Category Archives: Latin America

Colombia: Juntos por la Paz, the youth collective that dialogues about peace in the Department of Cesar

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An article from El País Vallenat (translated by CPNN)

85 students from eight public educational institutions in La Jagua de Ibirico, Becerril and El Paso and two corregimientos, La Victoria de San Isidro and La Loma, held the 2016 closing event of the collective Juntos por La Paz, an initiative of the Prodeco Group that trains young students in peace issues in the context of the Colombia Postconflict peace process.

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The closing event of the year was held at the auditorium Centro Virtua of La Jagua de Ibirico, and was attended by young students and the presence of Amaury Padilla, director of the Development and Peace Program of Cesar, who was in charge of a workshop on care and self-care in peacebuilding.

Throughout the year, students were formed into working groups for the production of a radio program to combat disinformation about the process of Peace Talks held between the FARC-EP and the National Government and to promote values ​​for peace.

In total, 20 radio programs were produced. They were broadcast on Energy 96.7 and half of these (10) in Caracol Radio Valledupar. For this, it was necessary to consult more than 15 sources of information, including Governors, Mayors; Representatives of National and Local Government and professionals in different social areas, such as psychologists, pedagogues and teachers. In their work as program reporters, a total of 25 interviews were conducted.

The students also held two days of reading and studying the first final agreement between the National Government of Colombia and the FARC EP. This promoted responsible and informed voting on the referendum.

Thanks to their participation in the group, the young people started activities to promote healthy coexistence inside and outside their educational institution, activities that included civic marches, socialization meetings with adults and parents and play for children.

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Colombia: Creating a model of Territorial Peace in the Valle del Cauca, supported by the United Nations

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An article from the website of the Government of the Cauca Valley (translated by CPNN)

The United Nations and the Government of the Valley, have made final adjustments to what will be the territorial peace model in the Department, which is a joint commitment of the Governor, Dilian Francisca Toro and this international body.

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During a meeting between representatives of the United Nations Development Program and the work team of the Secretariat of Peace of the Valley, headed by Fabio Cardozo, defined the criteria to develop programs and actions to be implemented within the component of Territorial peace, to be executed through a $ 6 million agreement, provided by the Department and UNDP.

Irina Marún Meyer, coordinator of territorial projects of the United Nations, highlighted the institutional work that will be done in municipalities and productive projects with victims of the armed conflict. She explained that “we are going to consolidate the Municipal Peace Councils, the Municipal Councils of Transitional Justice and the bodies that must be strengthened to form the network of peacebuilding strategy at the municipal level. Also we are identifying and characterizing organizations of victims that have a potential to develop productive projects “.

On the other hand, Mauricio Cas, UNDP territorial peace adviser, emphasized the institutional commitment of the Governor, Dilian Francisca Toro, to elevate the former Ministry of Peace of the Valley to the Secretariat, within the new organic composition of the Department.

“It seems to me a very important gesture of the Governor and the Departmental Government that will allow the Department to assume the commitment of the state in the face of the problem of victims and other types of problems arising from the situation of armed conflict,” said Cas.

On this issue, Secretary of Peace Fabio Cardozo said that “this strengthens our dialogue with communities, with institutions and with mayors.”

Considering the Territorial Peace initiative, he said that “it is one of the pillars of the Development Plan and has a strategy for investment, social, cultural processes, infrastructure and work articulated with the mayors.”

The Development Plan is the mandate that the Vallecaucans gave to the Governor, Dilian Francisca Toro, where attention to the victims is a priority. ” The United Nations Development Program and works for peace in 177 countries and territories and one of them will be the Valle del Cauca.

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Antioquia, Colombia: Young people united by a Territorial Peace!

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An article from the Fundación Mi Sangre (translated by CPNN)

We welcome our new project “Young Builders of a Territorial Peace” supported by the Ford Foundation and executed by the Prodepaz Corporation, which will last for 3 years. Twenty municipalities of Antioquia will be part of this initiative which will empower young people as agents of change to actively contribute to the construction of a Territorial Peace.

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The municipalities that are part of the project are: In Zona Bosques; Cocorná, San Francisco, San Luis and Puerto Triunfo; In Zona Paramo; Sonsón, Algeria and Nariño; in Zona Porce Nus; Maceo, Caracolí, San Roque and Santo Domingo; and in the Zona Altiplano; Rionegro, La Unión, La Ceja, El Retiro, Carmen de Viboral, El Peñol, Concepción and San Vicente.

