Category Archives: DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

Mercociudades: A Latin American Network to Fight for More Inclusive, Egalitarian, Diverse and Supportive Cities

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An opinion piece by Fernando Gray in Other News ( translation by CPNN)

The last two years of health crisis have highlighted the inequalities within Latin American cities. In fact, the social, economic, health and territorial inequities have gotten worse among the cities of our region. Local governments are the first t respond. As stated in the motto of  the XXVI Mercociudades Summit , “local governments are always there.”

In this sense, the big, intermediate and peripheral cities are on the front line of actions that guarantee the right to an inclusive, healthy, sustainable and equitable city for everyone.

Sustainability

The pandemic has exposed the importance of local governments, as the first political institution that safeguards democratic life. Cities have been especially affected by the process of urbanization without provisions for sustainability, due to the problems of indebtedness and economic dependence, produced by neoliberal policies and financial capitalism that have dictated the global agenda from Washington.

In recent years, local governments have played an increasingly leading role, not only for the management of vaccines and the immunization process.  They have worked hard to educate and raise awareness in the community and to implement actions against violence, inequities and the vulnerability of citizens, plagued not only by the health pandemic but also by other causes of inequality.

Cities network

For this reason, from Mercociudades, the network of sister cities in Latin America, we focus on the need to strengthen governance. We must intensify efforts to develop territories that guarantee social, environmental and climate justice, equality, sustainability and a participatory democracy.

Mercociudades is the spokesperson for Latin American cities in relation to horizontality and twinning so that both big and peripheral cities are integrated to forge common objectives in pursuit of the well-being of the community and its environment.

The Southern has been more affected than the Northern Hemisphere, as can be seen with regard to the production and distribution of vaccines. And this is reproduced in multiple inequalities of all kinds, especially in peripheral cities.  We have seen that no person, no government, no nation can save itself by acting alone. We must think collectively, and act with parity and solidarity.

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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?

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Inclusive city

At the recent XXVI Mercociudades Summit, in which the municipality of Esteban Echeverría assumed the Presidency for the period 2021-2022, we have proposed to design and implement actions, projects and programs that deepen inclusion policies with a gender and diversity perspective. Furthermore, it is urgent for us to guarantee accessibility to information, democratic communication and citizen participation of all identities and groups.

Local governments seek to guarantee to new generations livable cities with peace and harmony between people and with nature and the environment. We understand that major transformations occur from the local to the national, from the national to the regional, and from the regional to the global. Therefore, our mission is to continue in the integration of our cities in the network and with other networks in the region.

We propose to broaden the horizons of Mercociudades and to engage more cities, carry out more initiatives and celebrate the leadership of youth, women and dissidents. We are mobilized to forge ties of parity and horizontality between genders, generations, ethnic groups and cultures in all areas of community life.

Democratic communication

In the same sense, it is necessary to fight to reduce the inequalities in the accessibility of information for people with disabilities. We must promote cities that communicate democratically with equality and inclusion so that everyone has the same opportunities for participation, expression and development.

Likewise, we must emphasize cooperation and association initiatives so that we make known the situation of Latin America on the global agenda.  For example, we presented our position at COP 26 in Glasgow with a document that highlighted the common but differentiated responsibilities.

Barriers

The peripheral nations are urged to meet global goals in the face of climate change, but our responsibility for the effects that industrialization has produced on the planet is not the same as that of the countries in the North. In this way, the Southern Hemisphere is faced with para-tariff barriers that prevent the growth of our industry, which, in turn, translates into greater unemployment and poverty in our communities.

For this post-pandemic scenario, it is necessary to make visible the need for a fair distribution of responsibilities and actions that concern the entire Latin American people. We fight for inclusive, egalitarian, accessible, integrated and violence-free cities. From the local to the global, we propose a life in participatory, horizontal and cooperative democracy. We fight to ensure spaces for innovation, avant-garde and social and environmental justice. It is time for the voice of Latin American to be heard.
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Fernando Gray is the mayor of Esteban Echeverra, Argentine Department belonging to Greater Buenos Aires.  He is the President of Mercociudades.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

Mauritania: establishment of a new network of mayors to consolidate citizenship

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An article from Sahara Medias (translation by CPNN)

The creation of a network of mayors to promote citizenship and the consecration of social cohesion and the culture of peace was announced on Monday in Nouakchott.

This new network includes all the mayors of Mauritania. According to the Minister of the Interior and Decentralization Mohamed Salem O. Merzoug, “It constitutes an important step in the framework of the preservation of the values ​​of the nation-state” .

