuadorian Embassy. Since then, the Australian activist’s health has deteriorated dramatically, even suffering from a stroke a couple of months ago. Thus, while the majority of people who believe in freedom of the press and information advocate that Assange should not die in prison, the United States, a country that calls itself the “defender of freedom” requests 175 years in prison for someone who defended the right to information of citizens. Such hypocrisy!

If things continue as they have in the last decade, it is more likely that we will see an extradition of Assange to the United States in the coming months rather than the approval of asylum in a country like Mexico. If Assange dies in prison, either in England or in the United States, his death should fall on the conscience of the justice systems of both countries and will be one more example of the false narrative of freedom of their societies that the official propaganda wants the world to believe, especially in the case of the United States.

Mexico, for its part, continues to uphold the tradition of asylum and refuge in some of the thorniest and most complicated cases in international geography. In the last century the Spanish Republicans, Jews and Communists and the thousands of Argentines, Chileans and Uruguayans who fled from military dictatorships were received in our country, in the López Obrador government Evo Morales was already given refuge following the coup in Bolivia. Now, the hand is outstretched for Assange and for freedom of the press and information.

If only the asylum could materialize, it would honor all involved international actors and put an end to an act of injustice and arbitrariness that the United States intends to carry out in continuation of its double standards and hypocrisy on freedom issues.

January 8, 2022FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin AmericaLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

Russia, China, Britain, U.S. and France say no one can win nuclear war

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from Reuters (reprinted by permission)

China, Russia, Britain, the United States and France have agreed that a further spread of nuclear arms and a nuclear war should be avoided, according to a joint statement by the five nuclear powers published by the Kremlin on Monday (January 3).

It said that the five countries – which are the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – consider it their primary responsibility to avoid war between the nuclear states and to reduce strategic risks, while aiming to work with all countries to create an atmosphere of security.

“We affirm that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought,” the English-language version of the statement read.

“As nuclear use would have far-reaching consequences, we also affirm that nuclear weapons — for as long as they continue to exist — should serve defensive purposes, deter aggression, and prevent war.”

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said the joint statement could help increase mutual trust and “replace competition among major powers with coordination and cooperation,” adding that China has a “no first use” policy on nuclear weapons, state news agency Xinhua reported.

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Question related to this article:

Can we abolish all nuclear weapons?

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France also released the statement, underscoring that the five powers reiterated their determination for nuclear arms control and disarmament. They would continue bilateral and multilateral approaches to nuclear arms control, it said.

The statement from the so-called P5 group comes as bilateral relations between the United States and Moscow have fallen to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War, while relations between Washington and China are also at a low over a range of disagreements.

The Pentagon in November sharply increased its estimate of China’s projected nuclear weapons arsenal over the coming years, saying Beijing could have 700 warheads by 2027 and possibly 1,000 by 2030.

Washington has repeatedly urged China to join it and Russia in a new arms control treaty.

Geopolitical tensions between Moscow and Western countries have increased over concerns about Russia’s military buildup near neighbouring Ukraine. Moscow says it can move its army around its own territory as it deems necessary.

Last Thursday U.S. President Joe Biden told his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, that a possible move on Ukraine would draw sanctions and an increased U.S. presence in Europe.

U.S. and Russian officials will hold security talks on Jan. 10 to discuss concerns about their respective military activity and confront rising tensions over Ukraine, the two countries said.

A conference on a major nuclear treaty that was set to begin on Tuesday at the United Nations has been postponed until August due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

January 6, 2022DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, globalglobalCPNN Coordinator

Peace and Justice Organizations call for Freedom for Julian Assange

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

A petition from United National Antiwar Coalition

Imprisoned Wikileaks founder, journalist and free speech champion Julian Assange today faces life imprisonment for telling the truth about U.S. war crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan and at the U.S. torture base in Guantanamo Bay.

Assange faces charges under the 1917 U.S. Espionage Act. Prosecution under that WWI anti-democratic law placed thousands of antiwar activists in prison for exercising their free speech right to protest WWI.

Ironically, the Dec 19, 2021 New York Times front-page two-part series entitled, Hidden Pentagon Records Reveal Patterns of Failure in Deadly Airstrikes, follows in Assange’s footsteps in reporting U.S. war crimes, yet The Times staff writers remain free.

Some 100 Times reporters evaluated Pentagon confidential document obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. These included reports on 50,000 U.S. airstrikes on Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan conducted under the Obama and Trump administrations. The Times on-the-scene reporters subsequently confirmed tens of thousands of civilian casualties – collateral damage.

“The [Pentagon] documents,” according to The Times, “identify children killed or injured in 27 percent of cases; in The Times’s ground-breaking reporting it was 62 percent.”

(Article continued in the column on the right)

Question related to this article:

Julian Assange, Is he a hero for the culture of peace?

Free flow of information, How is it important for a culture of peace?

(Article continued from the column on the left)

The Times and several other major publications worldwide reprinted much of the same Pentagon material that Assange’s Wikileaks released to the world. Yet Assange faces a life in prison for publishing the truth.

The persecution of Julian Assange by the U.S. government is a threat against free speech and free press. It is also a threat to the Peace Movement and all movements for social change since without information and the ability to speak and write freely about U.S. wars and war crimes we are greatly limited, and the people of the world are kept in the dark.