The purpose is to train 848 young people, 90 significant adults and 240 boys and girls. Participants will strengthen their leadership skills, through our PAZalobien Change Leadership methodology, and likewise receive knowledge for working in organizations. Young people will not only be trained to be leaders, but also trainers, since the idea is for them to replicate what they have learned in the methodology with the children of their municipalities. They will also learn about issues of digital communication and citizen journalism that will allow them to recognize problems in their territories and influence through alternative communication tools and the Network of Young Peace Builders.

At present, there have been closer ties with social organizations, youth secretaries, educational institutions, and public and private entities. 15 youth groups are already working on the methodology and are carrying out diagnoses of their territories.

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Mexico: Sixteenth National Congress of Mediation inaugurated in Tlalnepantla

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from Cadena Política (translated by CPNN)

Tlalnepantla, Mexico.- At the inauguration of the XVI National Congress of Mediation, Mayor Denisse Ugalde Alegría reiterated the commitment that her 2016-2018 administration has to consolidate Tlalnepantla as a municipality with a culture of peace and in this way prevent violence and crime .

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Addressing the national and international speakers who gathered at the Centennial Theater, the mayor affirmed that it is essential that local governments make mediation and conciliation a public policy in order to confront the speeches of hatred, conflict, intolerance and aggressiveness that day by day gain ground on a global level.

“It is in the municipalities where the real transformations that the country requires are achieved, which is why from the beginning of this administration we have worked to promote mediation as an alternative way of solving conflicts, aiming at achieving our objective,” she said. She thanked Jorge Pesqueira Leal, president of the Institute of Mediation of Mexico, for allowing Tlalnepantla to host this congress in which for four days specialists in the subject exchange experiences that contribute to a culture of peace.

Denisse Ugalde recalled that this municipality arose originally from the conciliation of two cultures, and that continue to work daily work on this matter. Proof of this is that so far this year more than 1,300 people have been trained in courses to have the basic tools to be conciliators and to resolve conflicts peacefully in their communities.

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Mediation as a tool for nonviolence and culture of peace

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For his part, Jorge Pesqueira acknowledged the efforts that the local government has made to establish the Municipal Public Mediation and Conciliation Center and thus to promote restorative justice among citizens.

He pointed out that this congress will be a space for the transmission of knowledge, reflection and, mainly, generation of ideas, which will contribute to boost the work that the municipal government carries out in this matter.

Carlos Preza Millán, State Undersecretary of Government, said that for the State of Mexico it is an honor that Tlalnepantla is the seat of this XVI National Congress, since this locality was a pioneer in creating the Municipal Mediation Center, in which alternative dispute resolution methods are applied. He stressed that Governor Eruviel Avila Villegas has a great interest in this matter, always thinking about the welfare of Mexicans and strengthening the rule of law.

Partipants in the inauguration included Sergio Javier Medina Peñaloza, president of the Judicial Power of the State of Mexico; Jorge Alberto Zorrilla, head of the Federal Board of Conciliation and Arbitration; as well as Jorge Armando Chávez Enríquez, head of Municipal Justice and executive coordinator of the Congress. The authorities awarded the Medal of Peace and Concord to Martha Camargo, a judge of the Judiciary.

During the first day of work, Mayor Denisse Ugalde, Jorge Pesqueira and Lina Paola Rondón, adviser to the Presidential Adviser for Human Rights of Colombia, participated as speakers at the conference “Community mediation: Citizen Empowerment in Social Pacification and Prevention”.

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Congress of Colombia to discuss new peace pact

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An article from El Tiempo (translated by CPNN)

[November 20]:The Colombian Congress will discuss the new peace agreement reached between the government and the FARC guerrillas on Wednesday, President Juan Manuel Santos said on Wednesday, but he said it was not yet clear whether it would be up to Parliament to endorse that pact. “Former President Álvaro Uribe said last Thursday that discussion towards an agreement should take place in the Congress of the Republic, I agree,” said the Head of State.

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Supporters of a new peace agreement in Colombia demonstrate on the streets of Bogota. EFE

“We are going to take up the issue next week, on Wednesday … after discussion with the FARC because that is part of the agreement on how they will endorse,” said the President in a statement at the Casa de Nariño before departing to Lima, where he will participate at the XXIV Summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum.

The government of Santos and the FARC renegotiated a week ago in Cuba, where they meet for four years, the peace pact that incorporated points proposed by the opposition after the original was rejected in a plebiscite last October 2 .