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(Click here for the French version of this article)

Question related to this article:
 
How can culture of peace be developed at the municipal level?

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The minister added that the new network promotes a culture of citizenship, the consolidation of social cohesion in the aftermath of the birth of the commemoration of a new independence.

The creation of this network, adds ould Merzoug, is the best indicator for a promising development of state building and the protection of the nation.

The minister again said that the new creation is the path leading to the birth of a Mauritanian citizen in a unified space, convinced of unity and participatory democracy that leaves no room for negative divisions.

The creation of this network, adds the minister, will strengthen the system of democratic practice in a new era that began more than two years ago with the election of Mohamed O. Cheikh Ghazouani as president of the republic.

Ould Merzoug reaffirmed the government’s readiness to support this new creation and its objectives, thus devoting the support of the President of the Republic to the decentralization process, the strengthening of the mechanisms of local democratic culture, as a fundamental basis for local and regional development.

Africa, DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Mideast,

Jamaica: Increase In Use Of Restorative Justice Centres To Resolve Conflicts

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An article from The Jamaica Information Service

Restorative Justice Centres, which offer services to resolve conflicts, have noted an increase in referrals from the courts and communities across the island.

This was disclosed by Restorative Justice Coordinator, Andriene Lindsay. She tells JIS NEWS that conferences, in particular, have exceeded their target by 269 cases.

Minister of Justice Delroy Chuck consults with Coordinator, Restorative Justice, Ministry of Justice, Adrienne Lindsay

“The target for this year is 2,200 conferences and for the second quarter we actually completed 616 conferences, and that was in addition to our first-quarter results, and a total of 1,369 at the moment. or where we should be, which is 1,100, we are 269 ahead of our target. So, we’re doing really well in terms of conferences,” she says.

“This, when it comes to the variance, would be due to an increase in the referrals associated with sensitisation, particularly from the courts and the community. We’ve also had an increase in staff, which means we have an increased capacity for how many conferences we can actually conduct,” she further adds.

Ms. Lindsay says the Centres have also included virtual sessions, which makes it “easier for participants to interact”.

A conference is a tool used by the centre administrators that includes its facilitators, a Justice of the Peace and community supporters who can help to provide emotional support to everyone involved in the dispute.

“During the sessions, each person gets to tell their side of the story, but this time to the other parties that are involved. At that time, nobody else can speak; it’s just one person at a time.

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Discussion question

Restorative justice, What does it look like in practice?

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If there are any questions, those can be asked and responded to by the facilitator or community supporters. The last phase of the conference is what to do to move on and make things right,” she tells JIS News.

Ms. Lindsay notes that after each conference, the individuals involved in the disputes sign an agreement relative to the agreed resolution.

“If this process is done through the court, then that document once returned to court becomes a legally binding document, but if it is in the community, then what we do is just trust the participants to stick to that agreement, and we monitor it,” she adds.

She says follow-up for each case is done between three and six months and citizens can benefit from the Centre’s services free of charge.

“This is a free service, from the starting point to the finishing point. The Ministry of Justice does not charge any fees for interacting with the Restorative Justice Unit. We provide follow-up sessions, as well, free of charge and, of course, if any counselling services are required, we will also refer them free of charge to our Victim Services Unit,” she says.

The Restorative Justice Centres form part of the Ministry of Justice’s efforts to improve alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods.

The Centres will be established in every parish and are equipped to handle matters related to child diversion, restorative justice and dispute resolution, among other justice-related issues.

They also serve as a point of contact for custodes and justices of the peace.

“The Ministry of Justice is committed to make restorative justice a major part of the work that we will be carrying out, and we are doing so because we have seen that it is successful,” Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, says. He was speaking at a previous Restorative Justice Facilitator Training Programme.

The aims of the Restorative Justice Programme include the creation of a culture of peace through processes that emphasise the values of mutual respect, dignity and concern among one another in an environment of healing, reconciliation and restoration.

The Ministry is also trying for individuals and communities to become empowered to respond to crime positively, to enable productive relationships and reduce criminal case backlog.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

Brasilia: Meeting to debate culture of peace in the public sector

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An article from the Brasilia Agency (Translation by CPNN)

The School of Government of the Federal District (Egov) will hold, on the next 18th, the 1st Meeting of Culture of Peace in the Public Sector. In line with the climate of peace promoted throughout the year by the Executive Secretariat for Valorization and Quality of Life (Sequali), the event will take place from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm, in the institution’s auditorium, and interested parties will have until next Tuesday (16) to make the entries, on the Egov website .