Therefore, Peace and Justice organizations and activists demand:

Free Julian Assange!
No to U.S. wars!
Freedom of the press!
Free journalists!
Free speech!

Initial signers:
Organizations: United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC), United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), ANSWER coalition, Code Pink, Black Alliance for Peace, International Action Center, US Peace Council, Veterans for Peace, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), World Beyond War, Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, Popular Resistance, Alliance for Democracy, Ban Killer Drones, People’s Opposition to War, Imperialism and Racism, Free Palestine Movement, International Solidarity Movement (Northern Calif), Palestine Children’s Welfare Fund, Syria Solidarity Movement, NakbaTour, Resumen Latinoamericano, One State Assembly, Association for Investment in Popular Action, Upstate NY Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars, Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War, Sanctions kill Coalition (Editor’s note: We have added CPNN.)

SIGN HERE

January 6, 2022FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, North AmericaNorth AmericaCPNN Coordinator

English bulletin January 1, 2023

CULTURE OF PEACE IN LATIN AMERICA AND AFRICA

Looking back at 2022, one bright spot has been the continued advance of the culture of peace in Latin America and Africa.

In Latin America, this has been particularly dramatic in the case of Colombia, which is emerging from decades of civil war. Last month we featured articles from the cities of Armenia, Cúcuta and Florencia. Earlier in the year, we published articles from Cartagena, Viotá, Medellin and Tuluá, as well as numerous articles on national initiatives for the culture of peace.

In Armenia, the Observatory for the City, Peace, Coexistence and Citizen Culture has been created so that organizations, associations and foundations, public and private entities, as well as members of civil society and victims of armed conflict can contribute to the construction of the peace of the municipality. Armenia is the second city in Colombia to establish such an observatory.

In Cúcuta, during the Nights of Peace. the neighborhoods of Cúcuta and the adjacent rural area will be visited for 17 days, with different entertainments including a theatrical presentation, puppet shows, musical acts and, of course, the traditional prayer of the Novenas of Bonus. All these are framed under the message of the culture of peace and the promotion of the values of respect, forgiveness and reconciliation.

In Florencia, 45 university students, social leaders and victims of the armed conflict attended a course and received the diploma “Transitional justice: a contribution to the construction of territorial peace”. The course started last July for which ten accredited national and international organizations contributed their knowledge and experience.

Mexico, too, is heavily involved. In 2022, we published articles on the Mexican cities and states of Oaxaca, Zacatecas, Alamo and Queretero, Jalisco and Chihuahua, as well as national government initiatives for a culture of peace. Additionally, in December, we published the following:

In San Juan del Rio, various commitments have been established by Rotary International as part of the project “Building a culture of positive peace”,

In Atlixco, the First Day of Culture of Peace included a discussion with local actors “to generate a space for the exchange of knowledge, dialogue and learning for reconstruction of the social fabric and the construction of a Culture of Peace..”

In Jalisco, the “V Global Forum on the Culture of Peace” was held to analyzing the conflicts and problems that trigger violence, as well as proposing solutions to promote social reconciliation.

In Hidalgo, networks of Women Peace-Builders (MUCPAZ) were created in Apan, Tula de Allende and Pachuca, strategic municipalities for the reconstruction of the social fabric.

In Brazil, the project “Weaving Networks for a Culture of Peace and Violence Prevention” was part of the Culture of Peace Fair of Juiz de Fora, dedicated to the establishment of an effective network for preventing and coping with the various forms of violence in the city.

Also in Brazil, the XII Educational Guidance Forum in Brasilia addressed the theme “Educational Guidance for a Culture of Peace”, to prevent violence and for a culture of peace in the daily lives of schools.

In Honduras, the Festival of Inclusion of Cerro Juana Laínez was dedicated to strengthen the inclusion and participation of women, youth, indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, people with disabilities, the LGBTIQ+ community and Honduran citizens in the processes of social oversight and participation politics, as a contribution to the culture of peace.

As for Africa, during last year we carried articles on the culture of peace from Togo, Mali, Guinea, Gabon, Madagascar, Nigeria, South Africa, Angola, Chad, Niger and Zimbabwe.

In December alone, here are additional articles from Africa.

In Chad, the provinces of Lac and Hadjer-Lamis came together for a sports cultural festival focused on the culture of peace and living together.

In Morocco, the city of Agadir hosted the the 6th Edition of the African Forum of Territorial Managers and Training Institutes targeting Local Governments. One of the themes was “Capacity building for the promotion of the Culture of Peace and the art of negotiation.”

In Burkina Faso, it was announced that the 28th edition of the Pan-African Film and Television Festival will take place in February with the theme “African Cinemas and Culture of Peace”.

And in the Gambia, the West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP) convened a day’s ‘bantaba’ (group discussion) on youth participation in decision-making and peace-building to strengthen the capacity of peace building practitioners, governmental and non-governmental institutions, and to develop conflict prevention networks and mechanisms to promote the culture of peace.

Finally, the results of the World Cup of Football were celebrated in terms of the culture of peace in Latin America and Africa. From Argentina, Alicia Cabezudo considers that World Championship as an opportunity for education for cultures of peace. And from Africa, the embrace of footballers Achraf Hakimi of Morocco and Kylian Mbappe of France but African ancestry was celebrated as “the spirit of sport which is the culture of peace”.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

dem

Mexico: Culture of Peace Day in Atlixco for first time