Category Archives: Latin America

Mexico: Tlaxcala has first place in the list of Women Builders of Peace

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article by Arled Jarillo in El Sol de Tlaxcala

As of February 9, 2023, Tlaxcala occupies the first national place, out of 28 states that participate in the program Women Builders of Peace (Mucpaz), with 214 networks in the 60 municipalities, integrating 8,208 women and allies,


Photo: Courtesy – State Government

(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?

Those responsible for installing, training and monitoring all the networks that are carried out in the state are the Executive Commission of the State Public Security System, as it forms part of the “Prevention of Family and Gender Violence” project, of the National Institute of Women and the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System.

Read more: Sesnsp recognizes Tlaxcala as example of peace-building in the country.

Making women aware of their rights, promoting gender equality, detecting the main problems in each environment, proposing solutions, promoting solidarity and community work, among other actions, are the main work of these networks.

The municipalities with the most networks are: Huamantla, with 27; Tlaxcala, with 24; Ixtacuixtla, with 23; Tlaxco, with 13 and Apetatitlán, with nine. 32 municipalities have from seven to two, and 23 only one.

Other Mucpaz networks are those of policewomen, civil protection, at the National Pedagogical University of Apetatitlán, another at the Tetlatlahuca Technical High School 47, in addition to that of women with relatives with autism. All of them share the purpose of preventing family violence. and gender, through strategies focused on creating environments free of violence and promoting a culture of peace.

Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Havana Book Fair urges a culture of peace for the development of peoples

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from TV Santiago

A panel on the intellectual production of the South was held today (February 12) at the XXXI International Book Fair in Havana, Cuba. It stressed the need to build a culture of peace based on the progress of the nations of the world.

Taking place at the Nicolás Guillén Hall of the San Carlos de La Cabaña Fortress, the conversation included the interventions of Patricia Ariza Flórez, Minister of Culture, Arts and Knowledge of Colombia; Aliou Sow, Minister of Culture and Historical Heritage of Senegal, and Enrique Ubieta, director of Cuba Socialista magazine.

Ariza Flórez pointed out that there cannot be a social change without a cultural change and that the government of Gustavo Petro is in this endeavor because it pursues, in addition to improvements in people’s living conditions, the search for peace.

She commented that in the South American country the war sustained by the State and armed groups for 60 years caused a fragmentation of the social fabric of Colombia as a nation.

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

Question for this article:

Do the arts create a basis for a culture of peace?

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The actress and theater director also stressed that the construction of a culture of peace is essential to repair the damage that violence and massacres left on her land and that, for this, the knowledge of indigenous and Afro-descendant populations must be taken into account. .

“We want peace to become a way of being, staying and reacting, and in this sense the Group of 77 plus China, with Cuba at the forefront, has to work to stop regional and world conflicts such as the one between Russia and Ukraine,” she insisted.

Colombia, assured Ariza Flórez, has sufficient authority to speak of peace because it is building it.

She said that through art, which she considers an exercise in freedom and also responsibility, one can contribute to eliminating stigmas, mitigating the complex climatic situation that the planet is experiencing, and recognizing the contribution of the plurality of cultures on the continent.

Aliou Sow, the head of Senegalese Culture and Historical Heritage, explained that the arts can generate solutions to the problems of humanity, beyond serving as a way of denouncing.

She stressed that nations must get to know each other without superficialities in order to work together, honestly and freely for the sake of sustainable development.

She asserted that each culture must be considered dignified, without one prevailing over another, and all people dedicated to this sector must be involved in the fight against the problems that affect humanity. Responses and alternatives should be based on the most positive values.

The XXXI International Book Fair of Havana will take place until February 19 and, later, it will be transferred to the rest of the national territory to culminate on March 19 in Santiago de Cuba.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Mexico: Initiative for a Law on Peace in Durango

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article by Juan Cardénas in El Siglo de Durango (translation by CPNN)

In order to strengthen respect for human rights, security and justice for all the people of Durango and to ensure that no place is left for violence, the State Congress will analyze an initiative to create the State Law for the Culture of Peace, as well as the creation of two Councils on the matter.


The peace agenda is part of the issues that are being considered by local deputies for the current regular session.

“It is not enough to increase the sanctions or aggravate punishments, but we must attack the origin of the criminal acts and provide the State and society with useful tools that guide us effectively to live in peace,” said local deputy Verónica Pérez Herrera .
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(Click here for the Spanish original of this article)

Questions for this article:

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

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

(continued from left column)

Expanding the reasons for her initiative, the legislator referred to the culture of peace fostering values, attitudes and behaviors of respect, tolerance, equality, solidarity, dialogue and negotiation, strengthening harmonious coexistence and ties between individuals of the community and promoting a perspective that contributes to the construction of a just society.

“Peace not only consists in the absence of conflict but also its prevention, so it is up to all members of a society without distinction to seek and preserve respect and justice to achieve peace,” Pérez Herrera said before the meeting of the Congress.

The initiative seeks to establish a State Council that would be headed by the Secretary General of the Government and that groups together the public entities that have a direct impact on the formation of a culture of peace in society. These include the State Attorney General’s Office, the State Commission for Human Rights, the State Institute for Women, the Secretary of Public Security and the DIF System; as well as representatives of the private sector and civil society.

Also proposed is a Citizen Advisory Council for the Observance of the Culture of Peace, made up of citizens with experience in the matter, which will provide the organization with moral quality to issue opinions and recommendations regarding the actions to be carried out.

These will lead to the creation of the State Commission for the Promotion and Diffusion of the Culture of Peace, which will exercise the actions, plans, programs, projects and measures approved by the State Council and the Consultative Council, made up of representatives of both Councils.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

Celebrating Radio Day in Haiti

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION .

An article from Loop news

The Office for the Protection of Citizens (OPC) reaffirms its support for press workers on the occasion of World Radio Day, UNESCO distributes safety kits to journalists…

Monday, February 13, 2023 marked the 12th edition of World Radio Day. It is celebrated this year under the theme “Radio and Peace”. On this occasion, the Office for the protection of the Citizen takes a stand for a culture of tolerance through information.


Ceremony for handing over materials to journalists by UNESCO. Photos taken by Marc Henley Augustin

The OPC says it reaffirms its support for radio stations and journalists, pillars of democracy and a rule of law based on the universal virtues of respect for freedoms.

“Just as a program can bring peace, reconciliation, just as it can cause misunderstandings and dissension”, noted the OPC in a note which bears the signature of the Protector of the Citizen, Ms Renan Hedouville.

On this occasion, the OPC urged media workers to fully play their role in order to continue to help society preserve democratic gains in the processing of information.

(continued in right column)

(Click here for the French original of this article.)

Question(s) related to this article:

Will UNESCO once again play a role in the culture of peace?

How can peace be promoted by radio?

(continued from left column)

He took the opportunity to support Vision 2000 radio journalist Jean Thony Lorthé, kidnapped for more than two weeks. The OPC strongly condemned these practices which endanger individual freedoms, invoking article 3 of the universal declaration of human rights which stipulates that “everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of his person.

Finally, according to this independent body, independent radio as a pillar of conflict prevention and peacebuilding must be at the service of all, mainly minorities. It must play its role at all times for a culture of peace by informing the public objectively, stated Ms Renan Hédouville.

For its part, the UNESCO office in Port-au-Prince celebrated the 12th edition of World Radio Day by distributing equipment (PRESS vests, helmets and gas masks) to four associations of media and journalists: the Collective of Online Media (CMEL), the Haitian Association of Online Media (AHML), the National Network of Online Media (RENAMEL) and the Association of Haitian Journalists (AJH).

In her speech for the occasion, the head of UNESCO in Haiti, Tatiana Villegas, stated that due to the security, socio-political situation and the actions of armed gangs, “the Haitian context is currently increasingly very worrying”.

“This is why,” she stated,” we want to raise awareness among both media and social actors of the very important and indispensable role that the media (radio) could play in resolving conflicts and establishing a climate of peace. security and peace in Haiti”.

By distributing these safety kits for the benefit of journalist-reporters, UNESCO says it wants to “fight against misinformation by encouraging journalists to identify themselves very clearly in order to go to the source and bring quality information to the public. It is also a concrete way to promote the safety of journalists considering that last year 9 journalists were murdered in the exercise of their function in Haiti”.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

Lula Won’t Send Arms to Ukraine: “Brazil Is a Country of Peace”

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from Telesur English

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Monday (January 30) after meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that the South American country will not send ammunition that could be used in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Lula da Silva said through his official Twitter account, “Brazil has no interest in ceding ammunition to be used in the war between Ukraine and Russia. Brazil is a country of peace. At this moment, we have to find those who want peace, a word that until now has been used very little.” 

The President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (R), meets with the Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz (L), January 30, at the Planalto Palace, in Brasilia (Brazil) | Photo: EFE/ André Borges

(Continued in right column)

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

Can the peace movement help stop the war in the Ukraine?

(Continued from left column)

At a joint press conference following the meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, the President affirmed that Brazil is willing to contribute, together with countries such as China, India and Indonesia, to create a “club of countries that want to build peace on the planet.”

Lula da Silva recognized China’s role in the current conflict. “Our friends, the Chinese play a very important role,” said the Workers’ Party (PT) leader, adding that he wants to “discuss peace between Russia and Ukraine with President Xi Jinping,” during his visit in March.

On the issue of reaching a Russia-Ukraine consensus, Lula da Silva said it is necessary “to constitute a group with sufficient strength to be respected at a negotiating table and sit down with both (Ukrainian President Vladimir / Russian President Vladimir Putin).”

The Brazilian President referred to the role of the United Nations (UN) in the face of the conflict. Lula said the UN “no longer represents the geopolitical reality,” and added: “We want the UN Security Council to be strong, more representative and able to speak another language that the world needs.”

While calling Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine a “mistake,” the Brazilian President said that Ukraine’s possible entry into the European Union and NATO were possible reasons. 

The Presidents of Argentina and Colombia, Alberto Fernandez and Gustavo, Petro respectively, have also refused to send armaments to Ukraine, claiming that they are on the side of peace.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Latin America

Lula’s address to CELAC “Nothing should separate us, since everything brings us together”

. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An article from Peoples Dispatch (republished under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license)

The much awaited return of Brazil to the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) was celebrated during the VII Summit of the bloc on Tuesday January 24. In his opening address to the Summit, Argentine President Alberto Fernández highlighted the return of Brazil to the bloc and emphasized that “a CELAC without Brazil is a much emptier CELAC”. 


Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva addresses the VII CELAC Heads of State Summit. Photo: Ricardo Stuckert

Fernández received Lula on Monday January 23 at the Casa Rosada, the seat of the Argentine government, and the two leaders defended the resumption of diplomacy and cooperation between the two largest economies in South America.

Brazil left the CELAC during the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), a measure that Lula classified as “inexplicable”.

In his speech, the Brazilian president defended points that can collaborate towards regional integration and a “peaceful world order”, such as the potential to participate in the energy transition of Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Read the full speech of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva below:

Dear friend Alberto Fernández, President of Argentina, President pro tempore of CELAC and world football champion, who fraternally welcomes us in Buenos Aires,

Dear fellow heads of state and government of the countries that make up our region, and our friends who are present,

As fate would have it, Comrade Alberto Fernández, my first activity outside the country in this new mandate was in Argentina, and for a Summit meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean Nations.

In my first speech after the election results, I stated that Brazil was returning to the world. Nothing could be more natural than to start this path of return through CELAC.

Throughout the successive Brazilian governments since the re-democratization, we have worked hard and with a sense of mission towards regional integration and the consolidation of a peaceful region, based on relations marked by dialogue and cooperation. The unfortunate exception was the recent years when my predecessor took the inexplicable decision to withdraw Brazil from CELAC.

During my first two mandates, I was dedicated, along with so many that I see gathered here today around this table, to the task of building a Latin America based on bonds of trust.

It is with great joy and very special satisfaction that Brazil is back in the region and ready to work side by side with all of you, with a very strong sense of solidarity and proximity.

Today I renew, with emotion, the spirit that animated us in 2008, when we hosted in Costa do Sauípe, in the Brazilian state of Bahia, the first Latin American and Caribbean Summit, which three years later would evolve into the format of this Community.

That meeting had a historical meaning that is still very current. Because it was the first time that the heads of state and government of Latin America and the Caribbean came together, without any foreign tutelage, to discuss our problems and seek our own solutions to the challenges we share.

This spirit – of solidarity, dialogue, and cooperation – in a region of the size and importance of Latin America and the Caribbean could not be more current and necessary.

The world is going through a time of multiple crises: pandemics, climate change, natural disasters, geopolitical tensions, pressures on food and energy security, threats to representative democracy as a form of political and social organization. All this against an unacceptable backdrop of increasing inequality, poverty, and hunger.

I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you who have stood up for Brazil and for the Brazilian institutions over the last few days in repudiation of the anti-democratic acts that took place in Brasilia. It is important to emphasize that we are a peaceful region that repudiates extremism, terrorism, and political violence.

Most of these challenges, as we know, are global in nature, and require collective responses. We do not want to import into the region particular rivalries and problems. On the contrary, we want to be part of the solutions to the challenges that belong to all.

CELAC has advanced and collaborated in this recent period to prove the importance and the potential of this mechanism. I was very pleased to learn how much has been built during the recent presidencies of Mexico and Argentina, which coincided with one of the most difficult international periods.

(Article continued in the column on the right)

Questions related to this article:

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

Where in the world can we find good leadership today?

(Article continued from the column on the left)

CELAC acted promptly during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the constitution of a plan to strengthen the production capacities of vaccines and medicines.

CELAC did not shy away from the challenges of food security, energy security, and climate change.

I am convinced that, with a pragmatic sense and based on collaboration with specialized organizations and agencies, such as FAO, WHO, and ECLAC, among many others, we have much to contribute to each of these issues.

In the area of energy, we have very special capacities to participate, in an advantageous way, in the global energy transition. We have diversified energy matrices and potential for growth in renewable and clean energies.

In addition to this, our territories are home to some of the main biomes; we have strategic natural resources, such as critical minerals; we preserve a significant portion of the planet’s biodiversity; and we are a powerhouse in aquifer resources, key to the future of humanity.

At the COP27, in Egypt, I announced that Brazil will soon convene a Summit of Amazon Countries. The cooperation that comes from outside our region is very welcome, but it is the countries that are part of these biomes that should sovereignly lead the initiatives to take care of the Amazon. That is why it is critical that we value our Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization – ACTO.

Brazil recently presented the candidacy of Belém do Pará to host the COP-30 in 2025. The support we are receiving from the CELAC countries is indispensable for us to show the rest of the world the richness of our biodiversity, the potential for sustainable development and green economy, and, of course, the importance of preserving the environment and fighting climate change.

Ladies and gentlemen,

There is a clear contribution to be made by the region to the construction of a peaceful world order, based on dialogue, the strengthening of multilateralism and the collective construction of multipolarity.

We consider essential the development and deepening of dialogues with extra regional partners such as the European Union, China, India, ASIAN and, especially, the African Union.

My friends

The various crises we are experiencing in the world today demonstrate the value of integration. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the risks associated with our excessive dependence on key inputs for the well-being of our societies.

This does not mean that we should close ourselves off from the world. It only highlights that this integration will be on better terms if we are well integrated in our region. We must join forces for better physical and digital infrastructure, for the creation of value chains between our industries, and for more investment in research and innovation in our region.

Our development strategy must go hand in hand with the reduction of inequality in its various dimensions, with guaranteed access to fundamental rights in the fields of education, health, and work, among many others. In order to grow in a sustainable way, we cannot continue to have unacceptable poverty and hunger rates, nor can we continue to live with the inequality and gender violence that affect half of our populations. It is necessary to respect and protect our Indigenous peoples that are still threatened and neglected. It is necessary to work so that the color of our skin no longer defines the future of our young people.

Nothing should separate us, since everything brings us together. Our colonial past. The intolerable presence of slavery that marked our profoundly unequal societies. The authoritarian temptations that even today challenge our democracy.

But also the immense cultural wealth of our Indigenous peoples and the African diaspora. The diversity of races, origins, and creeds. The shared history of resistance and struggle for autonomy. All this makes us feel part of something greater and feeds our search for a common future of peace, social justice, and respect in diversity.

For this reason, I could not end without paying tribute to an extraordinary Brazilian who dedicated himself to rethinking our region when a Latin American and Caribbean community was still a mirage.

Last October, Darcy Ribeiro, a public man and one of our greatest thinkers, would have turned 100 years old. Having lived in exile in the 1960s and 1970s, he was one of the first to speak of our unity in diversity. This Patria Grande, and the particular contribution to civilization that our region has to give to the world.

Brazil is once again looking to its future with the certainty that we will be associated with our neighbors bilaterally, in Mercosur, in UNASUR and in CELAC.

To comrade Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, who takes over CELAC, I wish you all the luck in the world.

It is with this feeling of common destiny and belonging that Brazil returns to CELAC, with the feeling of finding oneself again.

Thank you very much.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

Colombia: Government plans to provide 100,000 young peace managers with economic benefits

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION . .

An article by Maria Alejandra Uribe in W Radio

In the middle of the presentation of the Youth Employability Program, President Gustavo Petro announced that the Government has been working on a project to take away from delinquents and criminal organizations the young people who work in them and who can become peace managers .


Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia. / Photo Guillermo Legaria/Getty Images

(continued on right column)

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

Questions related to this article:

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

Youth initiatives for a culture of peace, How can we ensure they get the attention and funding they deserve?

(continued from left column)

“We are preparing, with the experience we have had, a large-scale program, that is why we are talking about peace managers, we want to act with excluded youth in the areas with the highest levels of violence in Colombia such as Urabá, poor neighborhoods in Cartagena, from Montería Barranquilla, Chocó where people are hungry”, said the President.

To this the Head of State added, “we plan to achieve a program that covers 100,000 young people in those areas. It will be linked to education and based on the fact that a young person must receive an income that allows them to live with dignity, a salary that can compete with that offered by multi-crime organizations. The credit can be seen as an instrument to promote studies and work.

It is expected that the rules of the game will be established in the coming days so that this great ‘peace army’ can begin to act in the most vulnerable areas of the country and achieve total peace.

(Editor’s note: This proposal is based on a program of 10,000 peace managers that was implemented in Bogota when Petro was mayor of the city. An evaluation of that program is available in Spanish.)

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Jamaica: Partnering with youth to break cycles of violence

. TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article by Neville Charlton* from The Gleaner
 
Data shows that youth, especially males between the ages of 16 and 24, are disproportionately impacted by violent crimes, while women and girls are the main victims of sexual violence. There are a plethora of interconnected determinants of crime and violence among the youth population spanning social, economic, political, and cultural factors.


Neville Charlton 

Youth Inspiring Positive Change (YIPC) has identified that violence in Jamaican schools continues to have a significant impact on the educational performance and socio-emotional health of youth and propagates a dominant negative narrative around young people. Gang violence, political conflict, police brutality, and domestic violence in the wider society are often reproduced in the school environment.

In Jamaica, our youth are partners and protectors and need better capacities and training in order to continue acting as human rights defenders, peacebuilders, activists, and community mobilisers. Young people can contribute to the civic space in unique ways, with resilience, creativity, and determination to work for peace despite various risks and threats to their life.

With that data in mind, YIPC has grown to an army of over 1,500 young volunteers and peacebuilders islandwide who use their experience as a platform to work with various non-governmental organisations (NGO) and youth groups across Jamaica. YIPC has worked with youth over the last decade by providing leadership, peace and advocacy, training, mentorship as well as job opportunities.
`
It is important to understand the realities of our youth if we want to effectively reach them and break the cycle of violence. Our ambassadors have indicated that they are looking for a way to be employed, opportunities to network, safe spaces to meaningfully engage in development and they want to be heard and to be seen.

Life skills training for youth helps improve critical thinking, problem solving, and cooperative learning skills, along with developing respect and empathy and conflict management skills. These help young people to become responsible citizens and agents of positive change.

In Jamaica, conflict is at the centre of human life; it is inevitable and inherent in the experience of living. It is also true that each one of us has different ways of dealing with it. I have experienced this as a young peace activist in Jamaica. As agents of change, our way of dealing with conflict must always be positive. We see each problem as an opportunity to generate change.

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Question related to this article:
 
Youth initiatives for a culture of peace, How can we ensure they get the attention and funding they deserve?

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When youth receive the necessary training, support, and mentorship to become agents of change, personal growth and development follow. This has become evident through YIPC’s peace tours, training programmes and peace ambassador networks across numerous high schools such as Meadowbrook High, Clarendon College, St Hugh’s and various communities such as Tivoli Gardens, Trench Town and Arnett Gardens.

INVALUABLE EFFORTS

Recognition is an important motivating factor for youth mobilisation. Awards programmes, such as YIPC’s annual Positive Awards, recognise the invaluable efforts of members and volunteers who go above and beyond to become agents of change at the community and national level.

Partnership is critical to breaking the ongoing cycle of violence and to supporting youth NGOs in their community development efforts. The award of a grant from the UNDP Multi Country Office in Jamaica to bolster the YIPC’s peace ambassador programme is an example of partnerships that can make a difference. Furthermore, YIPC’s participation in the design of a youth-centred call to action from the UNDP Ready Set Great Youth Summit on Crime and Violence is indicative of the kind of youth inclusivity that is welcomed by young people. Two of the calls to action that are most appropriate for supporting youth contributions to national safety and security interventions are:

1. More structured and consistent support from stakeholders in government, private sector and civil society to aid youth groups and organisations with human, technical and financial resources to support community projects that address crime prevention, with emphasis on citizen security and safety, thus contributing to a more peaceful Caribbean society.

2. Expansion of youth programmes that offer real opportunities for mentoring and skill development.

Achieving peaceful, just, and inclusive societies is not rocket science. We need to ensure that young people are allowed to be young, to share their voices and opinions even when they are different. Young people should be allowed to be free to enjoy their fundamental rights. Most importantly, young people should be protected, included, and involved meaningfully to ensure that our power is transformed and used appropriately to contribute to development.

