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Regional Peace Boosted by Colombia-Venezuela Relations Reset

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

A Venezuelan congressman said that the potential normalization of relations between Colombia and Venezuela would bring renewed peace to the Latin American region.

Jacobo Torres, a member of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), made these statements to Sputnik, given the victory of leftist Gustavo Petro in Colombia’s presidential elections.

“That is now going to allow the normalization of the Colombian-Venezuelan relations that have been significantly deteriorated since [Alvaro] Uribe [2002-2010] came to power, Torres said about Petro’s victory.

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Question related to this article:

Solidarity across national borders, What are some good examples?

(Continued from left column)

Peace in the region will gain fresh impetus and the popular and progressive sectors in Latin America will be strengthened, Torres added.

According to the Venezuelan deputy, the defeat of Uribism in Colombia is a gain for the world. “The exit of Uribism from the Government is already a gain for the whole world, we begin to take the first step against those who up to now for 200 years have finished with the Colombian people and the scenario in the region begins to cool down,” he said.

The government of Nicolás Maduro expressed on Monday its willingness to build a new stage of cooperation and strengthen ties with Colombia after the electoral victory of leftist Gustavo Petro in the second presidential round.

Torres said that Petro’s victory would bring an end to the acts of destabilization carried out by Venezuelan opponents operating in Colombia. They “will no longer have the protection of narco-paramilitarism in the Colombian government, and that will force them to leave for other destinations,” Torres said.

In February 2019, Venezuela severed diplomatic relations with Colombia in the face of an attempt by the opposition led by former deputy Juan Guaidó to introduce alleged humanitarian aid across the border. Caracas called it an invasion attempt.

The failed assassination against Maduro in August 2018, the attempted invasion through the entry of alleged humanitarian aid in 2019, and the entry of armed terrorist groups through the Colombian-Venezuelan border are acts of destabilization of which Venezuela accuses the government of Iván Duque.

On August 7, at the end of Iván Duque’s term, Gustavo Petro will be sworn in.

July 12, 2022Latin America, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITYLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

The World’s First Ever Practice-based PhD in Cultural Diplomacy

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Received at CPNN from Christelle Walker (WAALMPSA)

The University of Salford, School of Arts, Media, and Creative Technology in Manchester, UK, proudly announces that the first ever degree of Doctor of Philosophy, PhD by published works in the field of Cultural Diplomacy is conferred to Dr. Mosi Dorbayani, a Canadian practitioner, and a well-regarded scholar in the field.

Questions related to this article:

What is cultural diplomacy?

According to Salford’s Doctoral School, this PhD is the first ever practice-based research degree in the field of Cultural Diplomacy, which looks at the subject matter beyond typical International Relations or Political Science. It brings Cultural Diplomacy to the global communities around the world.

Prof. Dr. Alan Williams, the lead supervisor on this project adds: “what makes this work unique, is the way that it combines management and business theories with international relations and the arts. It examines arts and music, cross-cultures, cultural products, and creative industries, as well as their roles in economic developments, well-being, and social welfare. It provides new definitions, guidelines and methods in the practice of Cultural Diplomacy.”

Further on that note, the Salford Practice as Research Centre of Excellence (PaR) highlights that the topic of ‘Cultural Diplomacy: The Role of Music and Creative Industry in Establishing Dialogue and Understanding for Social Impact’, by Dr. Dorbayani, contains several real-life case studies on how Culture and Artistic Productions could / can impact societies socially and economically, and establish dialogue and understanding at local, national or even international levels. It shows in practical ways how for example song writing can address global audiences to advance a Cultural Diplomacy agenda.

Source: University of Salford – Research with Impact

July 12, 2022Europe, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATIONEuropeCPNN Coordinator

United States: Statement by the National Council Of Elders

. .DISARMAMENT & SECURITY. .

An article from The Progressive Magazine

We are veterans of a long struggle for social justice in our nation and peace in the world. We are the National Council of Elders (NCOE) and stand alongside legions of elders who work to resist oppression and build dreams of new worlds. Our commitment is to accompany younger twenty-first-century leaders in their effort to bring a greater measure of justice, equality, and peace to our country and world. Individual members of the NCOE who are signing this statement are listed at its end. For more information about the NCOE, see www.nationalcouncilofelders.org.

