Category Archives: Latin America

Female victims and ex-combatants graduated as peace activists in Antioquia, Colombia

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from Infobae (translation by CPNN)

More and more women are joining peacebuilding initiatives showing that their testimonies, stories and courage are the best tools for change.

As reported by El Espectador, 91 students graduated from “Peace education activities”, a workshop coordinated by the Medellín Mayor’s Office to create spaces that promote peace building in everyday life. This workshop was made up of nine groups of less than 15 participants, including women ex-combatants of the FARC, women victims of the conflict and community leaders.


In total, 91 women participated in the workshops. Image from Facebook / UN Verification Mission in Colombia.

The participants come from ten communes in the city and were linked to this workshop through the work of government organizations such as the Agency for Reincorporation and Normalization (ARN), the Truth Commission, the Convivamos Corporation, the organization Mujeres Caminando por la Verdad, among others.

(Click here for the original article in Spanish.)

Questions related to this article:

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

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

According to information from El Espectador, the meetings were held between September and November, once a week, in groups made up of ex-combatants or women victims of the conflict, where they deepened their knowledge about the Peace Agreement, the Truth Commission , the generation of daily peace actions and the resolution of daily conflicts.

Juliana Martínez Londoño, secretary of the Women of Medellín, explained that these workshops were developed “to promote spaces that allow the construction of a culture of peace with a gender perspective. They considered the work that women have done in favor of the peace and, in that way, the women were considered as protagonists and promoters of reconciliation strategies and construction of the social fabric ”.

Teresa de Jesús Orozco, leader of the Association of Displaced Elders of Antioquia (ASOADEAN), stated that “these spaces have been very beautiful because they taught us to exchange anger for love and for understanding and we as leaders can work in many ways, until we reach our people,.”

Delegates from the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, the ARN and the United Nations Development Program were present at the graduation. In addition to the certification, the women will receive a kit including, among other things, a blog and a USB memory with the memories of the workshops.

“With this work we show that peace is an issue that is present in the daily newspaper and to the extent an education for peace is necessary, (…) these women are publicly recognized as social actors and as important voices”, the secretary Juliana Londoño told El Espectador.

Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Mexico: The Academic of Education participates in the Conference for Peace of the Maguen David Hebrew School

. EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from Anáhuac (translation by CPNN)

A workshop “Peace transcends and summons us” was held for high school students from the Maguen David Hebrew School as part of their Conference for Peace. The workshop was taught by Prof. Susana Memun Zaga, coordinator of the Area of ​​the Degree in Organizational and Educational Pedagogy of our Faculty of Education .

During the month of November, and for the seventh consecutive year, the Maguen David Hebrew School organizes the Days for Peace to honor the memory of the Prime Minister of Israel and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994, Yitzhak Rabin. The objective is to promote the concept of Peace in the young people through various speakers, including community leaders, rabbis, leaders of non-governmental organizations, universities, foundations and teachers,

(Click here for the original Spanish version).

Question for this article:

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

What is the relation between peace and education?

The young people reflected during the workshop on the natural relationship between the concept of Peace and Education, on the importance of Education for a culture of Peace and the importance of their own commitment to take actions in order to build peace.

In addition to the above, they collaborated in small groups to analyze thoughts and phrases of Martin Buber, Hanna Arendt, Paulo Freire and María Montessori, where they discussed their relationship with education from their own context as young students. Finally they presented their conclusions and interacted about their ideas and their own experiences, sharing their commitments and becaming aware of the decisions they have in their hands to build a better world.

As a Faculty of Education, it is of great importance to us to collaborate with other educational institutions in strengthening and building a culture of peace.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Costa Rica: Peace brings together parliamentarians from the world in our country

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article from Diario Extra (translation by CPNN)

Congressmen from Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Honduras and El Salvador are visiting the country to promote the value of tolerance and the culture of peace, fight against discrimination, religious sectarianism and ethnocentrism and to develop the norms of international law and human rights, to strengthen the principles of tolerance and achieve peace. The meeting of the Latin American and Caribbean Group of the International Parliament for Tolerance and Peace, takes place in our country from Wednesday the 16th to Friday the 18th,.


The representatives of the parliaments gathered in front of the National Monument, in the National Park to deliver a flower arrangement. (Photo David Barrantes).

The meeting has the participation of the president of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace, Ahmed Bin Mohmed Aljarwan (United Arab Emirates) and the president of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Duarte Pacheco (Portugal).

Also, the Argentine Walberto Allende, President of the International Parliament for Tolerance and Peace.