What I admire most about our generation is that we always go for more. Despite the injustices, the limitations, and the issues we face, there will always be reasons to continue fighting and working for a more peaceful, just and safe Jamaica. Because in the end, we are all part of the universe, and we see ourselves reflected in every human being who lives through an injustice. That compassion and that ability to find our common humanity is what drives us as young people to move forward, to move on even in adversity. Let’s keep getting involved and let’s keep encouraging others to generate solutions to the problems we face every day in our contexts.

* Neville Charlton is the founder of Youth Inspiring Positive Change JA Ltd. Send feedback to nevillecharlton@positiveja.org. This article is part of a series written by youth partners of UNDP’s annual Ready Set Great Youth in Development showcase. Visit www.readysetgreatja.com for more information.

Latin America, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

UN Alliance of Civilizations Application Guidelines: Young Peacebuilders in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) – 6th Edition

. TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An announcment from the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations

The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) has launched the call for applications for the 6th edition of its Young Peacebuilders programme in Latin America and the Caribbean (2023), aiming to tackle violent extremism by building inclusive societies with understanding and respect among cultural and religious communities

Are you between 18 and 25 years old? *

Are you a citizen of a LAC** country and/or do you currently live in this region?

Are you interested in taking part in an intercultural learning experience with other young people from LAC and improve your actions to promote peace?

Are you part of a youth-led organization, network or initiative?

Do you want to increase your ability to contribute to peace and social inclusion in your community, country and region?

Are you in the beginning stages of your involvement in this type of work and want to learn more?

If yes, apply now for a chance to be selected for a fully-funded participation in the 6th edition of the UNAOC Young Peacebuilders programme in the LAC region (2023).

Deadline to apply: 19 February 2023

* Be 18-25 years of age for the total duration of the project. To be considered eligible, applicants must be born on or between October 25, 1996, and October 25, 2004
** Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)

Click here to apply for the 6th edition of Young Peacebuilders in LAC

1. The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC)

UNAOC was established in 2005, as an initiative of Secretary-General Kofi Annan and co-sponsored by the Governments of Spain and Türkiye. UNAOC works towards a more socially inclusive world, by building mutual respect among peoples of different cultural and religious identities and highlighting the will of the world’s majority to reject violent extremism and embrace diversity. UNAOC project activities are fashioned around Youth, Education, Media, Migration, and Women as Peace Mediators. UNAOC recognizes the critical role that programming and policymaking in these areas can play in reducing polarization and identity-based tensions and in helping to build bridges between communities. The Alliance benefits from the political support of the Group of Friends, a community of 158 members comprising of Member States and international and regional organizations, which actively promote the Alliance’s objectives.

Learn more about UNAOC and our programming for young people here.

2. Young Peacebuilders in LAC: Programme overview and timeline

Guided by the principle that youth are key actors to achieve peace and prevent violent extremism, as stated by UN Security Council resolutions 2250, 2419, and 2535, and the United Nations Secretary General’s Plan of Action on Preventing Violent Extremism, UNAOC develops educational programming to enhance the ability of young people and their organizations to foster mutual respect, understanding and long-term positive relationships between peoples of different cultures and religions. You may find more information about UNAOC’s Young Peacebuilders initiative here.

The 6th edition of the Young Peacebuilders programme in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) 2023 is designed to strengthen the skills of young women and men from the region in tackling stereotypes, prejudice and xenophobia while providing them with access to regional and global peacebuilding networks and raising visibility of their innovative and effective peace work in the field. The long-term goal is the integration of young peacebuilders in governmental peace processes / policies.

This 6th edition will be implemented in collaboration with the United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY) and is funded by AEXCID (Agencia Extremeña de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo).

The aim is to support the growth of networks of young peacebuilders who are equipped with the tools to address stereotypes, prejudice and polarization in order to build more inclusive and peaceful societies, tackling the drivers of violent extremism.

In order to participate, applicants must commit to completing all phases of the programme, outlined below. Online involvement is part-time, while the workshop is a full-time, one-week experience.

Participation in the results-sharing symposium is also mandatory.

During the programme, 20 selected participants will:

Learn about stereotypes and how to critically analyze them to reduce their prevalence;

Understand different perspectives in identity-based conflict and gain tools to develop solutions at local, national and regional levels and transform conflicts peacefully;

Identify push and pull factors creating conditions conducive to violent extremism;

Develop competencies to use different forms of media or expressive arts as a way to create alternative narratives, reduce polarization and promote social inclusion;

Learn how to successfully design and run your project.

Programme components:

Part 1: online phase (+/- 2 months). Participants access the course through an online collaborative platform provided by UNAOC. UNAOC and other trainers facilitate the modules of the curriculum, giving an opportunity to participants to get to know each other prior to their first in-person meeting. They also start getting exposed to tools and concepts, engage in discussion and start reflecting on their peace actions. Time commitment: 4 to 5 hours per week to complete the modules (some work can be completed offline).

Part 2: face-to-face workshop (+/- 7-8 days). All participants travel to complete the training and experience how peacebuilding is successfully implemented through 1 or 2 local field visits. They also work on the development of their own action plan.

Part 3: applied learning (+/- 3 months). Implementation of a personal peace initiative: participants are guided by UNAOC’s professional trainers and stay connected with other participants while reporting on the implementation of their projects.

Part 4: results sharing symposium (2-4 days). Participants are invited to travel and participate in a symposium during which they share their experience, lessons learned, achievements and recommendations with a broader audience of practitioners, policymakers, media and the general public. They also engage with this audience on topics related to intercultural dialogue, peace and security.

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Question related to this article:
 
Youth initiatives for a culture of peace, How can we ensure they get the attention and funding they deserve?