The Government has not defined the mechanism to endorse the new peace agreement but it is considering three possibilities: to call a new plebiscite, to have it adopted by the Congress of the Republic, or to be adopted through open municipal councils with direct participation of citizens.

Nobel Peace Laureate, Santos said this week that he is “determined to maintain this peace and bring this agreement through Congress” so that it can be implemented quickly.

Also Santos highlighted the participation and contributions of all sectors to achieve the new agreement he said, including the “international support” from the United States through Secretary of State John Kerry, from the OAS and from the European Union.

“We have seen in different areas of the country that illegal armed groups are wanting to fill the spaces that the FARC have been leaving.” Therefore, he also insisted on the “urgency to move forward quickly” in the peace accords.

He reiterated that “the cease-fire is fragile” and recalled the incident in which two FARC guerrillas died in the north of the country and is being investigated by the Tripartite Monitoring and Verification Mechanism, made up of members of the UN, Government of Colombia and the FARC.

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40,000 Create Human Chains to Protest Violence in Honduras

. HUMAN RIGHTS .

An article from Telesur TV

Over 40,000 people participated Sunday [October 23] in human chains throughout Honduras, including in the capital, Tegucigalpa and about 300 other cities, protesting against violence and homicide rates. The event was meant to “raise awareness against violence, in favor of a culture of peace and healthy cohabitation,” said one of the participants.

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Video: Human Chain to Protest Violence in Honduras

The human chains were organized by 30 human rights groups, including the Honduras Towns Association and the “Say Yes to Life” movement.

“The human chain is a peaceful demonstration, focused on citizenship, on all the Hondurans who have experienced the pain of violence in various ways,” said Nery Cerrato, head of Amhon, to EFE. ”Honduran society does not deserve to be stigmatized as the most violent country in the world,” she added.

The event was meant to “raise awareness of the population against violence, in favor of a culture of peace and healthy cohabitation,” said one of the participants Nicolle Betancourt.

According to the protestors, there are 14 homicides per day in the country, while the U.N. Refugee Agency reported 200,000 people forcefully displaced. In 2015, over 16,000 Hondurans requested asylum in other countries like the United States and Costa Rica.

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Mexico: Peace banners in the schools of Cobaem

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An article from IMARX

Responding to the challenge by Governor Silvano Aureoles Conejo to inculcate a culture of peace, the College of Bachelors of the State of Michoacán (Cobaem) is distributing buttons to young people who have committed to become conflict mediators and peace promoters.

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This was launched in the context of the conference “Together We Build Peace”, featuring Claudia Torres Orihuela Bricia, national youth coordinator of the International Committee of the Banner of Peace which begins the “peace banners” initiative for 125 schools of Cobaem to take place in November.

She explained that next month the 50 thousand students will be pioneers in the “Together We Build Peace”, a project of the International Committee of the Banner of Peace.

In his speech, the director general of Cobaem, Alejandro Bustos Aguilar, said t students, parents, teachers, managers and administrative staff of the subsystem should advance towards recognition of diversity on a daily basis.

“In Cobaem we seek to build a way in which humans can live without violence, and I am sure that soon we will have to have a culture of peace, which will institutionalize and give another dimension to the educational system,” said Bustos Aguilar .

Finally, he announced that on 10 and 11 November there will be a “Youth Meeting for Peace” in Morelia to be attended by thousand students who will participate in conferences, debates and essay and story contests.

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Brazil: Restorative justice to be expanded in Rio Grande do Sul

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An article by Suzy Scarton in the Jornal de Comércio (translated by CPNN)

Although innovative, the practice is simple. Restorative justice aims to deal with violations by put ting the victim and aggressor face to face, so that the latter can reflect on the damage caused to the first. The initiative, already deployed in the capital and in some cities, such as Caxias do Sul and Santa Maria, became statewide on the afternoon of Thursday [October 13]. At the Piratini Palace, the heads of the Executive, the Judiciary, the Legislature, the Public Ministry and the State Public Defender signed a protocol that allows the Rio Grande do Sul to seek social peace by this means.

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The protocol development is an initiative of the State Court
JONATHAN HECKLER / JC

The protocol sets out four lines of action: promoting actions of social mobilization and dissemination of culture, promoting the restorative approach and the culture of peace, training human resources to apply the concepts of restorative mode, as well as the implementation of programs related to it. The first task of the Executive Committee responsible for the implementation of the methodology will relate to activities that are already being developed.