On the part of the Legislative Assembly of our country, the hosts are the deputies David Gourzong and Jorge Fonseca of the PLN and Rodolfo Peña of the PUSC.

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(Click here for a version in Spanish.>

Questions for this article:

How can parliamentarians promote a culture of peace?

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On Thursday morning they delivered a wreath in front of the National Monument, in the National Park to celebrate the opening ceremony of the meeting.

“We are proud to work with them on issues of peace, on issues of consensus in the world such as the health crisis, and on economic problems in the countries where we have to restore normalcy and to have access to vaccines,” said Gourzong.

This is the first official meeting of Duarte Pacheco, the new President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), who was very excited about the opportunity to build an agenda for peace and tolerance in the world.

“Costa Rica is a small country, but a good example for the world with its culture of peace and building bridges between peoples. I am sure that important agreements will emerge from here to address the global challenges we now face,” said Duarte Pacheco.

For Rodolfo Peña Flores, who is also a member of the board of the fourth Permanent Commission on United Nations Affairs of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the visit of Duarte Pacheco will serve to consolidate major international agreements to promote the comprehensive recovery of the countries.

“This will be a very important and enriching space for Costa Rica, where, through a vision of solidarity and humanity, we can strengthen and establish efficient instruments for the integral recovery of the countries. I am convinced that, through effective cooperation, we can consolidate good agreements to face global challenges and tostrengthen productive ties between different nations,” said the Christian Socialist.

“The election of Costa Rica has to do with its rich history with peace, more in the current moments that we are also living as a result of the pandemic that brought about a crisis in the governments of Latin America and in the world. That is why the decision to be here. We will leave happy and enriched with the recent history of Costa Rica for the benefit of the peace of the continent,” commented the Argentine Allende.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

San Luis Potosi, Mexico: Teachers of the Municipal Educational System Trained against Gender Violence

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from Gobierno muncipal de San Luis Potosi

– Within the framework of the Campaign for the Elimination of Violence against Women “Paint the world orange 2020”

In the framework of the Declaration of Gender Alert Against Women (DAVGM), and continuing the commitment to educate and form a vision of the world based on values ​​and principles for human rights, the Directorate of the Municipal Education Department offered training to its teaching staff for the elimination of violence against women.


Training workshops and conferences, both face-to-face and digital, were carried out for 16 consecutive days for all personnel in the educational system managed by the City Council.

(Click here for the original article in Spanish.)

Questions related to this article:

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

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

The head of Municipal Education, Azalea Martínez Navarro, explained that the commitment of the Capital Government is to articulate actions that promote healthy and peaceful coexistence, through strategies that help raise awareness and reduce violence.

“For more than 15 days, we worked to prevent and eradicate violence against women, where for the first time the entire teaching staff, as well as the directors of each educational entity, joined in raising the voice of no more violence against women and girls, working for a culture of peace, for equal conditions and for students to have hope for the future ”.

The official thanked all the educational staff for assuming this commitment, facing the challenges so that all girls and boys can live a life free of violence.

The closing event was also attended by the head of the Women’s Instance, Sofía Córdova Nava; the Executive Secretary of the Municipal System for the Comprehensive Protection of Girls, Boys and Adolescents – SIMPINNA -, Jesús Hernández Jiménez; as well as the Municipal Director of Social Prevention of Violence and Crime with Citizen Participation, Jassán Nieto Guerrero.

Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Mexico: 100 Actions for Peace; Wilfrido Lázaro

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An article from La Voz de Michoacán

The National Council of Civil Organizations for the Culture of Peace CPAZ A.C. in coordination with the International Committee of the Banner of Peace and the Center for Studies for Peace, Security and Development CECAPAZ A.C. has started a challenge across the country.


“The construction of Peace is everyone’s task, therefore, through this campaign we invite society, civil organizations, as well as anyone who wants to join, to carry out 100 actions for Peace, one every day.” expressed Wilfrido Lázaro, CPAZ National Coordinator.

(Click here for the original article in Spanish.)

Questions related to this article:

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

Wilfrido Lázaro, member of the Michoacan Council for the Construction of Peace and Reconciliation, explained that this campaign aims for individuals to promise to carry out for each of 100 days, a conscious action that promotes the construction of Peace, with your partner, your family, or in favor of your community and country.

“An action leads to a habit, a habit to a custom and a custom to a culture, and that is what we seek through these hundred actions, to generate a Culture of Peace, in favor of Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico and the world,” according to Lázaro Medina, who is also Coordinator in Michoacán of the International Committee for the Banner of Peace, chaired by the famous television actress Dr. Alicia Rodriguez.

This campaign will take place throughout the country, disseminated through the member organizations of the National Council of Civil Organizations for the Culture of Peace. They have already received a good response from civil associations in the country such as CECAPAZ AC, Mesa de Paz Jalisco, COEMPAZ AC, Youth for Peace Michoacán, Youth for Peace, Positive Peace, Kites that speak for Peace, Vallarta Azteca, Fundación en Movimiento, among others.

Finally, Wilfrido Lázaro invited citizens to spread their actions with the hashtag # 100AXPaz and through this, to motivate and invite more people to join the construction of Peace. “In this way, building Peace is very simple; it is the details with ourselves and with others that truly makes the difference.”

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

Mexico: Celebration of the IMA 5th Festival Culture of Peace

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article by Emanuel Landeros, El Sol de San Luis

The Civil Association, IMA Transformando Vidas, has announced the fifth edition of its Culture of Peace festival, in support of neighborhood youth during this season.

The president of the organization, Hugo Carballo Hernández, reported that the event will take place this Sunday [December 20] in Valle Dorado, “as it is one of the neighborhoods with a high rate of violence in the capital, where home robberies, transients and drug sales have grown. ”

The activist said that the struggle today is in the neighborhoods, “where the pandemic has left many people without jobs and without bread to put in their mouth.”

(Click here for the Spanish original. . )

Questions for this article:

Can festivals help create peace at the community level?

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

He maintained that the solution lies, as it has always been, in actions, in street work, “not in promoting theories or conspiracies; Let’s stop texting, just publish on the networks, let’s make a change in your family, on your street and neighborhood, in your actions in life”.

Likewise, he added that a Culture of Peace workshop will be held, focused on children, and that the researcher Julio Ceballos will give a self-defense workshop for women.

He invited members of other collectives and groups to join the activities of the organization he presides.

The festival will conclude, he said, with the concert of the Imperio de la Cumbia musical group, which will take place with all preventive measures in accordance with the health protocol for Covid-19.

Finally, Carballo Hernández said: “Let’s learn to be citizens in times of pandemic, let’s reflect on how we can start to change our world, and let’s remember that good actions produce good returns.”

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

Mexico: SSPC meets with 217 Networks of Women Peacebuilders

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from La Jornada (translation by CPNN)

The Secretariat for Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) held a meeting with 217 members of the Networks of Women Peace Builders (MUCPAZ), in order to inform them about the progress in the commitment acquired with the United Nations (UN), in the fight against discrimination and gender violence.


Members of the MUCPAZ Peacebuilding Women Network during a meeting in Tuxtla Gutiérrez. Photo taken from the Twitter account @nadgasman

(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?

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

The meeting was led by the head of the National Center for Crime Prevention and Citizen Participation (CNPDyPC), Luis García López Guerrero, who explained to the attendees the strategy to combat family violence and promote a culture of peace.

“The comprehensive strategy to prevent and address family and gender violence consists of five components: Networks of Peacebuilders Women (MUCPAZ Networks); sensitization; care, support and channeling; training and job placement; and improvement and appropriation of areas and / or community spaces with a gender perspective, ”the official explained.

Currently, a total of 6,510 women are members of the MUCPAZ, forming collaborative work groups with public and citizen institutions to multiply peace processes at the municipal and local level.

The representative of UN Women in Mexico, Belén Sanz Luque, who participated in this virtual meeting, also recognized the importance of the Women Peacebuilders Program.

Latin America, United Nations, WOMEN'S EQUALITY,

UABJO launches Institutional Program for the Culture of Peace in Oaxaca, Mexico

. EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from Quadratin Oaxaca (translation by CPNN)

The Benito Juárez Autonomous University of Oaxaca (UABJO) and the Honorable Congress of the State, have ratified a framework collaboration agreement to strengthen the Culture of Peace.

This document signed by Deputy Delfina Guzmán Díaz, President of the Political Coordination Board of the 64th Legislature and the Rector of the University, Eduardo Bautista Martínez, inaugurated the Institutional Program for the Culture of Peace in Oaxaca, it was reported in a statement.

In a meeting held in the rectory offices, the Deputy recognized the importance of strengthening the work with the University, as it is a plural and diverse space that trains a majority of professionals in the state and specialists who contribute to development of a better society.

(Click here for the original Spanish version).

Question for this article:

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

Where is peace education taking place?

“The program that we start today will be the way to reach all sectors, peoples and governments, to achieve the path to a culture of peace,” she said.

On his part, the Rector considered essential to add actions for the integral formation of the student community, with the support of specialists who promote the issues of equality, equity and listening.

He added that this strategy will involve the Institute of Sociological Research of the University, with the purpose of generating collective synergies, incorporating human rights defenders, related government entities and civil organizations.

“This action will also articulate with all the work that the University has carried out in matters of gender, human rights and public policies, through a methodology that generates tools for training in mediation, management and conflict resolution,” he explained.

In addition, in the medium term, it is intended to propose the creation of an observatory on conflict, development of community peace programs, congresses, seminars, training programs and the creation of a professional Masters degree in Culture of Peace

Also taking part In the meeting were the Coordinator of the program in question, Leticia Cruz López; the General Counsel, Héctor López Sánchez and the director of IISUABJO, Manuel Garza Zepeda.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Mexico: Virtual seminar on peace building in schools

. EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from Asi Sucede

In order to create a virtual space for the exchange of thought, research and successful experiences around peacebuilding, so that teachers can acquire harmonious intervention skills in the classroom and at school, the Secretary of Education, Gerardo Monroy Serrano, inaugurated the Virtual Seminar, Construction of Peace in the School Environment.


The Secretary of Education, Gerardo Monroy Serrano, supports the State Government in initiatives that promote the Culture of Coexistence and Social Peace in schools. (Photo: special).

The Secretary welcomed the participants convened by the Council for School Coexistence (Convive), to discuss topics such as Gender Equality, Human Rights, School Coexistence and Peaceful Conflict Management. He extended the greeting of Governor Alfredo Del Mazo Maza and his willingness to support initiatives that consolidate a Culture of Coexistence and Social Peace in schools from an early age and at all levels.

In this sense, he said that this year the Ministry of Education has trained teachers, students and parents in violence prevention and school mediation. In this way, knowledge was provided to eradicate discriminatory behavior and abuse in the schools and at the same time strengthen the culture of peace.

(Click here for the original Spanish version).

Question for this article:

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

Where is peace education taking place?

Likewise, he assured that the specialists will address topics with content that reinforce the activities in this health contingency, since the isolation of the school community can emotionally affect its environment. What is sought is to provide information that encourages tolerance, solidarity and respect within families and schools.

For this reason, he pointed out that continuous training on pedagogical, socio-affective, communication and culture of peace aspects is also offered to teachers, highlighting the preparation on School Mediation for the prevention and peaceful resolution of conflicts, where teachers provide students the possibility of having a third party sit down with them to discuss their problem.

The first participation in the Seminar was by María Isabel Sánchez Holguín, head of the Secretariat for Women, who gave the conference “Mechanisms for the incorporation of the gender perspective in study programs in basic education.”
She mentioned that, to generate educational programs with a gender perspective, it is necessary to respect the rights of girls, adolescents and women and to ensure public obligations for their security and full development at all educational levels.

Similarly, she expressed that for the fulfillment of the right to quality education, new attitudes and capacities are necessary on the part of all those who make decisions and are in charge of public policies, so that there is a comprehensive attention to gender issues.

For her part, Elizabeth Ozuna Rivero, General Director of Convive, pointed out that this Virtual Seminar, which will last for four days, will allow teachers to broaden their knowledge in order to bring learning that consolidates peaceful environments to their communities.

When making the inaugural statement of the seminar, Gerardo Monroy Serrano urged all participants to endorse the commitment that students should have a full, prosperous and safe life, in healthy environments, while receiving an inclusive, equitable and excellent education.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Costa Rica : An act of good sense, with global impact

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An article from El Pais-Costa Rica (translation by CPNN)

Remarks by Armando Vargas Araya, Ambassador of Costa Rica in Australia to a
Webinar on the occasion of the 72nd anniversary of the abolition of the army in Costa Rica. Australian National Center for Latin American Studies, Canberra, December 1, 2020.

The history of 72 years without a permanent army in Costa Rica, demonstrates in a convincing way that it is possible and positive to organize a State on the principles of mutual trust, peace and non-violence. Furthermore, it is consistent proof that the military, the spending on arms and wars of aggression are incompatible with the construction of a culture of peace. Nations can enjoy internal security and external defense guaranteed by the institutions of democracy, the rule of international law and multilateral organizations. The decision to abolish the army is an act of good sense, of civilizing exaltation and a bet on the common sense of human cooperation.

On transferring the Bella Vista barracks to the Ministry of Education for the National Museum, statesman José Figueres said on December 1, 1948: “We are supporters of the ideal of a new world in America. To that country of Washington, Lincoln, Bolívar and Martí, we want to say today: Oh, America! Other peoples offer you their greatness. Little Costa Rica wishes to offer you its love for civility and democracy.”