February One is the name of the 2002 monument dedicated to Ezell Blair Jr., Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and David Richmond who were collectively known as the Greensboro Four. On February 1, 1960 they staged a sit-in at the Woolworth Department store in Greensboro, NC. All were students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in their freshman year. Shortly afterwards sit-ins began across the South. James Barnhill, sculptor

We are offering this out of our deep concern for the future. We are appalled at the brutality of Russia’s war against Ukraine, the killing and uprooting of thousands, and the destruction of their homeland.

Yet we have questions about our own country’s role in the lead-up to the war and the decision to supply Ukraine with weapons and intelligence information while failing to work for de-escalation of the conflict and for peace between Russia and Ukraine. Though Ukrainians are valiant, we must support them by insisting that there be negotiations toward peace before their country is utterly destroyed. We recognize the longing for peace within Russia, as many Russians risk their lives to denounce the invasion of Ukraine.

Our government has proven to be able to turn global crises into opportunities to extend its domination of other people and to gain control of resources. It must be stopped from waging a proxy war against Russia to maintain world domination, initiating the Cold War all over again. In committing billions of dollars to Ukraine for weaponry, our Congress seems oblivious to the danger that escalation might lead to nuclear war, putting all life at risk. It has refused to provide the same pressures toward a peaceful, negotiated resolution of the conflict.

The U.S. capitalist system rests upon a power that is secured by violence and the threat of violence. Hence violence pervades all aspects of our lives here in the United States, corroding our most essential connections to each other. Our government is ready to spend trillions on war, but will not legislate to provide money to feed the hungry, house the homeless, or provide a good education for our children or health care for all.

Questions related to this article:

Where in the world can we find good leadership today?

The peace movement in the United States, What are its strengths and weaknesses?

A deepening sense of grief has settled over many as we witness the outrage of war in Ukraine and the egregious gun violence here at home, in the neighborhoods of Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, and elsewhere. Any violent death by noose, knee, gun, drone, missile, howitzer, or bomb is a dramatic symptom, not the disease.

The mounting bloodshed at home and abroad engulfs us all. Domestic gun violence has broken our hearts and greatly wounded our lives. It has destabilized our society by inducing wide-scale fear, distrust, and loss of faith in the laws of civility.

Most egregiously, gun violence has killed or injured more than 34,500 children, 6,500 of whom are under the age of 12. Guns are the number one cause of death for teenagers, some of whom have been targeted by a “toy” industry that inures them to violence and the preciousness of life.

The profits from the arms industry, from handguns to missiles, are skyrocketing. Many members of Congress and gun manufacturers are so heavily invested in the sale of guns, and the culture of violence and war that they try to deflect attention from the horrors we are witnessing—and which we are responsible to stop—by insisting that mental health problems and the failure of school safety measures are to blame for the loss of so many innocent lives.

We know the profound hypocrisy of their message. We must not allow legislators whose objective is U.S. global dominance and who have been corrupted by bribes from the gun lobbyists to sacrifice the lives of our children and the people’s peace to their own arrogance, greed, and inhumanity.

At the international level, we call for:
● Intensification of demands for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
● A pledge that the United States will never again use nuclear weapons.
● Re-engagement in nuclear arms reduction by all nations.

At home, we call for:
● A ban on the sale of weapons of war.
● Demilitarization of local police forces and an end to racist police violence,
● Increased funding of programs that ensure essential social and economic resources to communities, and cultivate the critical and creative capacities of our children.

Our society is drowning in more than 400 million guns. By all means at our disposal, and with all measures that will restore our spirituality and our respect for our neighbors, we will work toward a culture of peace. We call on everyone to become actively involved in the local and national efforts that are focused on keeping our communities free of weapons of war. Foremost, we must commit ourselves to protecting the children and helping them see the possibilities of a world where life is valued, protected, and cherished.

Signers:
Rachele Agoyo ~ Dorothy Aldridge ~ Judy Baca ~ Dorsey Blake ~ Lewis Brandon III ~ Candi Carawan ~ Mandy Carter ~ Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz ~ Marian Wright Edelman ~ John Fife ~ Aljosie Aldrich Harding ~ David Hartsough ~ Gloria Aneb House ~ Shea Howell ~ Dolores Huerta ~ Phil Hutchins ~ Joyce Hobson Johnson ~ Nelson Johnson ~ Frank Joyce ~ James Lawson Jr. ~ Philip Lawson ~ Sherri Maurin ~ Catherine Meeks Eugene ~ Ed Nakawatase ~ Eugene “Gus” Newport ~ Myrna Pagán ~ Suzanne Pharr ~ Lyn Pyle ~ Bernice Johson Reagon ~ Frances Reid ~ Loretta Ross ~ Kathy “Wan Povi” Sanchez ~ Charles Sherrod ~ Shirley Sherrod ~ G. Zoharah Simmons ~ Louie Vitale ~ Hollis Watkins ~ Arthur Waskow ~ Junius Williams ~ Bob Wing ~ Janet Wolf.

July 12, 2022DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, North AmericaNorth AmericaCPNN Coordinator

The Two Waves of Latin American Progressive Governments

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article by Fernando Casado in Telesur English

The recent consecutive electoral victories of progressive parties in Latin America evoke memories of the leftist’s hegemony in the region at the beginning of the century. If the disastrous liberal policies of the 1990s led the spread of the first progressive wave, the same structural causes of hunger, inequality, and marginalization are at the bottom of the ongoing second one.

However, both waves have differences that are important to pinpoint to ensure a better understanding of the current political process Latin America is experiencing. Thus, it is critical to look at the forerunners of the countries involved in each of these waves. Whereas in the first one the leaders considered to be at the front-line were Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, Luz Ignacio Lula da Silva in Brazil, Nestor Kirchner in Argentina, Rafael Correa in Ecuador, and Evo Morales in Bolivia.

The second wave has been dominated by countries that never fell under the influence of the first, such as Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in Mexico, Gabriel Boric in Chile, Jose Pedro Castillo in Peru, and Gustavo Petro in Colombia.

It is also worth mentioning that the first wave had its climax when the ex-bishop, Fernando Lugo, won the elections in Paraguay in 2008. However, the following year after a coup d’état ousted Manuel Zelaya from the Presidency in Honduras, the decline of the first wave started. This wave could be considered to have brought to a definite end after Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment in Brazil in the year 2016.

On the other hand, the second wave is an ongoing process that will actually be boosted if Lula da Silva regains Brazil’s Presidency, as all the opinion polls forecast in the coming elections of October 2022.

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Question related to this article:

Solidarity across national borders, What are some good examples?

(Continued from left column)

The main similarity of both waves of progressive governments is their aim to curb poverty and inequality through the intervention of a strong State in charge of redistributing the wealth which, historically, has been gathered in very a few very greedy hands. Furthermore, all the progressive governments applied inclusive policies and pleaded for a fair multi-ethnic society based on the support of the outcast majorities.

Additionally, both these governments’ waves have a common opposition to the U.S. intervention in their internal affairs, identifying the Monroe Doctrine, “America for the Americans”, as a new form of imperialism. Having said that, the actions taken by certain countries so far were actually firmer during the first wave. In fact, back then, Correa in Ecuador closed down the U.S. military base in the city of Manta while Venezuela and Bolivia ousted the DEA from their countries.

Nonetheless, the awareness of the importance of deepening the integration within the countries of the region varies in both waves. During the first wave numerous leaders envisioned projects to bypass the U.S.-controlled Organization of the American States and attempted to consolidate alternative integration organizations such as the Union of the South, the Bank of the South, or the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America.

After the decline of the first wave these projects stagnated or even disappeared. Notwithstanding this, the alternative regional integration organizations are not in yet on the list of priorities of the leaders of the second wave, who are mainly focused on their domestic agenda. Greater political instability and less economic resources could explain the lack of international ambitions and coordination among the countries of the region.

Concerning the political discourse and specific actions, there has been a significant shift in the second wave as well. The new progressive governments do not claim to confront the capitalist system but rather the effects of the impoverishment and marginalization it produces.

Whereas the governments of the first wave put the emphasis on changing the free-market economy into a socialist system, somehow the new leftist governments have moved towards the centre regarding the political spectrum, in what could be explained as a consequence of the global drift to the right followed in the Western democracies.

Hence, the new progressive governments’ moderation has enabled them to avoid direct confrontation with mass media and the establishment, or at least to a lesser extent than the governments of the first wave experienced it.

There is still a long way to go before the second wave of progressivism in Latin America can be accurately assessed, until then we can only wait and see if things develop in the right direction, because otherwise the future to come will be riddled with violence and misery.

July 11, 2022FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin AmericaLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

Brazil’s ex-president Lula pledges to bolster Latin American integration if elected

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article from Xinhua

Brazil’s former President and current presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday unveiled his government plan to strengthen Latin American integration.

Photo from Libérez Lula – click on image to enlarge

“To defend our sovereignty is to defend the integration of South America, Latin America and the Caribbean, with a view to maintaining regional security and promoting development, based on productive complementarity,” the plan’s foreign policy section read.

(Continued in right column)

Question related to this article:

Solidarity across national borders, What are some good examples?

Latin America, has it taken the lead in the struggle for a culture of peace?

(Continued from left column)

If elected, Lula, who served as president from 2003 to 2010, said he will strengthen the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), the Union of South American Nations, and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.

“We advocate working toward the construction of a new global order committed to multilateralism, respect for the sovereignty of nations, peace, social inclusion and environmental sustainability, which takes into account the needs of developing countries,” the plan said.

Lula’s plan also calls for the resumption of the “South-South policy toward Latin America and Africa” that started during his presidency.

Attending the unveiling of the government plan in Sao Paulo were the seven parties that make up the Let’s Go Together for Brazil coalition that has nominated Lula as president and former Sao Paulo Governor Geraldo Alckmin as vice president.

Lula, founder of the Workers’ Party, leads in the polls ahead of the Oct. 2 elections, where incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro is seeking a second term.

(Editor’s note: See also Brazil’s Lula proposes creating Latin American currency to ‘be freed of US dollar’ dependency.)

July 11, 2022FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin AmericaLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

Mexico: The Alamo City Council promotes a culture of peace among women

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from Avc Noticias (translation by CPNN)

The Nuevo Paso Real, Buenos Aires and Aguanacida ejidos (shared agricultural lands), together with the Pantepec and Santa Cruz neighborhoods, formed the networks of women builders of Peace (MUCPAZ).

Questions related to this article:

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

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

The formation of MUCPAZ networks translates into actions aimed at transforming women’s lives, support and direct communication between women and the Municipal Government headed by Lilia Arrieta through the Municipal Institute for Women.

The objective of the MUCPAZ Strategy is to establish citizen networks of women that allow them to collaborate with government agencies to prevent gender violence, through focused and comprehensive strategies that contribute to identifying risk factors, detecting in a timely manner possible situations of violence, promoting equality between women and men, contributing to creating environments free of violence and promoting a culture of peace.

(Click here for the original article in Spanish.)

July 3, 2022Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITYLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

Mexico: Invitation to register for an online diploma in the Culture of Peace through the Arts

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from the Michoacan Radio and Television System (translation by CPNN°

The Ministry of Culture of the Government of Mexico, through the National Coordination of Children’s Cultural Development, and the Ministry of Culture of Michoacán (SECUM), through Alas y Raíces, invite managers, managers, promoters and promoters of children’s culture, as well as artists who work with children and adolescents in Mexico to participate in the online diploma for the Culture of Peace through the Arts.

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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?

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

(continued from left column)

The objective of the diploma focuses on reflecting and identifying the violent processes faced by children and adolescents, so that the promoters of children’s culture can take practical and methodological actions for their intervention and care, strengthening skills, values and attitudes for the construction of peaceful environments. In addition, the diploma involves the implementation of an artistic project / activity with a focus on a culture of peace.

The sessions will be offered on Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.; and on Saturdays, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; from July 2 to October 29.

Registration to participate takes place from June 15 to 30, in person or by internet by going to https://forms.gle/KA2CzxyuerBpVA4J6 with attached explanatory letter of motives and curricular profile. For more information contact scalasyraices@gmail.com

July 3, 2022EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin AmericaLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

Yucatan: State Government and 10 Municipalities join efforts to prevent violence and crime

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article by Yucatan State Government (translation by CPNN)

In order to reinforce joint actions in matters of security and social peace in Yucatan, the head of the General Secretariat of the Government (SGG), María Fritz Sierra, presided over the signing of two agreements between 10 municipalities and the Center for the Prevention of Crime and Citizen Participation (Cepredey).

This coordination between state and municipal authorities responds to the instruction of Governor Mauricio Vila Dosal, to add and multiply efforts to promote effective strategies, focused and concentrated to strengthen prevention, to reduce and to eradicate the factors that generate violence or illicit conduct.

Along with the Great Museum of the Mayan World, the mayors of Mérida, Umán, Progreso, Hunucmá, Kanasín, Motul, Tekax, Ticul, Tizimín and Valladolid promised to coordinate efforts to strengthen the culture of peace in this first stage, with other actions to follow.

The head of the SGG highlighted the willingness and interest of the councilors to strengthen collaboration with the Executive, with the idea that prevention is the best way to combat violence and crime, and that these issues are part of the priority agenda of public management in the territory.

Likewise, she stressed that these agreements are an example of a responsible public administration, which seeks to implement policies of real benefit to citizens including complementary efforts to achieve specific and measurable goals.

“Our commitment is to carry out coordinated work, regardless of political associations, since, without you and your participation, our best intentions and strategies could not materialize,” she said in her message to the municipal presidents.

Together with the Undersecretary for Prevention and Social Reintegration, Fernando Rosel Flores, and the Director of the Institute for Regional and Municipal Development (Inderm), David Valdez Jiménez, Secretary Fritz Sierra recalled that Yucatán is recognized for its levels of peace, up to the level of cities in the “first world.”

However, she pointed out, crimes occur as well in the most developed countries; in the same way in our state and some municipalities, especially those with the highest population density.

“The coordination of efforts between the various local government agencies and municipal administrations is essential to address the magnitude of the problem that violence represents in our society,” she said.

(continued in right column)

(Click here for the article in Spanish)

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?

(continued from left column)

Along with the director of the Mérida Municipal Police, Mario Arturo Romero Escalante, the head of the SGG called for the development of a work agenda to complement action strategies, giving priority to the particular situations of each community.

The document that was signed establishes, among other requirements, to implement training for social prevention of violence and crime for the personnel of the City Councils, in order to strengthen their institutional capacities.

Also, the official instructed the Cepredey staff and its director, Joana Briceño Ascencio, to put all their efforts so that the agreement can yield the expected results. The project is based on scientific social evidence, and it applies an intercultural and community approach.

The approach includes diagnoses, job training and economic support; peace networks with youth, children and women; reeducation and special attention to families with a history of violence, as well as leisure, sports, recreational and educational activities including courses, workshops and talks.

“Today, we take a step in favor of Yucatan; beyond positions, creeds or political interests, I am pleased with your commitment and solidarity, which all Yucatecans share, in favor of the peace and security that we desire,” Fritz said. Likewise, she urged the mayors to maintain the spirit of dialogue and cooperation in order to continue building a better future.

For his part, the secretary of the Municipality of Mérida, Alejandro Ruz Castro, expressed the approval of the Renán Barrera Concha administration with this agreement, since it allows optimization of prevention and the continuation of working together with the State, to strengthen security and provision of justice, that are “props for the development of a society”.

The mayor of Umán, Gaspar Ventura Cisneros Polanco, affirmed that this type of agreement allows us to continue supporting the transformation process promoted by Governor Mauricio, so that our territory continues to be the safest in the country.

What we need, he added, are not only public policies to avoid more risk factors that generate violence in our municipality, but also strategies that lead to the active participation of society, for which he applauded this teamwork, the only way to move towards the needed transformation.

Afterwards, Briceño Ascencio made available the experience and capacity of Cepredey, to accompany and guide the 10 participating municipalities, by strengthening their institutional capacities and achieving effective prevention. For this he requested those present for their commitment, support and, above all, , leadership.

“As the General Secretary of the Government, María Fritz, points out, time is running out for us and this is our moment to lay the foundations for all the best we can do, for our state and its municipalities,” she said.

Finally, she reiterated that “we have an allied State Government committed to the actions that required to achieve our mission, which is to continue making Yucatan the best state to live in.”

The event was also attended by the mayors of Progreso, Julián Zacarías Curi; Tekax, Diego Jose Avila Romero; Ticul, Rafael Gerardo Montalvo Mata; Kanasin, Edwin Jose Bojorquez Ramirez; Valladolid, Alfredo Fernandez Arceo; and Hunucmá, Edna Marisa Franco Ceballos. Representing the municipal president of Tizimín, Pedro Francisco Couoh Suaste, was his secretary, Abelomar Javier Portillo.

July 3, 2022DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin AmericaLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

Mexico: The Jalisco Culture of Peace Program

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article from Reporte Indigo (translation by CPNN)

The Government of Jalisco has begun work on its first “State Culture of Peace Program”, one of the main instruments derived from the state’s Culture of Peace Law, designed to reduce the various forms of violence that occur there.

The legislation was approved by the Jalisco Congress on April 22, 2021 with the objective of “respecting, protecting, promoting and guaranteeing peace as a human right of which all people, without distinction, are entitled”. Therefore, its provisions are mandatory for both state and municipal authorities.

The program of the legislation includes a comprehensive strategy that is not limited to the implementation of new security or police surveillance schemes. In fact, the Law establishes that the strategy must be prepared with at least the following items:

I. Education for peace (curriculum; teacher training; school administration; and community formation);

II. Research for peace (institutional linkage; training of researchers; dissemination; and application in the territory and in public policies);

III. Non-violent conflict transformation (community mediation; alternative justice; and non-violent conflict management);

IV. Development of citizen capacities for peace (training of citizens and organizations; and strengthening of networks).

V. Visibility and strengthening of territorial peace (territorial diagnoses with the communities; and peace projects in the territories);

VI. Development for peace (mainstreaming the culture of peace in the different sectors with emphasis on attention to structural, cultural and direct violence);

and VII. Citizen Security and Human Security (development of citizen, community and human security models, and violence prevention).

The challenge is enormous because Jalisco is considered the main center of operations of the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG) —one of the most violent criminal groups in the country—; and Jalisco has become the state with the most victims of disappearance in all of Mexico, with 15,034 missing and unaccounted for persons, according to the National Registry of Missing and Unaccounted for Persons.

(continued in right column)

(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)

State Culture of Peace Law

The Governor of Jalisco, Enrique Alfaro Ramírez, says that the legislation that mandates the issuance of the “State Program for the Culture of Peace” is the only one of its kind at the national level, as communicated by the State Government on March 18, 2022.

In Article 2 of the Law on the Culture of Peace of the State, it is detailed that the goal is to eradicate the different forms of violence, from intra-family, gender, to that which is producing organized crime.

It reads to “Satisfy the basic needs of all human beings, in order to eradicate the structural violence originated in the economic and social inequalities existing in the state; eliminate cultural violence that encompasses gender violence, domestic violence, in the educational, labor and neighborhood spheres; and in all areas of social relations; and guarantee effective respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all people,”

Delay

The Jalisco Planning and Citizen Participation Secretariat has lagged behind with respect to its obligation to prepare the “State Program for the Culture of Peace”, since it should have concluded last April.

The third transitory article of the Law states that “from the approval of the law, a period of one year is established to generate the State Program for the Culture of Peace” and the approval was given on April 22, 2021. It has been announced that the “Citizen Participation Forums for the construction of the State Program for the Culture of Peace” has already begun (from June 28 to 30).

The intention of the legislators was that both the provisions of this Law and the respective program are also replicated at the municipal level, for this reason the legislation foresees that the municipalities form the Municipal Councils of Citizen Participation for Governance and Peace.

“City councils may form councils or dependencies that they deem appropriate to comply with the provisions of this law, issuing the corresponding regulations, in order to implement actions to promote the culture of peace. (…) may include budget items to meet these objectives (Article 11)”.

These instances, however, can also be of a building nature (Article 12): “City councils may create building commissions for a culture of peace in the municipal regulations that regulate their operation with the aim of collaborating with public actions, programs and policies of a culture of peace and promote the mainstreaming of the approach in other government actions.”

This March 18, 2022, the governor, Alfaro Ramírez, presented the “Spaces for Peace” strategy, also based on the Culture of Peace Law, to promote sports, culture and entertainment in public spaces: “From now on they will have means to combat violence in the social fabric,” he said.

July 2, 2022DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin AmericaLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

English bulletin July 1, 2022

. COLOMBIA AND NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT .

Two sets of events this month promise progress towards a culture of peace.

In Colombia, the newly-elected President Gustavo Petro promises to re-invigorate the peace process, while at the same time the Colombian Truth Commission has published its long-awaited report.

The election of Petro is the first time in the history of Colombia that a left-wing candidate has been elected President. Petro based his candidature on the promise to complete the peace process by making peace with the ELN guerillas, and to ensure the safety of community leaders and former FARC guerillas. This will not be easy since during the administration of the outgoing President Duque 4,930 leaders were assassinated.

The Colombian Truth Commission has been working since 2018 to clarify the violations that occurred during the armed conflict and to contribute to uniting Colombian society so it can advance towards the construction of a future of peace for all. As expressed by newly-elected President Petro, “The truth cannot be a space for revenge.”

Also in June, two important international meetings took place in the struggle to abolish nuclear weapons.

On 9-10 June scholars and experts met in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, to discuss the importance, challenge and prospects for Nuclear-weapon-free zones (NWFZ). The participants congratulated Mongolia on the 30th year of its unprecedented initiative to establish a single-State NWFZ.

More than half of the world is now covered by Nuclear-weapon-free zones, as shown in the world map published with the article from Mongolia.

Then on 21-23 June, the historic first Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons met in Vienna and adopted a political declaration and practical action plan that set the course for the implementation of the Treaty and progress towards its goal of the total elimination of nuclear weapons.

CPNN readers may recall that the Treaty was was adopted by a majority of States (122) at the UN on July 7, 2017 (See CPNN bulletin for August 2017) and it entered into force on January 22, 2021 (see CPNN bulletin for February 2021).

The urgency of these initiatives was underlined in the most recent report from SIPRI, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Of the total inventory of an estimated 12 705 nuclear warheads at the start of 2022, about 9440 were in military stockpiles for potential use. Of those, an estimated 3732 warheads were deployed with missiles and aircraft, and around 2000—nearly all of which belonged to Russia or the USA—were kept in a state of high operational alert. SIPRI adds that nuclear arsenals are expected to grow over the coming decade.

The war in Ukraine runs the risk of escalating into a nuclear war. Speaking at the meeting in Vienna, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, “The once unthinkable prospect of nuclear conflict is now back within the realm of possibility.

Cities have no use for nuclear weapons. Hence the United States Conference of Mayors has called on the U.S. and the other nuclear-armed states to commit to a process leading to the adoption no later than 2030 of a timebound plan for the global elimination of nuclear weapons by 2045. The European Chapter of Mayors for Peace expressed their solidarity with Ukrainian cities and called for a long-term vision of international security that overcomes nuclear deterrence. They attended and supported the Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapon in Vienna that is mentioned above. Activists in a number of European cities mounted actions to support that meeting.

We conclude with homage to the great peace activist Bruce Kent who passed away at the age of 93 last month in England. One of his last acts was to join a small CND delegation delivering a letter to the Russian Embassy in London, which said: “For the sake of Ukrainian children taking shelter from Russian missiles; for the sake of all those who will die if the situation escalates and for the sake of the millions of us who will perish if the heightened risk of nuclear war turns into a nuclear conflict, we urge your government to halt the attacks, withdraw the troops and withdraw the nuclear threats.”

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY

disarm

Ulaanbaatar Statement on Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones