Category Archives: Latin America

The Latin American front, after the assumption of Lula

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from (translation by CPNN)

In the Itamaraty Palace, headquarters of the Brazilian Foreign Ministry, the recently inaugurated president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva held meetings with leaders of 15 countries, in which Brazil reaffirmed its decision to relaunch the regional organizations of integration, analyze a change in anti-drug policies imposed by the US, and sign a pact to protect the Amazon.


Boric and Lula

The expectations of a relaunch of Latin American integration gained strength at the beginning of the year and after Lula’s inaugural speech, but for now they avoid taking into account the serious divergence on integration models that subsist within the left itself and/or progressivism. .

«Our commitment will be with Mercosur and the rest of the sovereign nations of our region. We will have an active dialogue with the United States, the European Union and China. We will make more alliances to have more strength from now on. Brazil has to be the owner of its destiny, it has to be a sovereign country”, said the new Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, when announcing his road map for foreign policy.

The Mercosur agenda has several pending points, such as the possible entry of Bolivia, something in which Lula made a commitment with President Luis Arce in September, and the return of Venezuela to the organization. Lula will have to attempt a dialogue with the right-wing government of Uruguay, which has maintained a critical position towards the regional body, within the framework of its attempt to advance only in uncertain agreements with third countries or groups of nations, including China.

The bilateral meetings with presidents and high-ranking Latin American dignitaries, after Lula’s inauguration, were the kickoff to resume important issues for Brazil and its partners: a pact to protect the Amazon, a bi-oceanic corridor with Chile, and Brazil’s active return to the mechanisms of regional organizations that were abandoned by the Bolsonaro administration.

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(Click here for the original article in Spanish.)

Questions related to this article:
 
Latin America, has it taken the lead in the struggle for a culture of peace?

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After meeting with Lula, the new President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro wrote that the fight for the Amazon is a common project for the two Latin American leaders. “A great pact to save the Amazon jungle in favor of humanity. Towards a change in drug policy; a Brazil guarantor of peace in Colombia and the study of the electrical interconnection of the Americas with clean energy sources”.

Brazil plans to convene a summit with the 11 presidents who share the Amazon. The meeting would take place in the first half of the year in Brazil.

“We have decided to restart the link between Argentina and Brazil with all the strength that it should always have,” said Lula, who will return the visit in Buenos Aires, where concrete actions will be sought to promote bilateral and regional integration. The expectations that open up for Latin America and for the particular cases of Venezuela and Bolivia.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric remarked that “The complicity that exists between both governments and the Latin American and South American integration policy that we are going to carry out, working together, Chile and Brazil, has become clear.” Boric spoke with Lula about his interest in the bi-oceanic corridor, a route through Argentina and Paraguay that will link the ports of Brazil and Chile.

“We are going to work to strengthen the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) and Unasur, and we are going to risk it so that integration is not only based on declarations,” he added.

Lula reported that with Bolivian President Luis Arce he discussed collaboration on social policies, energy and the supply of fertilizers. Arce stressed the importance of deepening the work agenda on border issues, gas, electricity, urea, investment and trade between the two countries.

The president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, the only Central American president to attend Lula’s inauguration, affirmed that at the next meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac), on January 24, she will establish with Lula, through a agreement, the different ways in which Honduras will receive support from Brazil.Lula da Silva Jorge Rodríguez

Jorge Rodríguez, president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, held a meeting with Lula on Monday. Social movements in Brazil held an event in the capital to return the Venezuelan embassy to Venezuela after three years of being closed due to the aggressive policies of the government of the outgoing Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro.

In addition to the re-entry to Mercosur, several issues remain pending on the agenda with Venezuela. The first is the normalization of diplomatic relations, which is already underway with the appointment of Manuel Vicente Vadell as ambassador to Brazil and the announcement by Foreign Minister Vieira to immediately send “a charge d’affaires to recover the buildings that we have there.” ”, and then appoint an ambassador.

(Thank you to OtherNews for calling this article to our attention.)

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Latin America

Hidalgo, Mexico: Networks of Women Peace-Builders created in Apan, Tula and Pachuca

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from News Hidalgo (translation by CPNN)

Within the framework of the Fund for the Well-being and Advancement of Women (FOBAM) of Inmujeres, this year the Hidalguense Institute for Women (IHM) carried out processes of awareness, training and strengthening of municipal and state institutional mechanisms to reduce adolescent pregnancy in 13 municipalities with medium and high adolescent fertility rates and build safe and peaceful spaces in Hidalgo.


