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An article by Hernán Camacho in Seminar Voz

More than 300 organizations in 18 departments signed on to the National Pact for Life and Peace.

It was more than just a peace initiative. The National Peace Congress, held between 27 and 29 April, became a mobilizer of a vision that can ead us along the path towards a stable and lasting peace. The expectations of the social organizations that convened the Congress were fulfilled, the agenda of new mobilizations and peace initiatives is already being confirmed, and most importantly, those attending the Congress signed the National Pact for Life and Peace.

Closing of the National Congress of Peace in the Place of Bolivar in Bogota.
Photo NC News.
(Click on photo to enlarge)

It was more than just a peace initiative. The National Peace Congress, held between 27 and 29 April, became a mobilizer of a vision that can ead us along the path towards a stable and lasting peace. The expectations of the social organizations that convened the Congress were fulfilled, the agenda of new mobilizations and peace initiatives is already being confirmed, and most importantly, those attending the Congress signed the National Pact for Life and Peace.

This pact is a commitment that describes the current reality of the implementation process of the Havana agreement, and the peace process in Quito with the ELN. But it also draws on what is happening today in the territories where there are conflict scenarios, Transition Areas of Normalization and in the territories where the Farc was present. A Pact for Life calls us to take the weapons out of national political life and to promote reconciliation among Colombians.

Difficulties

This was said in Bogota by the secretary general of the Colombian Communist Party, Jaime Caycedo, who attended the regional peace congress that was held at the Minuto de Dios University, on Friday, April 28: “Taking the weapons out of politics involves not just the insurgency, but those sectors that are based on paramilitarism and maintain a war against the forces of the left that propose an alternative to a corrupt and patronizing country, “said Caycedo.

And the concern, which the participants of the initiative mostly pointed out in the regional meetings, refers to the increase of the paramilitary presence in each one of the departments of the country. The main concern is in Chocó, Antioquia, Cesar, Meta, Caqueta, among others. Testimonies such as those of settlers in Cacarica and Urabá Antioquia, warn that there are paramilitary forces present with the approval of official troops. “The Army is paralyzed.”

Timing of renegotiation

But paramilitarism was not the only topic of discussion in the long days. For Senator Iván Cepeda of the Democratic Pole, the Peace Congress should mean a boost to the implementation process and attention to lost time and putting legislative initiatives on the fast track.

“The processes of renegotiation of the agreements need to be finished and that the legislative process for integral agrarian development should be initiated immediately,” said Cepeda, who invited the candidates and candidates for the Presidency of the Republic to Respect and commit to the signed peace accords.

The United Nations, represented by its resident Martin Santiago Herrero, said that his presence at the Peace Congress is a sign of the will of the international community to accompany each of the initiatives that contribute to the realization of peace.

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(Click here for the original Spanish version of this article

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

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“Peace is an opportunity for transformation and change in those regions that have suffered from the conflict. But experience also shows that the first 18 to 24 months are the most important in the implementation of the agreements. All efforts are necessary, “said Santiago.

The UN is concerned about three worrisome issues to consolidate peace. On the one hand, to safeguard the lives of human rights defenders and some cases of death to ex-combatants of the FARC and their families; On the other hand, the presence of criminal successor groups of the paramilitaries, and the need to advance the peace process with the ELN.

The intervention of Roberto Menéndez, Head of the Mission to Support the Peace Process in Colombia of the OAS, was in the same vein. “The Peace Congress motivates the efforts made by the national government, insurgencies, communities, women, indigenous peoples, Afro peoples, workers and the people in generating them out of the tragedy of the conflict. But we must recognize that the Congress that boasts of having different visions of peace, “said Menendez.

Regional peace

For Green party leader Ángela María Robledo, the Peace Congress revealed that peace has a regional focus: “We are here to continue to accompany implementation and give unconditional support to the ELN peace talks. We have to take the weapons out of politics, we must strengthen the rule of law and we must focus on peace in the regions to transform the lives of the Colombians of the deep Colombia, “said Robledo.

The guerrilla commander Iván Márquez made an appearance and expressed his gratitude for the invitation to the FARC-EP. From the rostrum he noted: “The peace agreement of November 24 signed at the Teatro Colon, are more than 310 pages. It is the birth certificate of a transforming power that in the hands of the people and statesmen with vision, can be used to fill our homeland with humanity, inclusion, respect for the other and social justice. It is urgent to activate the great national political agreement mentioned in the introduction of the agreement that defines the reforms and institutional adjustments to address the challenges that peace demands by imposing a new framework of social coexistence, “said Márquez.

The fulfillment of the agreement that Iván Márquez demands, was reiterated by Commander Victoria Sandino, who denounced the lack of advances in the process of implementation of the agreements in the Congress and in the Transitional Areas of Normalization. “We are building a conflictive peace, starting with the situations of the paramilitary phenomenon unleashed throughout the national territory. They are killing the comrades and relatives. Peace can not be possible in the midst of death, “said Sandino.

Government

Another of the attendees was the ex-mayor of Bogotá Rafael Pardo, who noted that the next step in the implementation process will be the ambitious economic plan that should establish agricultural points to replace illicit crops. “May is the key month for implementation. These are major challenges, as the FARC must finish the arms embargo and the Government must present the Framework Implementation Plan, which has to do with points one and four for the next 15 years. This framework will regulate local and national development plans for the next three five-year periods and how they are to be executed. For this, it will be the Council for Economic and Social Policy who will set the budgetary frameworks for the agreements, “said Rafael Pardo who is now serving as post-conflict minister.

At the end of the day the conversation turned to the question: How is the process going with the ELN? The participants were Alberto Castilla as moderator, Juan Camilo Restrepo, chief negotiator of the Colombian government in Quito and guerrilla chief Eduardo Martínez, of the ELN. They stressed the importance of the participation of local communities because they are the ones that today suffer the war. “We will continue at the table, ready to advance in the path of difficulties, but with everyone involved,” said Eduardo Martinez.

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A survey by CPNN

April 22, recognized as Día Internacional de la Madre Tierra (Mother Earth Day) by the United Nations, was celebrated throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Some of this year’s celebrations underline the link between care for the earth and the need for peace and disarmament.

Mexico

The World Embassy of Peace Activists celebrated International Mother Earth Day in the Torreón Urban Forest. The event sought to promote the protection of ecological balance and raise awareness among citizens about the deterioration of the planet by the “uncontrolled” use of nature and its impact on the safety and health of human beings. The embassy presented the Proclamation of Constitution of the Rights of Mother Earth. The document considers that it is necessary to establish a solid basis for a sustainable and resilient development and growth, where the interrelation between the rights of Mother Earth and the fundamental rights of human beings is recognized.

Bolivia

President Evo Morales, through his Twitter expressed Saturday that as children of Mother Earth our duty is to defend it, in the framework of the International Day of Mother Earth. “We are all children of Mother Earth, we come and we end in her, therefore, as sisters and brothers, our duty is to take care of her.” He says he is convinced that the planet would exist better without the human being while the human being would not live without the planet. Pachamama or death! The president asks how much was spent on the preservation of MadreTierra in 2016, when the capitalist budget for arms purchases was US $ 68 billion?

Trinidad and Tobago

As the world celebrated Earth Day yesterday, members of the National Council of Orisha Elders in T&T marked the occasion with a march through San Fernando praying for an end to violence. The procession began with prayers and offerings of olive oil, milk, water and honey to the earth by various priests in the Orisha faith at Kings Wharf, San Fernando, at 10 am yesterday. “It is done to elevate the female principle through our Mother of the Earth, through our Onile because of the crime situation in the country and the violence against women and children generally and to elevate the feeling of despair that permeates the land today.”

Chile

Chile commemorated International Earth Day with activities in different parts of the country including distribution of seeds in Santiago and a walk with astronomical observation in La Serena. “The activity intends that through a walk in contact with nature can observe the astronomical richness of the region, but also taking into account how light pollution has effects on climate change,” explained the representative of the Ministry of Environment of the Region Of Coquimbo, Eduardo Fuentealba.