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3. Tentative timeline and logistics

January-March 2023: call for applications

By April 2023: selected participants are notified

May-June 2023: selected participants take part in introductory online modules (part 1)

June-July 2023: participants travel to take part in the face-to-face workshop (part 2)

July-September 2023: participants commit to conduct peace activities in the three months following the workshop (part 3)
October 2023: Results-sharing symposium at a location to be determined
Language: The working language of the programme is English.

4. Costs covered by the organizers

All selected youth participants will be provided with:

Round-trip travel (international or domestic flight, economy class) to the city of the face-to-face workshop and (for those selected) to the city of the symposium;

Accommodation in the city of the face-to-face workshop and the symposium

Meals and coffee breaks during the official duration of the workshop and the symposium

Shuttles or reimbursement of transportation to/from the airport and hotel in the city of the face-to-face workshop and  in the city of the symposium.

5. Costs covered by the participants

For the workshop and symposium, youth participants will be responsible for their transportation to and from the airport in their country of residence (and embassy in case a visa is needed), as well as any personal and incidental expenses incurred outside of the official portions of the workshop, such as souvenirs, equipment, additional food, etc.

6. Selection of participants

Youth participants aged 18-25 will be selected on the basis of merit demonstrated through motivation and interest, their experience and their potential for dissemination and applications of lessons learned.

The selection committee will ensure balance in terms of age, gender, geography, and diversity of backgrounds among selected participants.

In addition, special attention will be paid to ensure participation of youth from marginalized or disadvantaged groups. The selection committee will be composed of representatives of UNAOC, youth-led structures and relevant stakeholders in the field.

Eligibility criteria (all requirements must be met in order to be considered eligible):

Age: Applicant must be 18-25 years of age for the total duration of the project. To be considered eligible, applicants must be born on or between October 25, 1996, and October 25, 2004.

Region: Applicant must be a citizen of and/or currently live in one of the following countries of Latin America and the Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela (the Bolivarian Republic of).

Organization: Applicant must be active (staff, volunteer, etc.) in a non-government and non-for-profit youth-led organization, network, initiative, or movement (led by youth for the benefit of the youth) and have the ability to consult with and reach a wider group of young people, audience or network, including at the grassroots and community level.

Commitment: Demonstrate commitment to diversity and pluralism, nonviolence, peaceful and inclusive societies. The organizations and networks represented should: Adhere to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the principles and values of the Charter of the United Nations; have internal democratic and transparent processes of leadership, decision-making, and consultation; be independent, unaffiliated with any political party.

Language: A strong command of English is necessary to take part in the online phase and in-person workshop. The applicant must understand English very well and possess intermediate to fluent levels of English, which would allow them to participate in the conversation and provide their input.

Prior experience: Applicant must never have taken part in a programme of UNAOC (Summer School, Youth Solidarity Fund, Intercultural Innovation Award, PLURAL+, PeaceApp, Youth Event at the UNAOC Global Forum, Fellowship Program, Young Peacebuilders, #YouthWagingPeace, Sport and PVE youth fora, EDIN, #DigitalGamesforPeace, Sport for One Humanity).

Passport: In order to be accepted in this programme, selected applicants must hold an international passport valid until at least April 15, 2024. Failure to provide a copy in due time will result in the cancellation of participation.

Completion and submission of requirements: The application is duly completed, submitted by the deadline, and contains all supporting documentation, requested as part of the call. Half-complete applications or applications filled in other languages than English will not be reviewed and considered.
 
Selection criteria:

Motivation and contribution to the programme:the applicant demonstrates that she/he is highly motivated to complete all portions of the programme.

Interest in themes:the applicant shows some experience in issues related to intercultural dialogue, peacebuilding and preventing violent extremism through examples of initiatives he/she is part of or is demonstrating a great interest to get involved in this set of issues.

Experience and potential: the applicant is at the beginning stages of his/her involvement or career in the field of peacebuilding and has specific goals to improve his/her skills and to make contribution to peace.

Outreach: the applicant and his/her organization have the capacity and motivation to absorb and disseminate the lessons learned back to their community, organization and to a wider network or audience.

Future impact and follow up:the applicant expressed his/her strong commitment to conduct personal peace initiatives in their community during the implementation phase and beyond

In order to be considered complete and valid, the application package must include the following and be submitted through the online application system available at apply.unaoc.org/young-peacebuilders-2023/:

An application form, completed and certified by the applicant;

A copy of the identification page of your international passport.
Word/character limit for each question in the application form needs to be respected. The application system automatically counts words and characters.

The application deadline is February 19, 2023, 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time (New York).

Latin America, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Lula: “We will rebuild relations with all the countries of the world.”

. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION .

The inauguration speech of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva reprinted by Progressive International (translation by Progressive International

My gratitude to you who faced political violence before, during, and after the electoral campaign, who occupied the social networks and took to the streets under sun and rain, even if it was only to win a single precious vote. Who had the courage to wear our shirt, and, at the same time, wave the Brazilian flag when a violent and anti-democratic minority tried to censor our colors and appropriate the green and yellow that belongs to all Brazilian people. To you, who came from all corners of this country, from near or far away, by plane, by bus, by car or in the back of a truck, by motorcycle, by bicycle, and even on foot, in a true caravan of hope for this celebration of democracy.

But I also want to address those who opted for other candidates. I will govern for 215 million Brazilians, and not only for those who voted for me. I will govern for all, looking to our bright common future and not through the rear view mirror of a past of division and intolerance. Nobody is interested in a country on a permanent war footing, or a family living in disharmony. It is time to reconnect with friends and family, bonds broken by hate speech and the dissemination of so many lies. Enough of hate, fake news, guns and bombs. Our people want peace to work, study, take care of their families, and be happy. The electoral dispute is over.

I repeat what I said in my speech after the victory on October 30th, about the need to unite the country. There are not two Brazils. We are a single country, a single people, a great nation. We are all Brazilians, and we share the same virtue. We never give up. Even if they pluck all our flowers, one by one, petal by petal, we know that it is always time to replant, and that spring will come, and spring has already arrived. Today joy takes hold of Brazil in arms with hope.

My dear friends, I recently reread the speech of my first inauguration as President in 2003, and what I read made it even more evident how far Brazil has gone backwards. On that first January 2003, here in this very place, my dear vice-president José Alencar and I made the commitment to recover the dignity and self-esteem of the Brazilian people. And we did. Of investing to improve the living conditions of those who need it most, and we did. Of caring for health and education, and we did. But the main commitment we took on in 2003 was to fight inequality and extreme poverty, and to guarantee to every person in this country the right to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner every single day, and we fulfilled this commitment, we put an end to hunger and misery, and we strongly reduced inequality.

Unfortunately, today, 20 years later, we are returning to a past that we thought was buried. Much of what we did was undone in an irresponsible and criminal way. Inequality and extreme poverty are back on the rise. Hunger is back, and not by force of fate, not by the work of nature nor by divine will, hunger. The return of hunger is a crime, the most serious of all crimes committed against the Brazilian people. Hunger is the daughter of inequality, which is the mother of the great evils that delay the development of Brazil. Inequality belittles our continental-sized country by dividing it into unrecognizable parts. On one side a small portion of the population that has everything, on the other side a multitude that lacks everything and a middle class that has been growing poorer year by year due to the injustices of the government. Together we are strong, divided we will always be the country of the future that never arrives and that lives in permanent debt with its people. If we want to build our future today, if we want to live in a fully developed country for everyone, there can be no room for so much inequality. Brazil is great, but the real greatness of a country lies in the happiness of its people, and nobody is really happy in the midst of so much inequality.

My friends, when I say govern, I mean to take care. More than governing, I will take care of this country and the Brazilian people with great affection. In the last few years Brazil has gone back to being one of the most unequal countries in the world. It has been a long time since we have seen such abandonment and discouragement in the streets. Mothers digging through the garbage in search of food for their children. Entire families sleeping outdoors, facing the cold, the rain, and the fear. Children selling candy or begging when they should be in school, living the full childhood they have a right to. Unemployed men and women workers, exhibiting at the traffic lights cardboard signs with the phrase that embarrasses us all: “Please help me”. Queues at the door of butcher shops in search of bones to alleviate hunger, and, at the same time, waiting lines to buy imported cars and private jets. Such a social abyss is an obstacle to the construction of a truly fair and democratic society and a modern and prosperous economy.

That is why I and my vice-president Geraldo Alckmin assume today, before you and all the Brazilian people, the commitment to fight day and night against all forms of inequality in our country. Inequality of income, gender and race inequality, inequality in the labor market, in political representation, in State careers, inequality in access to health, education, and other public services. Inequality between the child who goes to the best private school and the child who shines shoes in the bus station with no school and no future, between the child who is happy with the toy he just got as a present and the child who cries of hunger on Christmas night. Inequality between those who throw food away and those who only eat leftovers. It is unacceptable that the richest 5% of people in this country have the same income share as the other 95%. That six Brazilian billionaires have a wealth equivalent to the assets of the 100 million poorest people in the country. That a worker earning a minimum monthly wage takes 19 years to receive the equivalent of what a super-rich person receives in a single month. And there is no point in rolling up the windows of a luxury car to avoid seeing our brothers and sisters who are crowded under the viaducts, lacking everything. The reality is there on every corner.

My friends, it is unacceptable that we continue to live with prejudice, discrimination, and racism. We are a people of many colors and all of us must have the same rights and opportunities. No one will be a second-class citizen, no one will have more or less support from the State, no one will be obliged to face more or less obstacles just because of the color of their skin. That is why we are recreating the Ministry of Racial Equality, to bury the tragic legacy of our slaveholding past. The indigenous peoples need to have their lands demarcated and free of threats from illegal and predatory economic activities, they need to have their culture preserved, their dignity respected, and sustainability guaranteed. They are not obstacles to development. They are guardians of our rivers and forests and a fundamental part of our greatness as a nation. This is why we are creating the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples to combat 500 years of inequality. We cannot continue to live with the hateful oppression imposed on women, subjected daily to violence in the streets and inside their own homes. It is unacceptable that they continue to receive lower salaries than men, when in the exercise of the same function they need to conquer more and more space in the dissuasive instances of this country, in politics, in the economy, in all strategic areas. Women must be what they want to be, they must be where they want to be. That is why we are bringing back the Ministry of Women. It was to fight inequality and its sequels that we won the election. And this will be the great mark of our government, from this fundamental fight a transformed country will emerge, a great and prosperous country, strong and fair, a country of all by all and for all, a generous and solidary country that will leave no one behind.

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(Click here for the article in Portuguese.)

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

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My dear comrades, I reassume the commitment to take care of all Brazilians, especially those who need it most, to end hunger in this country once again, to take the poor out of the bone line and put them back in the Union’s budget. We have an immense legacy still vivid in the memory of each and every Brazilian, beneficiary or not of the public policies that made a revolution in this country. But we are not interested in living in the past. Therefore, far from any nostalgia, our legacy will always be the mirror of the future that we will build for this country. Under our governments, Brazil has reconciled record economic growth with the greatest social inclusion in history, and has become the sixth largest economy in the world, at the same time in which 36 million Brazilians have been lifted out of extreme poverty, and we have generated more than 20 million jobs with signed work cards and all rights guaranteed. We adjusted the minimum wage always above inflation. We broke records of investment in education, from kindergarten to university, to make Brazil also an exporter of intelligence and knowledge, and not only an exporter of commodities and raw materials. We more than doubled the number of students in higher education and opened the door to universities for the poor youth of this country. Young whites, blacks, and indigenous people for whom a university degree was an unattainable dream became doctors. We fought one of the great focuses of inequality, access to health, because the right to life cannot be held hostage to the amount of money one has in the bank. We created the Farmácia Popular (Popular Pharmacy), which provided medicines to those who needed them most, and more than that, which brought care to about 60 million Brazilians in the outskirts of the big cities and in the most remote parts of Brazil. We created Smiling Brazil to care for the oral health of all Brazilians. We have strengthened our Single Health System. And I want to take the opportunity to make a special thanks to the SUS professionals for the great work during the pandemic, bravely facing a virus, a lethal virus, and an irresponsible and inhumane government.