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?

Three Networks of Women Peace-Builders (MUCPAZ) were created in Apan, Tula de Allende and Pachuca, strategic municipalities for the reconstruction of the social fabric. These citizen networks are made up of women from the community or municipalities who help with government agencies in the prevention of gender violence. Their strategies include to identify risk factors, detect possible situations in a timely manner violence, promote equality between women and men, help create environments free of violence and promote a culture of peace.

The members of the MUCPAZ networks include women regardless of whether or not they have schooled and they may speak Spanish or an indigenous language; They are survivors of gender violence, they know their communities, they know what the main problems are, and they have the capacity to create alternatives, solutions, and actions to transform their realities.

Both the women members of the networks and the civil servants of the participating municipalities received training workshops on peace, gender equality and prevention of violence against women.

With the advice and technical support of the IHM, they prepared a community action plan with the components of recovery, appropriation and new ways of living together. The plan was presented to the community in a public forum.

(Click here for the original article in Spanish.)

Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Brazil: Culture of Peace Fair seeks to combat various types of violence in Juiz de Fora

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article from the Tribuna de Minas

The project “Weaving Networks for a Culture of Peace and Violence Prevention” was part of the Culture of Peace Fair, held this Monday (the 19th), in Juiz de Fora in front of the Cine-Theatro Central.  The objective of the event is to show the project’s contributions to the establishment of an effective network for preventing and coping with the various forms of violence in the city.


The event is organized by the Intersectoral Nucleus for the Prevention of Violence and the Promotion of Peace (Photo: Divulgação)

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Questions for this article:

Can festivals help create peace at the community level?

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The event is organized by the Intersectoral Nucleus for the Prevention of Violence and the Promotion of Peace, implemented through municipal decree 15.034, of February 18 of this year.  Institutions and professionals that make up the nucleus presented the actions that they have developed.

For the professor of Psychology and coordinator of Culture of Peace, Cacilda Andrade de Sá, this was an opportunity to address a sensitive issue in a more welcoming way. “We aim to bring knowledge from the university to the community in general. In today’s case, the focus was on violence prevention by knowing the types of violence and proposing actions to reduce them, bringing a culture of peace to the population of Juiz de Fora.”

The project is a partnership between the Municipality of Juiz de Fora (PJF) and the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF) and seeks to contribute to the development of the Municipal Plan for Strengthening the Prevention of “External Causes”.

(Editor’s note. “External causes” in this case refers to injuries and deaths that are not caused by cancer or other malady present in the individual concerned, but that are caused by accidents, inflicted violence, etc.)

(Click here for a Portuguese version of this article)

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

Jalisco, Mexico: V Global Forum on the Culture of Peace

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article from Estado de Jalisco (translation by CPNN)

With the purpose of analyzing the conflicts and problems that trigger violence, as well as proposing solutions to promote social reconciliation, the “V Global Forum on the Culture of Peace” was held at the facilities of the Jalisco Legislative Branch, promoted by the deputy Rocio Aguilar Tejada.

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(Click here for the Spanish original of this article)

Questions for this article:

The culture of peace at a regional level, Does it have advantages compared to a city level?

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

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The Forum highlighted the need to guarantee the participation of civil society through art, traditional games and gastronomy to promote values such as empathy, love and compassion. People were asked to join efforts to reduce the gaps of inequality and resolve through understanding the problems of the society.

For her part, legislator Aguilar Tejada, in her capacity as President of the Peace Committee, pointed out the need to create tools that consolidate respect for human rights. Finally, she said that “by 2023, forceful actions should be taken to improve security and establish a partnership between government and society.”

Among those in attendance were Iram Valdés Chávez, President of the organization “Comnapaz México”; David Hernández Pérez, representative of the Tlaquepaque city council; Dante Jaime Haro Reyes, Defender of Human Rights at the University of Guadalajara; Esperanza Loera Ochoa, Executive Secretary of the State Human Rights Commission in Jalisco and Rafael Medina Martínez, President of the Dr. Alfonso García Robles diplomatic foundation.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

Colombia: This is how the new Peace and Human Rights Observatory of Armenia will work

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION . .

An article from Cronica del Quindio (translation by CPNN)

In Armenia, Quindio, 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.

It is a program of the mayor of Armenia with 4 lines of work: the promotion of actions and culture of peace, historical memory, human rights, and conflict management. In addition to the lines mentioned, the program willl contribute to the production of knowledge, the investigation and characterization of the victims of the armed conflict in Armenia, as well as the articulation with policies at the national level for the construction of peace.

The Observatory for the City, Peace, Coexistence and Citizen Culture of Armenia began with the issuance of Decree 181 of July 12, 2022, which provides for its formation. “As of this moment, it begins to meet in order to establish the strategic lines for the research and development of peace in Armenia.

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

Questions related to this article:

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

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The objective of the Observatory for Peace and Human Rights is to strengthen research and knowledge management for the production, use and approval of official information on peace processes and citizen culture, linking the participation of related actors and sectors. in the municipality of Armenia, Quindío”, explained Andrés Ocampo, manager of peace, human rights and civic culture of Armenia.

The 18 members of the Observatory will meet in bimonthly sessions. The members include secretaries of Armenia, delegates of the municipal table of victims, delegates of the Ombudsman’s Office and the Municipal Ombudsman, representative of human rights organizations, representative of institutions of higher education, delegate of the youth table, among other actors, to determine the strategic lines of impact on issues of peace and reconciliation.

Likewise, they will provide inputs for public policies, alliances, databases and information that allow the construction of peace and the recognition of the victims of the armed conflict. In the same way, they will realize projects of the national policy Total Peace, an event to recognize peace builders and the realization of a work route created by all the members of the Peace and Human Rights Observatory of Armenia . “We plan to obtain resources to show how many victims of the armed conflict Armenia currently houses. In addition, we seek to articulate with the national government for the implementation and adoption of national policies,” said Andrés Ocampo.

He also emphasized the importance that the victims of the armed conflict, post-conflict actors and civil society know that in Armenia there is a peace observatory that is a pioneer at the national level. “We are the second city with a Peace, Coexistence and Citizen Culture Observatory in a municipal administration. We need everyone to know of the support of the mayor José Manuel Ríos Morales for this entire peace process. Victims will receive guarantees and attention from all his work team, cabinet and offices of the city.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

Colombia: Nights of Peace planned for December in the neighborhoods of Cúcuta

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION . .

An article from Caracol

Achieving peace has been for years the great dream of nations around the world, a collective utopia that includes the wisdom of the ancestors and the hope of the new generations. Winners of the Nobel Peace Prize such as the Dalai Lama, David Beasley of the World Food Program, and even the former president of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, have stated in their speeches that there are multiple paths to achieve peace: with access to food for all, with nonviolent actions that generate changes, with the disarmament of illegal groups, and a large number of etceteras that trace an imaginary path of peace and freedom.

With great or little rigor, some countries have been working on it. Some Colombian cities such as Cúcuta, historically affected by armed conflict, are undertaking strategies that benefit collectives, entrepreneurs, diverse population groups, provide individual services such as attention to the victims of the conflict. This leads to mass events such as the Nights of Peace that for the second consecutive year is planned for all the city’s neighborhoods during the month of December.

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Questions related to this article:

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

Can festivals help create peace at the community level?

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“Recognizing the historical memory of our municipality and understanding the social context in which the different communes live, we decided to continue this year with the strategy called Peaceful Nights. It consists of visiting the neighborhoods of Cúcuta and adjoining rural area for 17 days, with different entertainments including theatrical presentation, puppet shows, musical acts and, of course, the 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”, says Elisa Montoya, secretary of Post-Conflict and Culture of Peace of the Mayor’s Office of Cúcuta.

This year, the strategy began on December 1 and is already on day number 5, in which more than 1,200 people have participated, including children and adults. Juan Santos Omaña, coordinator of the initiative explains that: “So far we have visited neighborhoods that have historically had to face situations of armed conflict; We have reached places like Ciudad Rodeo, Motilones, Simón Bolívar, San Martín and Cuberos Niño, and the acceptance has been surprising. Every day there are more than 250 people who live with us the Nights of Peace”.

In the coming days, this strategy of the Municipal Mayor’s Office will reach the neighborhoods: Nuevo Horizonte, Aeropuerto, Guaimaral, El Bosque, Santa Clara, Pizarro, Manuela Beltrán, Santander, García Herreros, Prados del Este, El Llano, La Conquista and al corregimiento of Banco de Arena. Those interested in participating in this free event can learn about the daily schedule through the social networks of the Secretariat for Post-Conflict and Culture of Peace, which can be found as @secposconflictocucuta on Instagram and Facebook.

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

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

Brazil: Forum brings together advisors to discuss culture of peace in schools

. EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from Acontece no RS

The XII Educational Guidance Forum, held at the Catholic University of Brasília (UCB) was marked by a relaxed and participative and sharing of experiences. This year, the training addressed the theme “Educational Guidance for a Culture of Peace”.

The forum was also a tribute to the Educational Advisor’s Day, celebrated this Sunday (December 4). Held on Friday (December 2), the forum was attended by more than 700 public school tutors, who discussed good pedagogical practices.

“We want to strengthen the educational guidance network. Congratulations to all the mentors! The work they do to prevent violence and for a culture of peace in the daily lives of schools is valuable”, highlighted Iêdes Soares, the head of the Basic Education Articulating Management Unit of the State Department of Education (SEE),.

The XII Forum was promoted in partnership with Sebrae DF, through the Entrepreneurial Education Program. Entries for the Educator Transformer Award were also announced at the meeting, which aims to recognize transformative educational projects. Several practices shared with the teachers at the event can be entered in this competition.

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(Click here for the original article in Portuguese.)

Question related to this article:
 
What is the best way to teach peace to children?

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Valuable materials for education

The event was also marked by the launch of a magazine which enables educational advisors to share their experiences in the school context and which reflects on the constant evolution of work with students. The reports of 50 advisors from the DF public network are pubished in the issue, Educational Guidance Magazine – “Pedagogical Letters and Other Writings: Our Praxis for the Culture of Peace!”

Érika Goulart, the Educational Guidance manager of SEE, highlighted that the forum was an important moment of reunion after two years limited to online event due to covid-19. According to Érika, sharing between supervisors is fundamental for the development of public education. “We need to record what you do at school. Ideas and work need to go down in history to be shared,” she summarized.

The e-book Educational guidance in the context of the covid-19 pandemic was also launched, with reports from education professionals.

The XII Educational Guidance Forum also brought the experiences of public school students from projects proposed with the support of educational guidance.

An inspiring and provocative moment was led by the writer and poet Allan Dias Castro during the lecture with the theme “Breath”. He invited the advisors to reflect on life and took contributions that favor the development of pedagogical actions and help in this process of going through personal dissatisfaction until dreams can be achieved.

The meeting was an opportunity to reflect on how personal self-criticism can become excessive; an invitation to overcome the fears that impact on people’s lives. “The dream comes after the fear. When the fear of making a mistake is greater than the will to fulfil the dream, an opportunity is lost”, declared Allan.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Honduras: This Sunday there will be a festival that seeks to contribute to a culture of peace

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article from the Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo  (translation by CPNN)

This Sunday, December 11, at Cerro Juana Laínez, the first Inclusion Festival will take place from 9:00 in the morning to 7:00 at night. The festival is a free activity contributing to the construction of a culture of peace, which is a duty and right of all.

It will be a Sunday for family, friends and the public who will be entertained with folkloric dances, plays, forums, gastronomic walks; In addition, they may learn about the social products generated by the synergy of government institutions, academia and civil society for the construction of a democratic society.

(Click here for the Spanish original. . )

Questions for this article:

Can festivals help create peace at the community level?

The festival shows the commitment of Honduras to strengthen transparency and inclusion, with the 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 building a culture of peace, this is an initiative led by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) that reaffirms its commitment to building a more transparent and inclusive Honduras.

About UNDP

It is the lead United Nations body dedicated to ending the injustice of poverty, inequality and climate change. With an extensive network of experts and partners in 170 countries, it helps nations build integrated and lasting solutions for people and the planet.

UNDP has been present more than 45 years in Honduras, developing interventions together with partners from civil society, academia, the private sector and the State in the areas of: strengthening the rule of law; promote citizen security and violence prevention; promotion of productivity; environment and risk management.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

Colombia: In Caquetá social leaders, students and victims of the conflict graduate with a diploma course on transitional justice

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION . .

An article from Unidad para las victimas (translation by CPNN)

With 45 graduates including university students, social leaders and victims of the armed conflict, the diploma “Transitional Justice: a contribution to the construction of territorial peace” culminated in Florencia (Caquetá). The course started last July for which ten accredited national and international organizations contributed their knowledge and experience.

The diploma was constituted in a commitment to inter-institutional articulation between the System of Attention and Comprehensive Reparation for Victims (SNARIV), the Comprehensive System for Peace (SIPAZ), the Peace Office and the legal office of the University of the Amazon ( UDLA), together with the German international cooperation organization (GIZ).

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

Questions related to this article:

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

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The participants learned basic knowledge about transitional justice, with a focus on Caquetá, where, in addition to understanding the processes of care and reparation for victims, land restitution, truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition, they acquired tools in the fields of human rights and international humanitarian law,.

