Category Archives: Latin America

Mexico: Expanding the Women’s Network against Gender Violence

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from the Heraldo de Coatzacoalcos

As part of the program “Strengthening for Security” (Fortaseg) carried out by the City Council of Coatzacoalcos and the program Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (DIF), under the direction of its Gender Unit, 25 women from the Benito Juárez Norte colony received their certificates as members of the Women’s Network against Gender Violence.

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Question related to this article:

Protecting women and girls against violence, Is progress being made?

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The Director of Gender Unit of the DIF, Liliana Alonso Martínez, stressed that more women will be added to the network. Its purpose is outreach to women who have been victims of violence so that they know where to go to request assistance, whether legal, medical or psychological.

Within the framework of this accreditation, dozens of people gathered inside Plaza Forum, to add their signatures against gender violence and in favor of a culture of peace in Coatzacoalcos.

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

Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Ecuador: Rumiñahui for a Culture of Peace

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article from the Associación de Municipalidades Ecuadorianas

“Peace is not written with letters of blood, but with intelligence and heart,” is a phrase of reflection written on one of the many posters on the stands at the first “Nonviolent Initiatives Fair” held in the city of Rumiñahui on the initiative of the municipality of the town, on October 14, 2017.

The director of Citizen Participation of the municipal government, Angela Figueroa, thanked the inhabitants and the different entities for welcoming this initiative, which was born from hard work, from the grassroots of the community, little by little a culture of non-violence for the whole canton.

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Questions for this article:

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

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The Municipal Band of Rumiñahui, the Orquesta Patrulla 12, the Los Kitus Group and other artists were among those who participated in the event, which began at 10:00 am on boulevard Santa Clara.

The campaign was joined by the football team that is vice-champion of America, Independiente del Valle, Ambassador for Peace since 2016. Managers, coaches and players will join on October 18 during the match between Independiente and Delfin, corresponding to the National Football Championship, to send a message of peace to the country from the stadium of Rumiñahui Stadium.

This program was carried out within the framework of the national campaign “October for Peace and Nonviolence”, which calls on public and private companies, local governments and NGOs to raise the awareness of the community about respect for human rights.

The Municipality held the event for the second consecutive year with the promotion of activities including a cinema forum, assemblies, conversations and cultural caravans with themes of peace.

(Click here for the Spanish original of this article)

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

How Rwanda’s Amahoro Tours has established itself as a leader in eco and community-based tourism

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article from eTurbo News

“Amahoro” is Kinyarwanda for “peace.” Literally translated, Amahoro Tours would translate to “Peace Tours.” The word is also used as a form of greeting – to mean “hello.”

At Amahoro Tours, “Amahoro” denotes not just the company’s name, but its motto as well. The company strives at nurturing interaction between members of local communities and visitors with a view to promote sustainable development locally.


Greg Bakunzi at the Kwita Izina 2017 ceremony

Of primary focus to the company is local tour itineraries. “We do it with a view to not only contribute to the economic development of the region and the prosperity of all those involved, but also to raise awareness and help visitors understand better the Rwandan way of life,” explains Greg Bakunzi, the founder and CEO of Amahoro Tours.

This fidelity to the local community out of which it operates has not gone unnoticed.

On September 1, 2017, on the occasion of the 13th baby gorilla naming ceremony (Kwita Izina) in Rwanda, Amahoro Tours and sister company, Red Rocks Rwanda, received a special and rare joint pat on the back. The pat came in the form of the privilege and honor by the founder Greg Bakunzi to be among the 19 distinguished individuals that bestowed names upon the newly-born members of the gorilla family.

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Question related to this article:

How can tourism promote a culture of peace?

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This was basically in honor of Amahoro Tours and Red Rock’s firm commitment to a community-based tourism business model that seeks to position the local communities meaningfully at the heart of the tourism food chain.

The inspiration for setting up a tour operation had struck Bakunzi way back in 1997, following his first trip to see gorillas in the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Southwestern Uganda.

Spotting an opportunity, he started working as a freelance local guide the following year, taking tourists to see the mountain gorillas. This went on until 2001, when he created Amahoro Tours.

It is with the creation of Amahoro Tours that Bakunzi attained the clarity of vision that has since helped cement the company’s hard-earned credentials as a community-focused tourism business.

“When I started my own tour company, it was not only for the purpose of gorilla trekking, but a combination of community, tourism, and conservation around the Volcanoes National Park,” Bakunzi said.

Over the years, Amahoro Tours has established itself as a market leader in eco and community-based tourism in Rwanda. The company’s dynamic and tailor-made tour packages have been designed to offer tourists as much interaction with the locals and likeminded visitors as possible, while at the same time enabling guests to enjoy the trappings of nature.

Since then, Amahoro Tours birthed a sister tourism entity, Red Rocks Rwanda, a backpackers’ campsite and hostel located some seven kilometers outside Musanze town, where Amahoro Tours is based.

The introduction of Red Rocks was a well-orchestrated strategy to incorporate the local communities around Volcanoes National Park into the tourism value chain and, as Bakunzi notes, “we are proud that our dreams are coming true.”.

To achieve this, Amahoro Tours works in partnership with an extensive network of likeminded community-based organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations, and volunteers from all the far corners of the world.

The company tasks itself with turning a traveler’s sojourn, however brief, into a splendid journey of exploration, “through prompt, efficient, engaging, and safe service,” Bakunzi guarantees.

He concluded: “Amahoro Tours would like to call upon all well-wishers to join hands in order to bring community, conservation, and tourism together for future sustainability. Without the involvement of the local community, our tourism sector won’t move forward, and conservation might soon be history. We invite other conservationists, universities, and institutions, to join us as we move to address conservation issues through tourism initiatives.”

Latin America, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Costa Rica A Role Model for Sustainable Tourism to the World

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article from The Costa Rica News

On October 9 to 11, the Sixth International Conference: Planet, People, Peace (P3), the most important international venue on sustainable tourism, will be hosted by Costa Rica. This conference is organized by the Costa Rican Chamber of Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism (CANAECO) together with the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT).


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P3 International Conference will mark the high point to celebrate in this country the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, so declared by the United Nations General Assembly. 25 keynote speakers –from Costa Rica and other 15 countries such as Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Germany, Island, Jordan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, South Africa and the United States, will participate in this conference.

“P3 contributes to positioning Costa Rica as a leading destination for sustainable tourism, ensuring the wellbeing of communities while being the driving force of the social and economic development in the country. In this way, our commitment transcends words, and by hosting this event, the eyes of the world will be in Costa Rica, as it will be developing a high-profile activity attended by world leaders, renowned lecturers, and the world’s highest authority on tourism, the Secretary-General of the UNWTO,” stated Mauricio Ventura, Minister of Tourism.

“P3 strengthens the position of Costa Rica as a responsible destination, highlighting the efforts, best practices and innovative initiatives of the public and private sector in the country, while being the most important venue in the region to discuss what is happening in other parts of the world,” explained Jackeline López, President of CANAECO.

At the invitation of the Costa Rican Tourism Board, Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), will attend the conference to talk about the sustainable tourism as a driver for development.

Costa Rica has been more involved and active in the World Tourism Organization. The country has a seat at the UNWTO Executive Council representing countries in the American continent and The UNWTO also recognized Costa Rica, of 55 countries and 139 nominees, with an award for Tourism Innovation and Excellence, where it took second place in the Public Policies and Governance category, becoming the first country to measure the Social Progress Index in Tourism Destinations.

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Question related to this article:

How can tourism promote a culture of peace?

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In addition, the United Nations General Assembly appointed Luis Guillermo Solís, President of Costa Rica, as Special Ambassador of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, and for the first time ever, the ICT partnered with UNWTO and CNN International to build a new tourism identity: “Costa Rica. My Choice, Naturally.”

Mr. Rifai has been Secretary-General of the UNWTO since 2010. Earlier, from February 2006 to February 2009, he was Deputy Secretary-General.

Cooperation on sustainable tourism and climate change

In its five years of existence, this conference has become one of the largest and most prominent events on sustainable tourism in the region. A triangular cooperation project among Uruguay, Costa Rica and Spain has been one of the outcomes, starting learning exchange on climate change and sustainable tourism.

This contact resulted in an exchange that allowed the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) and key stakeholders to share the Sustainable Tourism Certificate with the Ministry of Tourism in Uruguay (MINTUR), the Ministry of Housing, Land Planning and Environment in Uruguay (MVOTMA), the National Climate Change Response System (SNRCC) and Uruguayan stakeholders in tourism, who are working on a sustainable tourism certification for Uruguay –Green Tourism Certificate (SVT).

Under this project, Uruguay has shared experiences on a recovery of beaches through ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) techniques, implementing train-the-trainers activities with experts from the ICT and representatives from local committees of the Programa Bandera Azul Ecológica de Playas (Ecological Blue Flag Programme for Beaches), running this institute.

About the conference

The conference will be structured around four themes. The Earth theme will analyze how tourism –one of the largest and most dynamic economic sectors– can contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), pervading local communities and destinations.

The Water theme will focus attention on new market trends and how the tourism industry evolves. The Air theme will address climate change and how it affects tourism. Experts will share precautionary and mitigation measures through best practices and new technologies.

Finally, the Fire theme will explore the main challenges in the sector, such as sharing economy and the carrying capacity of destinations against the decision whether to bet on quantity or quality of tourists.

For the second consecutive year, P3 International Conference has been declared an event of cultural interest by the Ministry of Culture in Costa Rica and for the third time, awarded the declaration of tourist interest. Registrations are open.

Latin America, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Brazil: Senac promotes debate on culture of peace in the educational system

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from ABCdoABC (translated by CPNN)

On October 21, Saturday, Senac São Bernardo do Campo will hold a conference on the Culture of Peace – sharing practices and integrating knowledge, as part of the program of the Education Expo. This action by Senac of São Paulo seeks to foster reflection on issues in the area of ​​education, with the aim of contributing to the process of teacher training and encouraging them in their mission as generators of knowledge and social development.


The debate will be mediated by Andrea dos Santos Pereira Nunes, a graduate in social communication, postgraduate in project management and coordinator of the Senac Culture of Peace Program. The theme is how to put into practice in the educational environment values ​​and attitudes based on respect life and practice of non-violence, through a participatory process for the promotion of dialogue, resolving conflicts at the root of their causes, in a spirit of understanding and cooperation.

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(Click here for the article in Portuguese)

Questions for this article:

What is the relation between peace and education?

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In 2017, the central theme of the Education Expo, which takes place at different stages throughout the network of Senac São Paulo, is “Innovation in education: what transformations do we need to make?” The general programming highlights a series of discussions and lectures on the importance of investing in innovative methods in the education process, as well as discussing the challenges for promoting learning that takes into account the capacities of the students and that harnesses the resources offered by the new technologies.

The activities of the Education Expo are all free and open to the general public, and especially suited to educational professionals. To know more about the event or about the courses offered in the unit, please access the Senac Portal: www.sp.senac.br/sbcampo.

Expertise in education

The Senac São Bernardo do Campo also offers courses for educators to develop and improve their professional practice. In the portfolio, there are several courses that help teachers bring important concepts such as inclusion, active methodologies, structuring of learning, etc. into their practice in the classroom.

More information about courses and registrations are available at the Portal Senac, www.sp.senac.br/sbcampo.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Brazil: Government of Espirito Santo launches movement to stop violence against women

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from Aqui Noticias (translated by CPNN)

The Government of the State, through the Secretaries of State of Public Security and Social Defense (Sesp) and Human Rights (Sedh), launched, on Tuesday morning, October 10, a movement to raise awareness of violence against woman. The action is intended to promote, together with the society of the state of Espírito Santo, a culture of peace and confrontation of violence.


Photo: Leonardo Duarte / Secom

An advertising campaign will be launched in the media to promote reflection, debate and the protection of women, with the objective of reducing the high levels of violence in the state of Espírito Santo. In addition to this initiative, educational videos on social networks will also be released in the coming months, inviting the most diverse sectors of society to discuss the theme.

In a speech, Governor Paulo Hartung asked that the Movement to Combat Violence against Women be joined by everyone in the society. “The problem is a challenge to the state and we invite everyone in Espírito Santo to join forces: government authorities, institutions, public sector, society and churches. Public institutions have a responsibility to make public policies and make evaluations, but the government cannot deal with a challenge like this by itself. This is not a license for omission, but it is a summons. This is the role of a leader in the face of a calamity such as the violence against women that we face in our State and in Brazil. We have the capacity to change the reality of Espírito Santo regarding these indicators that are a great embarrassment to us. Good government is one that dialogues with society and recognizes its limitations.”

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Question related to this article:

Protecting women and girls against violence, Is progress being made?

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To this end, the governor stressed that the theme should also be introduced in each family and that it is necessary to mobilize everyone in order to end the culture of machismo in Espírito Santo.

“A child who watches his father assaulting his mother learns the culture of violence. It is this behavior that we need to stop in order to strengthen the culture of peace. The challenge is to turn this action into a powerful mobilization to end machismo and change the culture of “ownership” that men have over women. If we manage to involve everyone in the society, I am sure that each one of us will deal better with his frustrations, losses and life challenges. It is necessary to change the way of thinking of some men in Espirito Santo, and ensure that women do not allow the perpetuation of violence. We have a “homework” for everyone: to remove from the scene the culture of violence and brutality and to promote a culture of peace,” concluded the governor.

According to Secretary André Garcia, the event aims to make this discussion part of the family environment, since the most diverse types of violence against women start within the home.

“It is a set of initiatives to change the current reality, which is worrying: feminicide is the final stage of domestic violence against women. The autonomy of women is repressed by violence when women are treated as objects. Since the government can not do everything, the society needs to help and reflect on how it can contribute to changing that reality,” said André Garcia.

The Secretary of State for Human Rights, Julio Pompeu, emphasizes that the moment has come to invite all the population of the state of Espírito Santo to speak up in the face of any kind of violence against women.

“As a society we can be much better than we are and for this we need to be all committed to change that situation, that we all embrace our movement and that we fight together to end violence against women,” said the Secretary of Human Rights,” Julio Pompeu.

In addition to authorities, representatives of social movements, engaged in the protection of women, were present at the event.

(Click here for the original version in Portuguese)

Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Mexico: Journalism for a Culture of Peace

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An article from NVI Noticias (translated by CPNN)

Mexico City.- The International Encounter of Journalism in the Culture of Peace has prepared a program that includes the participation of women journalists such as Zaina Erhaim of Syria, who received the Peter Mackler Award for Ethical and Courageous Journalism in 2015; Marcela Turati, Nina Lakhani, Patricia Nieto Nieto, Daniela Rea, Yanet Aguilar and Carina Pérez García.

This event will be held as part of the Zócalo International Book Fair on October 10 and 11 at the El Rule Cultural Center. It will review the role of journalism in building a culture of peace.


The journalist from Syria, Zaina Erhaim, will take part in a dialogue with Marcela Turati, moderated by Yanet Aguilar

Tools of art and culture

“Given the situation of violence and insecurity in different regions of the country, the federal government has inserted in its cultural policy the need to take advantage of the tools of art and culture to help repair the damaged social fabric, to recover public spaces abandoned in recent years, and to offer alternative cultural expressions to the society.

Writers such as Jon Lee Anderson, Alma Guillermoprieto, Cristina Pacheco and Leila Guerrero, to mention just a few examples, have been given the task of recovering different artistic and cultural manifestations of our relationship with the environment and journalism in the graphic press, where it is necessary to take into account played by the media, particularly by cultural journalists.

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(Click here for the original article in Spanish.)

Question(s) related to this article:

Journalism in Latin America: Is it turning towards a culture of peace?

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Culture of Peace

In Colombia, a program called Culture of Peace and Coexistence has been developed, based on the conviction that the expression of the Culture of Peace needs to be established in language, ideals and collective practices. The document of the program states that “Individuals, social groups and all nations recognize that the Culture of Peace is the key to transform individual and collective paradigms from the culture of violence. It must be rooted in daily life, favoring the reconstruction of the social fabric through the practice of new values, attitudes and behaviors.”

According to Jesús Alejo Santiago, the Zócalo encounter establishes working groups to foster dialogue among reporters who have experience in electronic and written media in conversation with civil society, in order to evaluate the tools and strategies they have used to spread social, artistic and cultural activities that promote a culture of peace in the various regions of the country that have experienced violence and insecurity.

Participants

This meeting opens with the dialogue between Zaina Erham and Marcela Turati, entitled “How peace can be promoted through journalism.” Next, will be the roundtable, “How to make peace visible: a task for journalism.” In the midst of accounts of conflict, violence, death and bloodshed, journalism also has the responsibility to collaborate on the road to peace and to tell the stories of people who have remained invisible, giving a human context to the facts, according to the cultural journalist.

Other participants include Patricia Nieto Nieto, Hector de Mauleón and Erik Vargas Torres. In the roundtable “Not only bad news is good news” particpants will include Carina Pérez García and Daniela Rea, with the moderator Baltazar Domínguez. Then, in the closing conference, there will be a dialogue between Alberto Salcedo Ramos and Eduardo Vazquez Martín, entitled “Culture and journalism for peace.”

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

Schools of Peace as Safe Environments: A Peace Education Project in San Vicente Del Caguán, Colombia

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An article from the Global Campaign for Peace Education

Colombian society has been immersed in more than 60 years of diverse kinds of violence, which have left deep scars in our culture, in the way we carry ourselves in everyday situations, in our interactions with one another, in how we address conflicts and how we interact with nature. This is reflected in both public and private scenarios. In parallel to these several scenarios of violence, several spaces for resistance, peacebuilding, truth, forgiveness and reconciliation have nonetheless taken hold. Led by women, men, youth, boys and girls, these spaces have strived to keep hope for peace and a collective construction of society alive, even in the context of such pain and tragedy.

Question related to this article:

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

In this turn of events, it is imperative to foster dialogue about the demands and the implications of education in regards to the historical moment of the agreements between the government and the FARC-EP; as well as inform about other remaining forms of violence in society, and thus the need to position the Education for a Culture of Peace as a central axis in the implementation of the Agreement as well as in the peacebuilding process in the country.

Within this context, the project “Schools of Peace as Safe Environments” was developed in San Vicente del Caguán, former FARC territory, as an alliance between the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace, Caqueta’s Department of Education, USAID, the International Organization for Migration and UNICEF, and it is operated by Fundación Escuelas de Paz.

The project has three main components: 1. Education – Action – Participation; 2. Resignifying of School Grounds; 3. Systematization and Sustainability. It is centered in the development of the school member’s competences to understand themselves as subjects of rights, who exercise their citizenship wisely, and who take responsibility for their own personal growth. Education in citizenship, peace, reconciliation and forgiveness are fundamental elements in the transformation of the violent practices that affect schools.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

Colombia: Festival for Peace by ex guerrilleros and community in Manizales

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An article from El Tiempo

‘Brayanman’ was the alias of David López Agudelo as a FARC guerrilla. Now that FARC has been disarmed, it is now his stage name to start his career in music as he is in the process of rejoining civilian life after half a century in war against the State.


Colombian musician César López, inventor of the ‘escopetarra’, opened the day with his instrument of peace at the Los Fundadores Theater and closed it with a concert at the University of Caldas. Photo: Jonh Jairo Bonilla

‘Brayanman’ was the alias of David López Agudelo as a FARC guerrilla. Now that FARC has been disarmed, it is now his stage name to start his career in music as he is in the process of rejoining civilian life after half a century in war against the State.
 
Last Wednesday, he sang in Manizales, far from the place of reincorporation (the green zone) in Caracolí (Chocó). With his lyrics, he criticized the media and the implementation of the peace agreement by the National Government, in particular, regarding the dismantling of paramilitarism.

He was one of the central guests of the Festival for Life and Peace organized by the Institute of Culture and Tourism (ICTM), the University of Caldas and 23 social organizations in the neighborhoods of the departmental capital. That ex-combatants like him shared their stories with the inhabitants of those sectors was part of the objective.

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

Question related to this article:

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

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“The purpose is to make visible those invisible voices, those faces of ex-guerrilla people that the country was in charge of dehumanizing; so that Manizales, that did not experience the armed conflict, can understand what is happening in the rest of the country and understand those other views, “said Andrés Felipe Marín, spokesperson for the participating NGOs.

Three buses crossed the Malhabar, El Carmen, San José and Solferino neighborhoods with photographs, documentaries and music. These included those from local artists as well as works of ex-combatants from the camps where they are being re-integrated into the civil society.

The ICTM manager, Héctor Ortiz, explained that “we work with the whole city in promoting a culture of peace”. According to him, for this, the municipal administration works in cooperation with all its institutions.

The event was also an academic showcase. The director of projection of the University of Caldas, Andrés Felipe Betancorth, affirmed that “we are collecting the experience of having worked with the green zones and providing the knowledge to the whole community”.

He emphasized that “the main gain was to establish contact with ex-combatants and the surrounding communities.” He said that it was a first approach of investigation and accompaniment to “gain confidence” and to establish the means for a longer term intervention.

“Many needs are identified in some of the areas, particularly those in Chocó and Guaviare,” said the teacher. He said that the institution is committed to address shortcomings in education and health.

‘Brayanman’ – who at the end of the day shared a stage with César López, inventor of the ‘escopetarra’- said, for example, that he would like to study music “because through singing, one can pass the message to many people.”

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

Colombia: Putumayo to host biennial meeting on education and culture of peace

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An article from OPANOTICIAS

From the 1st to the 6th of November, the second edition of the international biennial in education, culture and peace will be held, organized by the Peace Education Collective and supported by the Faculty of Education of the Surcolombian University.

The event will be held in Mocoa (Putumayo) and will include leaders or members of social and training programs, projects, experiences and initiatives related to education and culture of peace.
 
Those interested in intervening as speakers, have until September 30 to register and fill their data to the mail bienaleducapazputumayo@gmail.com; Registration will cost 10,000 Colombia dollars for undergraduate students and 50,000 for professionals.
 
The activity also has the support of the San Agustín Educational Institution of the Putumayo capital.

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

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FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America