In our governments we invested in family agriculture and in small and medium farmers, responsible for 70% of the food that reaches our tables, and we did this without neglecting agribusiness, which obtained investment in record harvests year after year. We took concrete measures to combat climate change and reduced the deforestation of the Amazon by more than 80%. Brazil has consolidated itself as a world reference in the fight against inequality and hunger, and has become internationally respected for its active and haughty foreign policy. We were able to accomplish all of this while taking care of the country’s finances with total responsibility; we were never irresponsible with public money. We have made fiscal surplus every year, eliminated the foreign debt, accumulated reserves of 370 billion dollars, and reduced the foreign debt to almost half of what it was when we took office. In our governments there has never been and never will be any unnecessary spending. We have always invested and will invest again in our most precious asset, which is the Brazilian people.

Unfortunately, much of what we built in 13 years was destroyed in less than half of this time. First by the coup against President Dilma in 2016, and then by the four years of a government of national destruction whose legacy history will never forgive: 700,000 Brazilians killed by covid-19, 125 million suffering some degree of food insecurity from moderate to very severe, and 33 million going hungry. These are just a few numbers that are actually not just numbers, statistics, and indicators. They are people, men, women and children who are victims of a misgovernment that was finally defeated by the people on the historic October 30, 2022. The technical groups of the transition cabinet coordinated by my vice-president Alckmin, who for two months delved into the entrails of the previous government, have brought to light the real dimension of the tragedy.

What the Brazilian people have suffered in the last few years has been the slow and progressive construction of a true genocide. I want to quote, as an example, a small excerpt from the one hundred pages of this true chaos report produced by the transition cabinet. The report says: Brazil has broken feminicide records. Racial equality policies have suffered severe setbacks. Youth policy was dismantled and indigenous rights have never been so violated in the recent history of the country. The textbooks that will be used in the 2023 school year have not yet begun to be published. There is a shortage of medicine at the popular pharmacy, and no stock of vaccines to confront the new variants of covid-19. There is a lack of resources for the purchase of school meals. Universities run the risk of not finishing the school year. There are no resources for Civil Defense and the prevention of accidents and disasters. And who is paying the bill for this blackout is, once again, the Brazilian people.

My friends, these last few years we have lived through, without a doubt, one of the worst periods of our history, an era of shadows, uncertainties and a lot of suffering. But this nightmare came to an end through the sovereign vote in the most important election since the re-democratization of the country. An election that demonstrated the commitment of the Brazilian people to democracy and its institutions. This extraordinary victory for democracy forces us to look forward and forget our differences, which are much smaller than what unites us forever: the love for Brazil and the unshakeable faith in our people.

Now is the time to rekindle the flame of hope, solidarity, and love for our neighbor. Now is the time to take care of Brazil and the Brazilian people again, generate jobs, readjust the minimum wage above inflation, lower the price of food, create even more vacancies in universities, invest heavily in health, education, science and culture. Resume the infrastructure works of Minha Casa, Minha Vida, abandoned by the neglect of the government that is now gone. It is time to bring in investments and reindustrialize Brazil, fight climate change again and put an end once and for all to the devastation of our biomes, especially our beloved Amazon. We must break away from international isolation and resume relations with all the countries of the world. This is no time for sterile resentments. Now is the time for Brazil to look forward and smile again. Let us turn this page and write together a new and decisive chapter in our history.

Our common challenge is to create a fair, inclusive, sustainable and creative, democratic and sovereign country for all Brazilians. I have made a point of saying throughout the campaign: Brazil is resilient. And I say it again with all conviction, even in the face of the picture of destruction revealed by the transition cabinet: Brazil is resilient. It depends on us, all of us. And we will rebuild this country.

In my four years in office, we will work every day for Brazil to overcome the backwardness of more than 350 years of slavery, to recover the time and opportunities lost in these last years, to regain its prominent place in the world, and for each and every Brazilian to have the right to dream again and the opportunities to realize what they dream of. We need all together to rebuild and transform our beloved country. But we will only really rebuild and transform this country if we fight with all our strength against everything that makes it so unequal. It is urgent and necessary to form a broad front against inequality that involves society as a whole, workers, entrepreneurs, artists, intellectuals, governors, mayors, deputies, senators, unions, social movements, class associations, public servants, liberal professionals, religious leaders, ordinary citizens. After all, it is time to unite and rebuild our country. That is why I make this call to all Brazilians who want a more just, solidary, and democratic Brazil. Join us in a great collective effort against inequality. I want to end by asking each and every one of you that the joy of today be the raw material of the fight of tomorrow and of all the days to come, that the hope of today ferments the bread that is to be shared among all, and that we are always ready to react in peace and order to any attacks from extremists who want to sabotage and destroy our democracy. In the fight for the good of Brazil we will use the weapons that our adversaries fear the most, the truth that has overcome the lie, the hope that has overcome fear, and the love that has defeated hatred. Long live Brazil and long live the Brazilian people!

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Latin America