The meeting aims to awaken synergy between the individual, social and environmental aspects, towards sustainability, with ethics and respect for life. The idea is to promote a holistic view of the human being, sustainable development and the adoption of responsible practices by public entities.

The opening of the meeting will be attended by Adriana Faria, executive secretary for Valuing and Quality of Life, and the dean of the Environment at Unipaz, Regina Fittipaldi, a guest who will give a lecture on the theme “Paths to a culture of peace”.

The secretary of Economy, André Clemente, highlights that, since the beginning of this administration, the secretariat has been promoting actions aimed at the valorization and development of GDF servants.

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(Click here for the Portuguese original of this article)

Questions for this article:

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

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“The servant valuation agenda is part of this management, which proposes the recognition and development of servants, through initiatives like this, aimed at personal and professional growth, promoting balance, ethics, respect for life, the good -being and productivity”, said Clemente.

According to Adriana Faria, the initiative to promote the meeting is in line not only with the secretariat’s actions, but with the current scenario. “The idea of holding this meeting arose from the need to encourage reflection on the culture of peace, a fundamental issue in the current social and political context of the country”, he says.

She explains that “servers will have the opportunity to know a worldview that privileges dialogue and mediation to resolve conflicts, abandoning violent attitudes and actions and respecting the diversity of ways of thinking and acting of each individual, fundamental attitudes for life in society.”

The executive director of Egov, Juliana Tolentino, highlighted the relevance of the meeting. “This event is extremely important. It is the opportunity to connect this culture of peace with the work developed by the public administration, acquire new knowledge and add to the efficiency and quality necessary for the provision of public services”, he said.

To participate in the meeting, click here and register.

Service
I Meeting of Culture of Peace in the Public Sector

Date: November 18, 2021

Time: 8:00 am to 5:30 pm

Modality: in person

Registration: until November 16, 2021

Check the program here.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

Petrópolis, Brazil : III International Restorative Justice Week will open next Monday

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An article from the prefeitura de Petrópolis

Four lectures are part of the program elaborated by the Petrópolis da Paz Program, for the III International Week of Restorative Justice. The event, which takes place online, will open next Monday (15th), at 3:30 pm, broadcast by the City Hall’s official networks, such as Facebook and Youtube.

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“This event encourages a new vision of conflicts while giving a voice to victims and offenders, valuing, for example, the maintenance of family, school and community ties”, explains the interim government.

North American expert Kay Pranis will open the cycle of lectures talking about “Restorative Justice in Education: Building Restorative Communities”. The judge of Law at the São Paulo Court of Justice, Marcelo Nalesso Salmaso, will speak on the topic “Restorative Justice and Socio-education”. São Paulo teacher Liliane Claro Rezende was invited to speak on “Restorative Justice in Education: Experience Report in Santos”, while psychologist Paulo Henrique Moratelli addresses “Restorative Justice: Conflict Transformation Processes and Transformative Dialogs and Circles.

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(Click here for the original article in Portuguese)

Discussion question

Restorative justice, What does it look like in practice?

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“The III International Week celebrates restorative practices and represents the incessant work of the Petrópolis da Paz Program in its aspect of Restorative Justice in the recognition and expansion of the remarkable effects of these practices in our city and throughout the world”, highlights the coordinator of the Petrópolis Program of Peace.

The event is being organized by Vanessa Siqueira, the Program’s Restorative Justice coordinator. “It connects us with the world and with actions aimed at a culture of peace.

We are celebrating another year of achievement in our city by joining this international movement. Once again, we have the participation of renowned guests”, he explains, adding: “May this week inspire us and connect us to continue opening paths so that restorative justice and Movement Circles are present in schools, communities and other spaces.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

Mexico: Municipal Mediation Unit of the City of Merida to promote a Culture of Peace

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from Mi Punto de Vista

With the aim of consolidating a culture of peace and dialogue, the Mérida City Council provides a mediation service to offer alternatives for a peaceful solution to family disputes and conflicts. or neighborhood, announced the Mayor, Renán Barrera Concha.

He pointed out that the Municipal Mediation Unit is an effective tool to remedy those conflicts that arise between neighbors or relatives. Otherwise they could lead to crimes such as threats, injuries or damage to someone else’s property.

“In the City of Mérida we continue to implement alternative mechanisms that allow us to prevent the commission of crimes, especially those that appear due to disagreements, thus we are committed to dialogue between the parties to prevent these situations from escalating to another level,” he said.