Colombia

A hundred people, led by scientists and students of the National University of Colombia (UN), joined Saturday in the “March for Science” initiative that was born in the USA. In response to the cuts in funding for scientific research proposed by President Donald Trump. At the local level, the demonstration aimed to show the state that science is indispensable for progress in the economic, social and environmental fields. “Colombia has suffered budget cuts and there have been multiple state policies that threaten and restrict the capacities of science, and therefore of all its findings,” said UN geology student and logistics coordinator Maria Trinidad Ceferino

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What has happened this year (2017) for Earth Day?

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Honduras

Public and private environmental organizations in Honduras commemorated “Earth Day” with the planting of thousands of trees in urban and rural areas to raise awareness of the importance of caring for the planet. The crusade has also been joined by students from schools and colleges.

Nicaragua

The Sandinista Youth organized a walk and fair on Saturday in Juigalpa, to celebrate Earth Day. The tour of the main streets of the city is called ““Amor a la Naturaleza, Corazón Verde” (“Love to Nature, Heart of Green”) and its objective is to sensitize people about the importance of preserving Mother Earth with responsible attitudes that help protect natural resources, as well as flora and fauna. The activity included a varied cultural program, with cultural presentations, folkloric dances, competitions, and recognitions to young people that stand out in the protection of the environment.

Panama

Panama joins the international community in the commemoration of Earth Day with festivals, waste collection, tree planting and messages about the permanent responsibility of all to preserve the planet.”

Peru

Joining the commemoration of World Earth Day, Saturday, April 22, various educational and recreational activities take place in the zonal clubs and metropolitan parks of the capital, reported the Municipality of Lima. These activities promote the care of green areas, trees and biodiversity of these ecosystems that extend over more than 400 hectares in Lima. In the zone clubs Flor de Amancaes (Villa Maria del Triunfo); Huáscar (Villa el Salvador); Huiracocha (San Juan de Lurigancho), among others, there are parades, educational talks, storytelling, play activities, recycling workshops and small plants will be given to visitors. One of the most symbolic activities is the placement of messages in the branches of trees, as a call to citizens to express our commitment to mother earth.

Venezuela

The president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, celebrated Earth Day through a message shared in his Facebook account where it was expressed that “ecosocialism is a concept that we have promoted from the Bolivarian Government, it is a hope to make a change real and meaningful “. In this reflection, he said that since 1970, World Earth Day has been celebrated, “in an attempt to raise awareness about the serious climatic problems that have been affecting the planet due to pollution, the indiscriminate use of natural resources and the lack of policies that preserve the environment. ”

Barbados

Barbadians are being urged to “pick up after themselves” after more than 200 bags of garbage was removed from a 12-kilometre stretch of West Coast beach yesterday. The exhortation has come from Gayle Talma, the group operations director of the Elegant Group of Companies as it spearheaded a clean-up campaign as part of Earth Day.

Argentina

Argentina joins the international community in the commemoration of Earth Day with workshops, ecological activities and even the country’s first “bio festival” of music, held in the city of Rosario.

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An article by Prensa Latina

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos welcomed today [Mar 14] the approval in Congress of the bill that will create the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), considered the backbone of the agreement with the FARC-EP.

President Santos

In his Twitter account, the President thanked the Senate for the validation of that rule on the eve – by 60 votes against two – during his final debate, one of the most controversial of the package planned to implement what was agreed with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia- People’s Army (FARC-EP), currently under disarmament.

The JEP sets up courts to investigate, prosecute and punish those responsible for the long war with the premises of zero impunity for crimes against humanity, but envisions pardons and amnesties in cases of political and related crimes.

It is the pillar for reconciliation, insisted the Executive when referring to the importance of such a mechanism aimed at implementing transitional justice, which contributes to move from war to a scenario of detente.

The heated discussions and absenteeism of some parliamentarians had hampered the passage of the aforementioned bill, so last night’s analysis was accompanied by representatives of victims’ organizations and other citizens in favor of the agreement with the FARC-EP.

Promoters of the popular initiative ‘Eye to the peace’, created to promote the implementation of the agreement between the Government and that guerrilla, remained on the outskirts of the Capitol and even within the Senate grounds to demand the validation of the JEP.

This methodology is part of an comprehensive system designed to clarify the truth, to apply justice, to repair damages caused to those directly affected by the confrontation (totaling almost eight million) and to offer guarantees of non-repetition.

(Click here for a Spanish version of this article.)

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?