On that bright day, long-desired ideals came true. In 1825, four years after achieving independence from the Spanish Colonial Empire, the first Head of State Juan Mora Fernández warned, «”The public force – which in other States is an indispensable element of the Government – has sometimes been an ominous instrument of tyranny, a dark source of anarchy and disorder, or a plague that has devoured men and their property. Our State relies on the free consent of its children. Our militia is composed of honest citizens, peaceful farmers, artisans and workers honestly and constantly dedicated to their particular tasks … who have no other aspiration than to fulfill their domestic duties and defend the State when the authority calls them.” And in 1891, the leader of radical liberalism Félix Arcadio Montero proposed: «There will be no permanent army when peace reigns. To maintain order and ensure the safety and tranquility of citizens, the institution of the police is established.”

As stated by the French historian Fernand Braudel, “That rural town of 825,000 inhabitants, a true republic of coffee grown on the steep mountain ranges of the center of the country – where the frequency of obstacles forces us not to take our eyes off the road and to always keep our footing – chose the course of work and peace. The mountain is the refuge of freedoms, democracies and the ‘peasant’ republics’.”

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(Click here for the original version in Spanish.)

Question(s) related to this article:

Does Costa Rica have a culture of peace?

(Article continued from left column)

Here are five, among many, benefits from the abolition of the army.

Greater investment of economic resources in educational and social programs: 7.4% of GDP in education, 7.36% in public health, life expectancy of 80.4 years.

A civil and pacifist culture, which is transmitted to all aspects of daily life: 11.2 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants (2019), compared to 25.9 in Central America.

– World recognition as a free, democratic and peaceful nation: two external armed invasions repelled, without reestablishing the army. In the Central American security crisis of the 1980s, hegemonic pressures were resisted to restore the army.

– Institutional and political stability: since 1948 there have been 71 coups d’état in Latin America, none in Costa Rica. Eighteen consecutive presidential elections and counting.

– Attraction of foreign direct investment: US $ 2,764 billion (2018), the eighth largest recipient of FDI in Latin America.

The abolition of the army was not an isolated event but the consequence of a national trajectory. It is a dynamic process that requires adjusting to changing conditions and challenges such as rising ocean levels due to climate change, threats to public health due to viral pandemics, the exploitation of our marine wealth by foreign fleets, the indiscriminate destruction of biodiversity, terrorism and concomitant crime (attacks cybernetics), the weakening of multilateralism and new subtle forms of hegemony. Defining and updating a National Security and Defense Doctrine is a complex task as there are no examples to emulate. Demilitarization is not a bed of roses.

Costa Rica’s trajectory continues with the development of legal institutions and human rights linked to peace. In the most recent four decades, the republic made a legal commitment to the international community to comply with strict neutrality, expanded fundamental rights to include the right to peace guaranteed to each inhabitant, prohibited the manufacture and import of weapons of war, decided to educate to the new generations in a culture of peace and mutual trust, hosted the headquarters of the University for Peace. In multilateral forums, it has promoted initiatives such as the Arms Trade Treaty, the Central American Peace Plan or the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. With good reason, the candidacy presented by Scandinavian academics and parliamentarians for five consecutive years prospered, when the People of Costa Rica were awarded the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize.

There are 23 member states of the United Nations that do not have a permanent army: the Principality of Andorra, the Republic of Costa Rica, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, the Republic of Haiti, Iceland, the Republic of Kiribati, the Principality of Liechtenstein , the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Mauritius, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Principality of Monaco, the Republic of Nauru, the Republic of Palau, The Republic of Panama, the Independent State of Samoa, the Republic of San Marino, the Solomon Islands, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tuvalu, the Republic of Vanuatu and the Vatican City State. Perhaps the time has come to bring these nations together with objectives such as giving voice to positions against the arms race and war, fostering the development of a culture of peace and mutual trust, promoting academic studies and comparative research on security and defense in countries without permanent army, share their experience with other peoples who choose the same peaceful path, recognize with an annual award those who stand out in their struggles for peace and mutual understanding.

In their struggles for peace and mutual understanding. Classical Greece and the Helvetic Federation guided the course of humanity. Like them, in the future, these nations located in the Caribbean Sea, Central America, Europe, the Indian and Pacific Oceans could also do.

A Mediterranean philosopher advanced: “If humanity writes the future, not with blood, but with spirit, Costa Rica, I predict, will contribute in a valuable way to the rational and reasonable reunion of men.” Our conviction is that, in the space of ideas and the perspective of constructive initiatives, there are no large, medium or small countries: all States are equal. War and peace affect us all equally. Blessed are the peacemakers.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America