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(click here for the original version in Spanish).

Question for this article:

Mediation as a tool for nonviolence and culture of peace

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The Municipal President reported that in the 2018-2021 administration, attention was paid to 529 cases, of which 40%, that is, around 200 files, due to neighborhood conflicts, 21% due to voluntary divorce, 15% family conflicts and the rest was divided on issues such as alimony, spouses, custody of minors and family visits.

“Mediation is gradually being accepted and adopted by the people of Merida. Once they know the benefits that this entails, the answer is positive. People not only achieve the solution of the conflict they are going through, but they also promote communication and peaceful coexistence between the parties involved,” he stressed.

For her part, the director of the municipal DIF (Desarrollo Integral de la Familia), Silvia Sarti González, explained that the procedure is carried out free of charge and with the support of a professional mediator. “People who have resorted to this model have found solutions from a different perspective, since we have them listen to the other’s version, discuss those points of view and, through dialogue, propose a way to resolve their disagreements.”

She added that those who resort to conflict mediation find less financial and emotional wear and tear, and, in most cases, avoid legal processes that are often lengthy and expensive.

The Municipal Mediation Unit provides services from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, and it deals with cases of a family, school, community and commercial nature.

To request attention, those interested should contact the Legal Coordination of DIF Mérida, located at 59 # 432 between 50 and 52-A, Centro, or they can call 9999 28 69 77 extension 81516 presenting a copy of their INE and CURP.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

What I Saw on Election Day in Nicaragua

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article by Rick Sterling in Transcend Media Service

US media and politicians have condemned the November 7 Nicaragua election as a “fraud” and “sham”.  On the day of the election, the White House issued a statement saying Nicaragua held a “pantomime election that was neither free nor fair, and most certainly not democratic.”

But are these accusations true?


Voting from a wheelchair

Along with other international volunteers, I was an eye-witness to the election last Sunday. Previously I have been an observer in elections in neighboring Honduras.  Here is a snapshot of what I saw:

Our group of 6 people (two from Canada and four from US) visited three voting centers and twenty voting stations in the small city of Juigalpa in Chontales province.

At 7 am Sunday morning, there were long lines of voters.  Hours later, there was still a steady of stream of voters. Election staff said the turnout seemed higher than the last election.

Voters were all ages.. Nicaraguans can vote starting at age 16.  There were lots of families coming to vote together. There were kids playing on swings while their parents voted. There were very old or disabled peopled voting. Family members were allowed to help them if needed. Otherwise election staff helped them.

One elderly woman got dizzy and almost collapsed as she was to enter the voting station.  She was adamant that she wanted to vote before taken away. The ambulance arrived in about five minutes and she was taken to hospital despite her protestations that she wanted to vote first.

The process was well organized and efficient.  At the entrance there were staff with computers. They scanned the citizen’s ID card, confirmed the identity and that he or she was registered for this voting center. Then they explained which voting station to go to. The voting station assignments were also printed and taped to walls at the entrance.

There were 3,100  voting centers with 13,459 voting stations throughout the country. These are mostly in educational institutions (schools or colleges).  Each voting station serves about 400 voters.  In urban areas,  there are 10 or 20  voting stations in one voting center (school).

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

How should elections be organized in a true democracy?

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A huge number of people staffed the election process.  At each voting station, there were about ten people performing various tasks: two “electoral policia” for sanitary spraying the hands of each voter and to resolve any issues; three people verifying voter ID, recording the signature, and passing out the ballot; two or more “fiscal” from different parties who monitored the process. At each voting center, there were two co-coordinators. At all positions there were equal numbers of men and women.

All election staff wore vests or t-shirts with their official role as part of the Supreme Electoral Council. In Nicaragua this organization is independent of the government and responsible for organizing the election nationwide.

All voters wore masks and proceeded without difficulty, one person at a time. The process was clear: show your identity card and confirm that you are registered to vote in this station; receive an official ballot; mark your choices on the ballot (secretly); deposit your ballot in the ballot box; receive your identity card back;   have your finger painted to indicate you have voted and to prevent double – voting.

The paper ballots were counted at the voting station and verified by all the party representatives. The results were then transmitted electronically to the Supreme Electoral Council headquarters for tabulation of the final results.