Precursor of this method in the state, the judge Leoberto Brancher, of the Children and Youth Regional Juvenile Court in Caxias do Sul, explains that the restoration plans to solve crimes and conflicts based on dialogue and accountability. “It places an emphasis not on the discussion of laws, but of people and relationships in order to repair the consequences of these problems,” he explains. Since the Court, the Legislative Assembly, the Ministry of Justice and the Public Defender’s Office are involved in the project, Brancher believes that all services will be united in the resolution of conflicts which would otherwise go to the judiciary.

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Restorative justice, What does it look like in practice?

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In practice, restorative justice can work with or without the involvement of the victim. “The victim has been damaged. Instead of using punishment, we propose a constructive action: the offender needs to implement a compensation plan for the damage that was caused,” says the magistrate. The victim may prefer not to participate, in which case the alternative is to involve family members and people involved in the community to which the offender belongs. “There are cases where we end up with a family strengthening circle, to strengthen ties.” The judge hearing the case can even suspend it until a compensation plan is drawn up. If it is considered adequate, the judge can decide that the compensation plan is implemented instead of the sentence.

Brancher adds, however, that the success of the method depends on the training of a facilitator, since the work must be done face to face. “The measure has preventative efficacy. We have a thousand facilitators trained in Caxias do Sul to work on prevention. Then we form a group to resolve conflict situations,” said the magistrate. In addition to avoiding conflicts, the measure also seeks to inhibit recidivism, as it aims to strengthen the adhesion of the subject to compliance with a socially acceptable conduct. “The intention is to follow offenders without their being sentenced. They are pressured to recognize its value, as people close to them are witnessing and charging them,” he explains.

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El Salvador: March rejects ongoing violence and calls for a culture of peace

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An article from La Prensa Grafica (translated by CPNN and reprinted as a non-commercial service)

Various educational institutions in the municipality of Sonsonate held a march for peace and for the rejection of violence, intended to raise awareness among people to improve the situation of social harmony. Dozens of students from the Thomas Jefferson National Institute and the Polytechnic Institute of Sonsonate gathered outside city hall, carrying banners calling for the cessation of violence. The students were accompanied by cheerleaders, who to the tune of the music offered a show to the public along the route of the peace march.

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The youth group marched down North 1st Avenue, crossed the street and then took Salarrué Morazan avenue, until they reached the December 14 column.

According to organizers, the march was organized to mark the International Day of Non-Violence.

Sonsonate was in previous years one of the 16 most violent municipalities of the department; however, they have implemented some plans that have significantly reduced the rate of violence. According to statistics from the National Civil Police (PNC), the municipality of Sonsonate ceased to occupy the first place in homicides and has dropped to fifth place, with 26 murders so far this year, compared to 35 last year.

PNC statistics situate Izalco as the more violent than the department of Sonsonate, with 114 homicides so far this year; followed by Nahuizalco, 41; San Julian, 32; Armenia, with 30, and Sonsonate, 26.

Local authorities say the reduction of violence in the departmental capital is due to a number of programs in Sonsonate made by various institutions, with the support of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The intention of those involved in these programs is to improve relationships between children and young people of school age and therefore several of its projects are focused on schools.

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UN: Ban welcomes announcement of talks between Government of Colombia and National Liberation Army

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An article from the UN News Centre

Welcoming the announcement that formal negotiations between the Government of Colombia and the National Liberation Army (ELN) will begin later this month, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today [October 12] expressed hope that the two sides will reach a sustainable peace agreement as soon as possible.

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    Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaks during the signing ceremony of the peace agreement between the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army (FARC-EP), in Cartagena. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

“The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement that the Government of Colombia and the National Liberation Army (ELN) will begin formal negotiations […], following more than two years of exploratory conversations,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said in a statement.

“This is a source of encouragement to the Colombian people and all those involved in supporting a peaceful and comprehensive end to conflict,” the statement added.

“The Secretary-General hopes the Government and the ELN will work with determination to reach a sustainable peace agreement as soon as possible,” the statement said.

The announcement of the talks to begin on 27 October, in Quito, Ecuador, comes after Colombian voters last week narrowly rejected the historic peace agreement signed by the Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP), the largest rebel group in the South American country.

Despite the outcome of the referendum, Mr. Ban has encouraged the Government and FARC-EP to stay the course for peace with a view to end Colombia’s 50-year conflict.

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