Valentina Almario, future lawyer and leader of women victims of abuse, highlighted the issue of the implementation of the gender approach in transitional justice contexts, as well as the territorial mechanisms for the implementation of the public policy for victims.

“To this must be added the importance of understanding the need for truth as a public good, to contribute to the construction of a culture of territorial peace in Colombia,” she said.

The student José Luis Tinoco Rivera said in this regard that he was particularly struck by the contrast made between the negotiation processes based on DDR -Demobilization, Disarmament, Reinsertion- of the last century, compared to the negotiation processes of this century, which are part of the logic of transitional justice.

The course took place over five months and 160 hours, including face-to-face classes, practical exercises, and homework.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

Nicaraguan regime sanctions audiovisual recordings`

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article by Lorena Baires in Dialogo Americas (translation by CPNN)

The National Assembly of Nicaragua has approved a list of reforms to the Creative Law of the National Cinematheque and to the Law of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts, to limit the “development, public exhibition and commercialization of cinematographic and audiovisual products, as well as the confiscation of these”. With them, lawyers and filmmakers warn, the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo will control and censor audiovisual productions in the country.

Carlos Guadamuz, defense attorney for the Costa Rica-based NGO Human Rights Collective Nicaragua Nunca Más told Dialogo, “We are concerned about all the attributions of the National Cinematheque, because it places culture and the production of audiovisual material as an initiative of the State and not as an initiative of an individual or legal entity to promote thought. It is a Law that violates the Political Constitution and places freedom of expression and thought at serious risk and vulnerability; as well as the patrimony of all the people who wish to carry out activities in the field of filming and documentation”.

As of October 13, Nicaraguan cinematography will have supervision and control with an article that establishes that “any natural or legal person, national or foreign, who intends to develop audiovisual and cinematographic activities of any kind in the national territory, must comply with the registration requirements before the National Cinematheque and have the proper authorization for the execution of such activities”. The Cinematheque may issue insurance measures to guarantee that nationals or foreigners comply with the regulations “in the making and development of cinematographic or audiovisual products,” reported the Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa.

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Click here for the Spanish original of this article.

Question related to this article:
 
Free flow of information, How is it important for a culture of peace?

Can “culture of peace” be mis-used?

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Ricardo Zambrano, Nicaraguan filmmaker, director and producer in exile, told Diálogo; “This is what is worrying because, in a context like Nicaragua’s, where it is already known that one cannot publish things against the regime because there are consequences, now there is is a law that not only prevents and prohibits the display of the works, but also their production,” “The filmmakers will not be able to make documentaries or films that criticize the regime. If any person, producer, tiktoker or youtuber tells their stories with a camera in the street in a way that the Cinematheque, considers is not contributing to the peace and well-being of Nicaragua, their production will be boycotted and the material confiscated”.

The Nunca Más Nicaragua Collective emphasizes that these reforms bind and force the development of film or audiovisual activities and the production of documentaries on Nicaraguan television channel 6; a state television station that only reproduces the signal of television channel 4, the main broadcaster of the propaganda system of the Ortega-Murillo regime.

The lawyer Guadamuz added, “We are concerned that these records are carried out before authorities where the processes or guarantees of due process are not fulfilled, and there is no possibility of filing complaints or using judicial instances to ensure compliance with the freedoms and human rights of Nicaraguans” .

Nicaraguan sociologist and documentalist Leonor Zúñiga also highlighted the regime’s strategy of using ambiguous concepts, such as “Culture of Peace”, to justify actions against the freedoms of Nicaraguans.

“This concept has already been used in other post-2018 rebellion laws, to justify the censorship of everything that represents a criticism of power, and therefore threatens ‘peace’,'” Zúñiga posted on Twitter. “With this, they not only control producers that require the support of the State. This authorization to the Cinematheque can prohibit any individual with a camera (Yes, TikToker) to produce something if it does not align with the ‘Culture of Peace.’

Independent Nicaraguan filmmakers shared a press release on social networks, where they call on audiovisual producers and creators in Latin America and the world to “reflect on the importance of defending creative freedom and acting collectively to guarantee that the rights of freedom of expression are respected.” expression and cultural creation that have cost so much to conquer in Nicaragua and Central America”.

The National Cinematheque is in charge of the ex-daughter-in-law of Ortega and Rosario Murillo, Idania Castillo, who would become the new inspector not only of audiovisual products in Nicaragua but also of those who are dedicated to this activity, warned La Prensa

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America