Media accusations that FSLN leader Daniel Ortega was running unopposed are blatantly false. The voting ballot was clear and showed six competing parties.  Media reports that the population is fearful of President Daniel Ortega are laughably false and disproven by the large turnout. The final results show a turnout of 65% of registered voters with about 75% of those voting for FSLN.

We asked “fiscal” monitors representing both the Sandinista Front and opposition parties if there had been any problems. Each time they said the process was proceeding calmly -“Todo tranquilo”.  One would-be voter said he had moved and not been able to register his new location because he was too busy working. The voting staff calmly said, “Sorry, you had months to register your new location. You will have to vote at your old residence voting station.”

We asked numerous voters why they were voting. The answers were that the country’s leadership matters, the constitution requires it, and to protect Nicaraguan sovereignty.  “Sovereignty” and “peace” were the most common responses.
It is ironic and hypocritical that US media and politicians, who reject any question regarding the integrity of the US election, smear the Nicaraguan election based on false information. Biased media and information censorship are a major cause of the lack of knowledge and ability of major news outlets to repeat nonsense without correction. An example: While we were in Nicaragua, one of our team members, Dr. Tim Bood from Halifax Canada, was banned from Facebook just for posting a message regarding US interference in Nicaragua.

Washington politicians carry on the long tradition of US interference and aggression against Nicaragua. A few days before the election, the US Senate passed the RENACER Act imposing more sanctions based on false information about the election process in Nicaragua.

The high turnout and vote for the FSLN in the Nicaraguan election shows that the Nicaraguan people are not intimidated by Washington’s bullying and threats.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

From LA to Bogotá to London, global mayors unite to deliver critical city momentum to world leaders tasked with keeping 1.5 degree hopes alive at Glasgow’s COP26

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

A press release from C40 Cities

In Glasgow today (November 2), Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti announced the successful delivery of UN-backed Cities Race to Zero campaign before handing the baton as C40 chair to his successor London Mayor Khan, who outlined his bold new vision for leveraging what cities can deliver in the fight against climate change.

As the world seeks to turn climate action commitments into tangible emissions reductions within the next decade, cities have emerged as enthusiastic and ambitious engines of the global energy transition. Under Mayor Garcetti’s leadership, more than 1,000 cities and local governments have joined the Cities Race to Zero to raise climate ambition and put the world on track to halve emissions within the next decade, and reach net-zero no later than 2050.

(Global city partners C40, ICLEI, the Global Covenant of Mayors, CDP, UCLG, WRI and WWF, are working together to recruit 1,000 cities to the Race to Zero.)

The 1049 cities and local governments signing onto the Race to Zero represent 722 million people and will pursue ambitious climate action in line with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5℃ – the global standard for climate action. New estimates from Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy show that this collective action has the potential to reduce global emissions by at least 1.4 gigatons annually by 2030.

C40 Mayors’ presence at COP26 is the culmination of years of visionary climate leadership from local leaders who have leveraged their influence to bolster global climate ambition. Under Mayor Garcetti’s chairmanship, C40 mayors have promoted their vision for a Global Green New Deal, which aims to place inclusive climate action at the centre of all urban decision-making to create healthy, accessible, liveable, and sustainable cities for all.

In his first public speech as C40 Chair-elect, Mayor Khan committed to align C40’s budget and staffing behind efforts to tackle air pollution worldwide and support emissions reduction strategies particularly in Global South cities who are at the frontline of climate impacts – putting social justice at the heart of his vision for C40 cities.

As Chair, Mayor Khan will commit two thirds of C40’s budget to support climate action and green recovery efforts in Global South cities experiencing the worst impacts of the climate crisis.

Mayor Khan also announced an expansion of the C40’s Global Green New Deal program funded by the Open Society Foundations, which will direct additional funding to increase the number of cities working in partnership with trade unions, young people and community organisations to ensure climate action benefits everyone.

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Question related to this article:
 
How can culture of peace be developed at the municipal level?

Despite the vested interests of companies and governments, Can we make progress toward sustainable development?

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Mayor Khan will also bring his visionary work to tackle air pollution in London to the broader C40 network, expanding Breathe Global, based on his flagship air quality monitoring programme Breathe London, to C40’s almost 100 member cities, as well as targeted, high-level support for seven megacities where air pollution is highest to bring down pollution levels. Last week Mayor Khan oversaw the 18-fold expansion of London’s Ultra-Low Emission Zone, his world-leading initiative to reduce vehicle pollution, which now covers an area with almost four million residents. The introduction of the scheme has led to Londoners moving to cleaner vehicles, with more than 87 per cent of vehicles seen in the zone now compliant with the new green standards.

C40 Cities Chair and Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, said: “Today, more than 1,000 cities stood united around a historic commitment to make this decade one of exponential action toward a green and just future. Cities are leading the way to save our planet, invest in our people, and leave no one behind — and I’m proud to stand with incoming Chair Khan and this global coalition of mayors who have come together to show the world what’s possible.”

C40 Cities Chair-elect and Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Cities are leading the way when it comes to tackling the climate emergency and I am committed to doing more to support cities in the global south, which are on the frontline – facing the worst consequences of climate change. I want to ensure C40’s resources help all C40 cities around the world speed up their efforts to tackle the climate emergency, toxic air pollution and address inequalities within and between our cities with inclusive climate action. That’s why I’m expanding C40’s Global Green New Deal programme and announcing that our next budget will see two thirds of our total funding allocated to the Global South.

“The world is at a crossroads. We must ensure we help cities around the globe become greener, fairer and more sustainable, and convince national governments to unleash the potential of cities with powers and additional investment to boost our green economies and accelerate climate action.”

Michael R. Bloomberg, UN Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions, Founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Global Ambassador for the Race to Zero and Race to Resilience Campaigns said: “Cities are on the frontlines of the climate crisis and they’re leading the way in finding and implementing the solutions we need to confront it head-on. Mayors are also playing a critical role in pushing world leaders to take action at the national level – through their words, and by providing a blueprint for countries to follow. With more than 1,000 cities now working together to raise their climate ambitions and meet their goals, cities and mayors have never been more influential in the global fight against climate change.”

Mayor of Bogotá, Claudia López Hernández, said: “As mayors gather in Glasgow, the influential C40 network of global cities should be proud of its historic leadership under Mayor Garcetti and excited about the visionary future represented by Mayor Khan. I look forward to continuing this important work with colleagues around the world to create greener, healthier, more inclusive cities that drive the large-scale collective action essential to constraining global warming to 1.5 degrees.”

Mark Watts, Executive Director of C40 Cities, said: “Under the leadership of Mayor Eric Garcetti, C40 cities around the world have taken climate ambition and action to new heights. From standing up a Global Green New Deal, securing ambitious, science-based commitments from more than 1,000 cities, and urging national leaders to invest in a green and just pandemic recovery, Mayor Garcetti has been instrumental in cementing cities’ place as global climate leaders. As we look towards 2030 and turning commitments into tangible progress, Mayor Khan’s bold vision for the C40 Cities network will be critical to moving us towards our goal to limit global warming to 1.5C and secure the future we want.”

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, global, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Cities in Spain, USA and Japan press their national governments to support nuclear disarmament

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

Excerpts from the newsletter of Mayors for Peace

The October newsletter of Mayors for Peace includes several examples of cities pressing their governments to support nuclear disarmament.


Spain

The City of Granollers, headed by Mayor Mayoral, has invited Catalan cities to support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) as well as recruited them to join Mayors for Peace. Whenever the occasion arises, Mayor Mayoral and the city staffers always promote Mayors for Peace and the TPNW to other cities. Over the last couple of months, Mayor Mayoral called different mayors in Catalonia to urge them to approve a motion in which they recognize the danger posed by nuclear weapons, to show solidarity with the people and communities affected by their impact, and to call on the Spanish Government to sign and ratify the TPNW. The motion has been adopted by 59 localities in Catalonia, as well as the Barcelona Provincial Council, which represents more than half of the population of Catalonia.

To read the full text of the report, please visit this link.

United States

On September 23, 2021, the Back from the Brink campaign released an Open Letter signed by over 300 local, county and state officials in 41 U.S. states. The letter, directed to President Biden and the U.S. Congress, welcomes the entry-info-force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and “urge[s] bold action and U.S. leadership in the pursuit of global, verifiable nuclear disarmament and concrete policy steps to reduce and eliminate the severe danger nuclear weapons pose to each and every one of our constituents – and all of humanity.”

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Question related to this article:
 
Can we abolish all nuclear weapons?

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

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Signatories include Mayors for Peace Vice President, Mayor Frank Cownie of Des Moines, Iowa and twelve other U.S. members of Mayors for Peace. The letter signers hope to influence the Biden administration’s Nuclear Posture Review, the document that sets U.S. nuclear policy.

The Back From the Brink campaign calls on the United States to:
Actively pursue a verifiable agreement among nucleararmed states to eliminate their nuclear arsenals;
• Renounce the option of using nuclear weapons first;
• End the sole, unchecked authority of any president to launch a nuclear attack;
• Take U.S. nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert; and
• Cancel the plan to replace the entire US arsenal with enhanced weapons at a cost of more than $1 trillion over the next 30 years.

The campaign has been endorsed by 53 U.S. municipalities, six state legislative bodies, and over 380 organizations including the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Read the Open Letter and full list of signatories here: Open Letter | Back from the Brink (preventnuclearwar.org)

Japan

On October 4, Fumio Kishida, a member of Japan’s lower House of Representatives representing the A-bombed city of Hiroshima, was elected as Japan’s 100th prime minister. The arrival of a new leader who advocates the realization of a “world without nuclear weapons” and calls nuclear disarmament his “life’s work” has led to growing expectations for the future. At the same time, some have voiced their concerns about how far Mr. Kishida can achieve concrete progress under the current circumstances in which Japan adheres firmly to a policy of reliance on nuclear deterrence for security.

The first touchstone is the momentous first meeting of the States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), scheduled to be held in March next year. Japan’s national government did not participate in meetings to negotiate the treaty’s establishment in 2017. At the time, Mr. Kishida was the Japan minister for foreign affairs. Even after TPNW’s entry into force in January this year, the Japanese government did not change its stance of refusing to sign and ratify the treaty. In the A-bombed cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, there are forceful calls for the government to participate in some capacity in the meeting, because non-signatory nations also have the right to attend the meeting as “observers.”

Setsuko Thurlow, an A-bomb survivor living in Canada, and Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), have respectively sent Mr. Kishida a letter to the effect that they are looking forward to meeting him at the meeting’s conference hall in Vienna, Austria. Switzerland and Sweden, non-participants in the treaty for the time being, are said to have expressed their intent to attend the meeting as observers. We will continue to keep our eyes focused on the actions of “the only nation in the world to have experienced nuclear attacks in wartime.”

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, global

Mexico: Women who weave communities of peace in Chihuahua

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article by Eugenia Coppel in Milenio

Urbivillas del Prado and Riberas del Bravo in Ciudad Juárez illustrate how the strategy of Women Builders of Peace (MUCPAZ) operates, a federal program that by March of this year has reached 107 municipalities in 27 entities.


Until just a year ago, the Urbivillas del Prado subdivision, on the southern outskirts of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, was a group of gray houses, with streets full of rubble, tires and garbage, and without adequate public spaces for meetings between neighbors. . “It was sad because everyone was on her own,” says Mari Velázquez, a teacher who has lived in this neighborhood for 12 years with her husband and her two children.

“Right now it’s another world, it’s totally changed,” says Velázquez, one of the women leaders who has promoted the transformation of her environment, proudly. The most obvious change is the colors that illuminate the facades of about 90 percent of the buildings, which were painted by the community itself, and with special enthusiasm of the girls and boys, says Mari Velázquez.

The strength of the neighborhood organization is also reflected in cleaner streets, in a park without rubble and in the trees planted there; on the newly demarcated soccer field and on the now colorful tires that serve as games for children. Also in the kermesses, collective harvests, piñata workshops, boxing classes, mental health campaigns and initiatives for the prevention of gender violence and addictions, among other activities that began to take place this same year.

For Mari Velázquez, the most important thing that has been generated is the union between neighbors, which grows stronger every day. “Before it was just a greeting and that’s it, but now we have more communication, more friendship; We are committed to working together to seek solutions to the problems we have, working together with women, men, girls and boys, ”says the president of the newly formed Urbivillas coalition.

The former governor of Chihuahua himself, Javier Corral, recognized the efforts of Mari and the entire community in an event held in August 2021, a few weeks before she ended her term.

In front of one of the many walls transformed into multicolored murals, the politician described the subdivision as a “referential model that can serve not only many other areas of Juárez but of the country.”

Corral gave thanks personally for the design of the project, as well as for the coordination of the participating public and private actors to Eunice Rendón, expert in public policy and international consultant on security, migration and bioethics issues.

Eunice Rendón works as an external advisor to governments in the creation of strategies to prevent violence and addictions. One of the federal programs with which she collaborates is Mujeres Constructoras de Paz (MUCPAZ), of which the Urbivilla project is part.

As an activist for the rights of migrants she has implemented projects of the same program in another neighborhood of Juárez, Riberas del Bravo, as well as in municipalities of Oaxaca, Tlaxcala and the State of Mexico.

In an interview, Eunice Rendón explains that she designed a protocol based on the Women Builders of Peace program, where she detailed the step by step to achieve a successful operating experience in any municipality in Mexico. This includes a baseline, a follow-up evaluation and different possible scenarios in the process of articulating a community, in conjunction with municipal, state, federal, private sector and society actors.

Women in peace processes

In the Global Peace Index 2021, Mexico ranks 126th out of a list of 161 countries, with the latter being the most violent.

For Johan Galtung, one of the most important theorists in peace studies and director of the International Peace Research Institute, peace is not only defined as the absence of conflicts, but as the positive transformation of them. Generating positive peace means creating harmonious relationships between two or more parties to the conflict and undertaking community projects.

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(Click here for the original article in Spanish.)

Questions related to this article:

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

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

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Also, the international community has recognized that women are agents of change and that their participation is essential in peacebuilding processes. In 2000, the United Nations Security Council approved resolution 1325, which urges women to actively participate in achieving lasting peace processes.

The MUCPAZ strategy, which starts from these bases, was launched in 2019 by the National Institute of Women (Inmujeres) and the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP). Its objective is to incorporate a human rights perspective in Mexican municipalities, promote gender equality and empower women to contribute to peace processes.

According to data from the Mexican government, as of March 2021, 217 networks of Women Peacebuilders have been implemented, with the participation of 3,510 women in 107 municipalities and 27 states, with an investment of more than 123 million pesos.

During the inauguration of the program in the Venustiano Carranza mayor’s office, in Mexico City, the head of Inmujeres, Nadine Gasman, emphasized that MUCPAZ consists of preventive work, rather than direct care for victims of gender violence, since that work corresponds to other instances. What the strategy seeks is to influence “the reconstruction of communities and the reestablishment of the social fabric,” said the official.

Some results are already visible in the two neighborhoods of Ciudad Juárez where the pilot projects were launched. Eunice Rendón talks about the various activities that have been carried out in these territories, starting with the main thing, which is the formation of networks of women, but also of men, young people, girls, boys and adolescents.

From there, courses and workshops have been offered on the basic principles of gender, on how to contact various authorities and / or report violence, or on how to carry out productive projects. Through community activities, such as soccer, hip-hop or mechanics, the theme of positive masculinities among young men is introduced.

Both in Urbivillas del Prado, as in Riberas del Bravo – one of the neighborhoods where the highest rates of feminicides and sexual violence are registered in Juárez – the most successful activities have been those that have to do with providing women with tools for their productive development, with courses, workshops, certifications and creation of cooperatives.

“You cannot ask for gender empowerment if women are financially dependent on the aggressor; that is what often slows them down. The other learning is enhanced when there is something that can give them an economic possibility, ”says Eunice Rendón.

Feminist rice pudding

A 40-second video illustrates the type of work that has been done in the Riberas del Bravo neighborhood. In it a group of girls and boys appears singing and dancing a feminist version of a popular children’s round: “Rice pudding / I want to find / a partner who wants to dream / who believes in herself / who goes out to fight / to conquer the dream of more freedom “…

“It is part of the empowerment process,” says Yadira Cortés, coordinator of the Red Mesa de Mujeres, in whose Facebook account the video can be found.

This network is a civil association that since 2004 works for gender equality and non-violence against the women of Ciudad Juárez. Since 2017, it has been present in Riberas del Bravo, where it has focused on the training of women leaders and has just joined the MUCPAZ network.

Cortés explains that the work that she and her colleagues have carried out is very similar to the proposal of the federal program, and considers that by joining this larger network, her intervention methodology has been strengthened and focused. “We were already working on violence prevention and now we are also working on peace-building issues,” says the activist and professor at the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juárez.

Riberas del Bravo, in the description of Yadira Cortés, is a peripheral colony where there is no industry or medical services; the ambulance does not arrive and the police units almost never pass; the pavement is in poor condition, public transportation is poor and scarce, and there are high rates of drug use and violence.

For this reason, the Red Mesa de Mujeres highlights the importance of training women leaders in this area. “We started with the idea of ​​building a group of ten women and we already have 65 of all ages,” says the activist.

“They are women who are already known in the community: the lady who always talks to the police, the one who reports on support programs or the coordinator of the chapel. Other women identify them and are a point of reference ”.

Finding and activating these natural leaders and helping them continue to work in a self-managed way is the main purpose of MUCPAZ, in the opinion of the specialist Eunice Rendón. The strategy has shown that through them it can have a positive impact on different levels of daily life in the community.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY