Category Archives: Latin America

Mexico: Equality and Inclusion Secretariat and Viral Network Launch Call for Participation in the “Hip Hop for Peace” Project

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from the Government of the State of Nuevo León

To promote support for urban culture, community participation, and violence prevention, the Secretariat of Equality and Inclusion, the Secretariat of Public Security, the Viral Network organization, and the Bendito Estilo collective have invited young people and urban artists from across the country to participate in the national project “Hip Hop for Peace.”

At a press conference held at the Independencia Community Center, Martha Herrera, Secretary of Equality and Inclusion, Pablo Almuli Cassigoli, Project Coordinator for Red Viral, and Jesús Héctor Grijalva, State Advisor on Penitentiary Policy, presented the project that seeks to empower young people and make them protagonists of social change.

The head of the Secretariat of Equality and Inclusion emphasized that the event aims to cultivate peace through artistic expression.

“This is the first time since the Government of Nuevo León has embraced urban culture, that we have managed to use Hip Hop as a public policy tool, as a reintegration strategy, and as an engine for building peace,” explained Martha Herrera.

She added that the voice of young people through music transforms communities from exclusion to integration. The call for applications is primarily aimed at young people throughout Mexico in contexts of exclusion or risk, young people in prisons and community centers in Nuevo León, neighborhood collectives, established artists, teachers, cultural promoters, and anyone who believes in the power of art as a response to violence.

The program seeks to combat the stigma surrounding Hip Hop and channel emotions that rarely find other legitimate spaces for expression, through the creation of original songs with a message of peace.

(Click here for the original article in Spanish.)

(Article continued in the right column)

Question for this article:

What place does music have in the peace movement?

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

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The goal is to assemble a diverse team in each state that combines different disciplines of hip hop: rap, music production, audiovisual production, and graffiti.

During the press conference, the local artists of the Hip Hop for Peace collective were presented: El Jaiper, Chilo Carranza, Nexxo Emme, Tinta Prieta Damisela, Marily Mach, Giga Timba, and Danriv. Representing Community Centers will be the group “BETA HOUSE,” comprised of Ricardo Gerardo Argaiz Garcia “RK,” Roberto Carlos Cruz Martínez “Tyago Cruz,” and Luis Alfredo Moreno Maldonado “Ploki Moreno,” as well as solo artists Marvin Alexis García Cida “Zoket,” José Luis Martínez Bermea “Relyan Bermea,” Raúl Darío Villanueva González “Radio 24 Siete,” and Iván Yahir Castillo Ibarra “Enece.”

The Hip-Hop for Peace project is a joint effort led by Red VIRAL and the Bendito Estilo collective, in partnership with the United Nations (UN), the National Commission for Mental Health and Addictions (CONASAMA), Youth Integration Centers (CIJ), the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection through the Decentralized Administrative Body for Prevention and Social Rehabilitation, and the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property.

Additionally, at the local level, state human rights commissions, security secretariats through state prison systems, cultural secretariats, youth institutes, as well as civil associations and representatives of the private sector have joined the initiative.

Young people, urban artists, collectives, and anyone interested in the call for submissions can send their original song, which should include a message of peace and be up to 5 minutes long.

Participants must send their name, state, age, discipline, and a sample of their work before October 20th to hiphopporlapaz@gmail.com.

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EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

When Maria Corina Machado Wins the Nobel Peace Prize, “Peace” Has Lost Its Meaning

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article by Michelle Ellner from Codepink

When I saw the headline Maria Corina Machado wins the Peace Prize, I almost laughed at the absurdity. But I didn’t, because there’s nothing funny about rewarding someone whose politics have brought so much suffering. Anyone who knows what she stands for knows there’s nothing remotely peaceful about her politics.

If this is what counts as “peace” in 2025, then the prize itself has lost every ounce of credibility. I’m Venezuelan-American, and I know exactly what Machado represents.


If this is what counts as “peace” in 2025, then the prize itself has lost every ounce of credibility. I’m Venezuelan-American, and I know exactly what Machado represents.

She’s the smiling face of Washington’s regime-change machine, the polished spokesperson for sanctions, privatization, and foreign intervention dressed up as democracy.

Machado’s politics are steeped in violence. She has called for foreign intervention, even appealing directly to Benjamin Netanyahu, the architect of Gaza’s annihilation, to help “liberate” Venezuela with bombs under the banner of “freedom,” She has demanded sanctions, that silent form of warfare whose effects – as studies in The Lancet and other journals have shown – have killed more people than war, cutting off medicine, food, and energy to entire populations.

Machado has spent her entire political life promoting division, eroding Venezuela’s sovereignty and denying its people the right to live with dignity.

This is who Maria Corina Machado really is:

° She helped lead the 2002 coup that briefly overthrew a democratically elected president, and signed the Carmona Decree that erased the Constitution and dissolved every public institution overnight.

° She worked hand in hand with Washington to justify regime change, using her platform to demand foreign military intervention to “liberate” Venezuela through force.

° She cheered on Donald Trump’s threats of invasion and his naval deployments in the Caribbean, a show of force that risks igniting regional war under the pretext of “combating narcotrafficking.” While Trump sent warships and froze assets, Machado stood ready to serve as his local proxy, promising to deliver Venezuela’s sovereignty on a silver platter.

° She pushed for the U.S. sanctions that strangled the economy, knowing exactly who would pay the price: the poor, the sick, the working class. 

° She helped construct the so-called “interim government” a Washington backed puppet show run by a self-appointed “president” who looted Venezuela’s resources abroad while children at home went hungry.

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Question related to this article:
 
The Nobel Peace Prize: Does it go to the right people?

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° She vows to reopen Venezuela’s embassy in Jerusalem, aligning herself openly with the same apartheid state that bombs hospitals and calls it self-defense.

° Now she wants to hand over the country’s oil, water, and infrastructure to private corporations. This is the same recipe that made Latin America the laboratory of neoliberal misery in the 1990s.

Machado was also one of the political architects of La Salida, the 2014 opposition campaign that called for escalated protests, including guarimba tactics. Those weren’t “peaceful protests” as the foreign press claimed; they were organized barricades meant to paralyze the country and force the government’s fall. Streets were blocked with burning trash and barbed wire, buses carrying workers were torched, and people suspected of being Chavista were beaten or killed. Even ambulances and doctors were attacked. Some Cuban medical brigades were nearly burned alive. Public buildings, food trucks, and schools were destroyed. Entire neighborhoods were held hostage by fear while opposition leaders like Machado cheered from the sidelines and called it “resistance.”

She praises Trump’s “decisive action” against what she calls a “criminal enterprise,” aligning herself with the same man who cages migrant children and tears families apart under ICE’s watch, while Venezuelan mothers search for their children disappeared by U.S. migration policies.

Machado isn’t a symbol of peace or progress. She is part of a global alliance between fascism, Zionism, and neoliberalism, an axis that justifies domination in the language of democracy and peace. In Venezuela, that alliance has meant coups, sanctions, and privatization. In Gaza, it means genocide and the erasure of a people. The ideology is the same: a belief that some lives are disposable, that sovereignty is negotiable, and that violence can be sold as order.

If Henry Kissinger could win a Peace Prize, why not María Corina Machado? Maybe next year they’ll give one to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation for “compassion under occupation.”

Every time this award is handed to an architect of violence disguised as diplomacy, it spits in the face of those who actually fight for peace: the Palestinian medics digging bodies from rubble, the journalists risking their lives in Gaza to document the truth and the humanitarian workers of the Flotilla sailing to break the siege and deliver aid to starving children in Gaza, with nothing but courage and conviction.

But real peace is not negotiated in boardrooms or awarded on stages. Real peace is built by women organizing food networks during blockades, by Indigenous communities defending rivers from extraction, by workers who refuse to be starved into obedience, by Venezuelan mothers mobilizing to demand the return of children seized under U.S. ICE and migration policies and by nations that choose sovereignty over servitude. That’s the peace Venezuela, Cuba, Palestine, and every nation of the Global South deserves.

Tell the Nobel Committee: The Peace Prize belongs to Gaza’s journalists, not María Corina Machado!

And Join our Venezuela Rapid Response Team!

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DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, global, Latin America,

“Right to Dream” project by Myrian Castello, from Brazil

…. HUMAN RIGHTS ….

Post from email of Glêner Piantino on 25 September.
 
If it is the role of a city councilor to create municipal laws, what is the role of a co-councilor? According to co-councilor Myrian Castello – from the Coletiva Semear São Lourenço – PV, it is to go further and create something greater in the sense of a federal law. On September 24, the co-founder of the NGO Fábrica dos Sonhos had her constitutional amendment bill approved by the Special Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, in Brasília, DF.
 
Entitled “Right to Dream”, the project proposes to include this right as a constitutional amendment, grounded on the legal foundations of the articles of the Federal Constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, all of which defend the right to full freedom of thought.

Widely accepted and approved in its legitimate proposal, the project argues for bringing the dream to the center of the legal, political, and social debate as a public policy, in the face of a context of social inequality, intolerance, discrimination, prejudice, and violations of human rights within the political and economic scenarios we live in.
 
More than an abstract concept, Myrian Castello’s initiative was thorough and incisive in justifying the right of underprivileged classes to achieve the dream of a better future, with new opportunities and real improvements in life.

(Article continued in the right column)

(Click here for the original Portuguese of this post.)

Question related to this article:

What is the state of human rights in the world today?

(Article continued from the left column)

In her speech, Myrian emphasized:
“Our project is a concrete proposal for social transformation. No one should take away from us the power to dream. We have presented an unprecedented bill to make the right to dream a fundamental human right in Brazil. Every human being,” she continued, “regardless of race, gender, age, or place, has the right to dream, imagine, and create realities based on ethics and love. When we defend the right to dream, we are defending what is most precious in human freedom: the possibility to imagine futures, to escape oppression, and to propose new ways of living,” she concluded.
 
Fábrica dos Sonhos is a Civil Society Organization (CSO), multidisciplinary, non-profit, and active in several social fronts. Its projects include education and citizenship, entrepreneurship and income generation, empowerment of youth and women, environment, sustainability, and community culture. Currently, the NGO carries out extensive activities in the municipality of São Lourenço, under the coordination of Alessandra Mattos Ferreira, the current executive secretary of the organization.
 
Myrian Castello is also a co-parliamentarian of the Coletiva Semear-PV candidacy of São Lourenço, represented by councilor Herbert Santo de Lima and also integrated by co-councilors Demian Mendes Lage and Theo Bajgielman Ayres.
 
“The project is the first known record in Minas Gerais — and the first in São Lourenço — of a proposal born within a local NGO being accepted by the Chamber of Deputies to proceed as a Proposed Constitutional Amendment (PEC).”
(Based on Art. 60 of the Federal Constitution and official records of the Chamber for SUG 3/2022 – Fábrica dos Sonhos.)
 #RightToDream #DreamsThatTransform #collectivetrajectory
 
Watch in full.
 
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HUMAN RIGHTS, Latin America

Cuba: International Day of Peace commemorated in schools in Ciego de Ávila

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION .

An article from TV Avila (translated from Spanish by the Google translator)

In a joyful and reflective atmosphere at the Raúl Corales Fornos School in Ciego de Ávila, World Peace Day was commemorated, a day dedicated to promoting nonviolence, mutual understanding, and building a more just and peaceful world.


(Click on image to enlarge)

The event began with a moving musical performance, a reading of a poem about peace by students from different grades, who presented plays, dances, and songs, addressing topics such as the importance of peace, peaceful conflict resolution, respect for diversity, and solidarity among peoples.

(article continued in right column)

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

Question related to this article:

What is happening for the International Day of Peace?

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In their speeches, they emphasized the need to build a world where the values of tolerance, equality, and dialogue prevail. They emphasized the fundamental role of education in promoting peace, highlighting the importance of teaching children and young people to resolve conflicts peacefully and to respect cultural and religious differences.

The students, with messages full of hope and optimism, shared their reflections on peace and the need to build a better future for all. Here, they reaffirmed that, “Peace begins in our hearts,” “Education is the key to a peaceful world,” and “Together we can build a future without violence.”

The event concluded with a message of hope and commitment. Students and teachers from the Raúl Corales Fornos Pedagogical School in Ciego de Ávila reaffirmed their commitment to promoting peace and peaceful coexistence, and called on all members of the community to work together to build a more just and peaceful world for all.

The celebration of World Peace Day in this central province was a reminder of the importance of peace and the responsibility we all have in building it. An event filled with emotions that inspired everyone to work toward a more tolerant, respectful, and supportive world.

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FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

Bolivia: National Network for a Culture of Peace Meets in Sacaba

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An article from Los Tiempos

Under the slogan “I choose to dialogue, I choose to listen,” more than 150 communicators and young people from 40 municipalities will meet this Saturday (3:30 p.m.) in the town of Sacaba. The goal is to strengthen their values, skills, and knowledge about the Culture of Peace and its connection to the exercise of human rights and development, aware that conflict fragments the cohesion of a society and impedes development.

In addition, they will make public their declaration for peace, recognizing their responsibility in conflict prevention and transformation through art and communication.

(Article continued in right column)

(Click here for the original article in Spanish.)

Question related to this article:

How can we develop the institutional framework for a culture of peace?

(Article continued from left column)

Sacaba’s main square will be the stage for the cultural movement, supported by Solidar Suiza and the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) (Peacebuilding Fund).

On Saturday, participants will spread awareness-raising messages and reflect on the culture of peace through communication and art. During the public intervention, they will present plays, rap, performances, and a mural, concluding with their Declaration of Commitment to Peace.

The communicators and young members of the National Network for a Culture of Peace will use their knowledge of communication and art to continue contributing to the culture of peace. They will amplify and disseminate their messages and proposals, generate mobilization in their contexts, and also contribute to the fight against disinformation and hate speech.

This action is part of the Initiative to Consolidate a Culture of Peace in Bolivia, promoted by UNDP with financial support from the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) and implemented by Solidar Suiza in partnership with LanzArte and RedCom.

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DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

Mexico: Cuernavaca City Council Holds the First University Conference on a Culture of Peace in the State of Morelos

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article from the city of Cuernavaca

The Cuernavaca City Council, through the Directorate of Migration and Religious Affairs, held the first University Conference on a Culture of Peace in the State of Morelos, with the purpose of raising awareness among the academic community about the importance of fostering values ​​that strengthen social peace.

(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?

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The event took place in the César Carrizales Auditorium of the Autonomous University of the State of Morelos (UAEM), with the participation of 50 attendees, including students, faculty, and researchers. It was supported by the Interdisciplinary Research Center for University Development (CIIDU) and the Human Rights Commission of the State of Morelos.

During the activities, two roundtable discussions were held with specialists, who discussed various psychological, economic, and social factors that influence the construction of a culture of peace, also providing a space for public participation.

As part of a comprehensive strategy promoted by the Cuernavaca City Council, led by Mayor José Luis Urióstegui Salgado, these workshops will continue to be held in the municipality’s educational and community centers, with the goal of fostering an active citizenry in building a comprehensive peace that encompasses all areas, including the social and educational.

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DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

Mexico: UATx Seeks to Consolidate a Culture of Peace Within Its Community

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from ABC Noticias de Tlaxcala

In Mexico, mediation and restorative justice must become a reality through academic programs in higher education institutions, stated Dr. Patricia Lucila González Rodríguez during the conference Mediation and Restorative Justice from the perspective of gender at the Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala (UATx). The conference is being held at the initiative of the Secretariat of Scientific and Graduate Research and the research centers of this institution.

The UATx seeks to promote reflection, training, and research activities that contribute to reducing structural violence and consolidating an authentic culture of peace for the benefit of society.
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(click here for the original version in Spanish).

Questions for this article:

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

(Article continued from left column)

In her presentation, the specialist explained that cultural change involves the gradual development of new working methods aimed at integrating the culture of peace, including alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.

In welcoming the speaker and the audience gathered in the “Exchange and Mobility Auditorium,” Dr. Margarita Martínez Gómez, Secretary of Scientific Research and Graduate Studies, stated that universities are key spaces that contribute to processes of social transformation by raising awareness and sensitizing the importance of a culture of peace.

In this regard, she emphasized that the Autonomous University of Tlaxcala involves all stakeholders to build a society free of violence, where all members of this community develop skills and tools that allow for the creation of democratic, supportive, and empathetic environments.

The conference was moderated by Dr. Omar Vázquez Sánchez, Coordinator of the Center for Legal-Political Research (CIJUREP). Dr. González Rodríguez is a researcher at the Institute of Legal Research of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, coordinator of the research line “The Accusatory Criminal System in Mexico,” and an expert on crime, violence, human rights, gender, and the accusatory criminal process.

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EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Colombia: At Hague Group Emergency Summit, 30+ Nations Seek to ‘Halt the Genocide in Gaza’

. . HUMAN RIGHTS . .

An article by Brett Wilkins in Common Dreams (reprinted according to Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)

Ministerial delegates from more than 30 nations gathered in the Colombian capital Bogotá Tuesday [July 15] for an emergency summit focused on “concrete measures” to end Israel’s U.S.-backed genocide in Gaza and other crimes against occupied Palestine.

(Editor’s note: According to a followup article, “On the second and final day of an emergency summit in Bogotá, Colombia—which co-chairs the Hague Group with South Africa—the coalition announced a six-point plan for “coordinated diplomatic, legal, and economic measures to restrain Israel’s assault on the occupied Palestinian territories and defend international law at large.”)


Francesca Albanese, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, speaks during the emergency conference of The Hague Group at the San Carlos Palace in Bogotá on July 15, 2025. (Photo: Luis Acosta/AFP via Getty Images)

The two-day Hague Group summit ultimately aims to “halt the genocide in Gaza” and sois led by co-chairs Colombia—which last year severed diplomatic relations with Israel—and South Africa, which filed the ongoing genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) joined by around two dozen countries. Progressive International first convened the Hague Group in January in the eponymous Dutch city, which is home to both the ICJ and International Criminal Court (ICC), whose rulings the coalition is dedicated to upholding.

“This summit marks a turning point in the global response to the erosion and violation of international law,” South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola said ahead of the gathering. “No country is above the law, and no crime will go unanswered.”

Colombian Deputy Foreign Minister Mauricio Jaramillo Jassir said before the summit: “The Palestinian genocide threatens the entire international system. Colombia cannot remain indifferent in the face of apartheid and ethnic cleansing. The participating states will not only reaffirm their commitment to opposing genocide, but also formulate concrete steps to move from words to collective action.

That action includes enforcement of ICC arrest warrants issued last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, his former defense minister, for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza including murder and forced starvation in a war that has left more than 211,000 Palestinians dead, maimed, or missing since October 2023, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Hague Group members Bolivia, Cuba, Honduras, Malaysia, Namibia, and Senegal will attend the summit. Algeria, Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, Chile, China, Djibouti, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Lebanon, Libya, Mexico, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Uruguay, and Venezuela will also take part.

Notably, so will NATO members and U.S. allies Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Turkey. Like Israel, the United States denies there is a genocide in Gaza, despite growing international consensus among human rights defenders, jurists, and genocide experts including some of the leading Holocaust scholars in Israel and the United States.

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Question related to this article:

How can war crimes be documented, stopped, punished and prevented?

How can a culture of peace be established in the Middle East?

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A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department—which has sanctioned ICC judges and United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese for seeking accountability for Israeli crimes—told Jewish News Syndicate Monday that the United States “strongly opposes efforts by so-called ‘multilateral blocs’ to weaponize international law as a tool to advance radical anti-Western agendas.”

The spokesperson added that the Trump administration “will aggressively defend our interests, our military, and our allies, including Israel, from such coordinated legal and diplomatic warfare,” even as U.S. allies take part in the summit.

Undaunted by U.S. sanctions, Albanese is among several U.N. experts who spoke at the summit, which she hailed as “the most significant political development in the past 20 months.

In prepared remarks, Albanese—who earlier this month said that “Israel is responsible for one of the cruelest genocides in modern history”—told attendees that “for too long, international law has been treated as optional—applied selectively to those perceived as weak, ignored by those acting as the powerful.”

“This double standard has eroded the very foundations of the legal order,” she argued. “That era must end.”

According to Albanese:

The world will remember what we, states and individuals, did in this moment—whether we recoiled in fear or rose in defense of human dignity. Here in Bogotá, a growing number of states have the opportunity to break the silence and revert to a path of legality by finally saying: Enough. Enough impunity. Enough empty rhetoric. Enough exceptionalism. Enough complicity. The time has come to act in pursuit of justice and peace—grounded in rights and freedoms for all, and not mere privileges for some, at the expense of the annihilation of others.

The Israeli Mission to the United Nations told Jewish News Syndicate that “what the event organizers, and perhaps some of the countries attending, forget is what triggered this conflict—namely, the butchering of 1,200 innocent souls on October 7, and how 50 Israelis remain in brutal captivity to this day by Hamas in Gaza.”

“Attempting to exert pressure on Israel—and not Hamas, who initiated and are prolonging this conflict—is a moral travesty,” the mission added. “The war will not end while hostages remain in Gaza.”

In addition to the ICC warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, the ICJ—whose ruling in the genocide case is not expected for years—has ordered Israel to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza, to stop blocking lifesaving humanitarian aid from entering the strip, and to halt its assault on Rafah. Israel has ignored all three orders.

“The choice before us is stark and unforgiving,” Colombian President Gustavo Petro wrote in The Guardian last week. “We can either stand firm in defense of the legal principles that seek to prevent war and conflict, or watch helplessly as the international system collapses under the weight of unchecked power politics.”

“While we may face threats of retaliation when we stand up for international law—as South Africa discovered when the United States retaliated for its case at the International Court of Justice—the consequences of abdicating our responsibilities will be dire,” Petro continued. “If we fail to act now, we not only betray the Palestinian people, we become complicit in the atrocities committed by Netanyahu’s government.”

“For the billions of people in the Global South who rely on international law for protection, the stakes could not be higher,” he added. “The Palestinian people deserve justice. The moment demands courage.”

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global, HUMAN RIGHTS, Latin America, Mideast, ,

Mexico: Civil Society in Juárez Promotes Law on a Culture of Peace and Reconciliation in the Country

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article by Jonathan Álvarez in Yo Ciudadano (translation by CPNN)

Organized civil society in Ciudad Juárez is promoting the national consolidation of the General Law on a Culture of Peace and Reconciliation, which will be presented to the Senate of the Republic in the next legislative session in September.

This Wednesday (July 9), a series of dialogues and working groups began at the State Commission on Human Rights (CEDH), with the participation of nearly 25 civil society organizations that contributed their proposals to enrich the law’s content.

The working groups included the topics of disability, gender violence, childhood, youth, and security and justice.

The initiative for the law was promoted by organized civil society in Ciudad Juárez and aims to “inject a culture of peace into the country,” said one of its main promoters, Silvia Aguirre Lomelí, director of the Family Center for Integration and Growth (CFIC).

“With this law, we will educate from preschool to postdoctoral levels in peace strategies such as mediation, restorative justice, rebuilding the social fabric, and emotional literacy,” she explained.

(Article continued in right column)

(click here for the original version in Spanish).

Questions for this article:

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

(Article continued from left column)

Aguirre Lomelí recalled that the idea and need for the creation of the General Law for a Culture of Peace and Reconciliation initiative arose from the effects of one of the most violent periods in Juárez, 2008-2009.

She added that, since the formation of the CFIC association 15 years ago, the need to promote this law was identified after meeting people affected by violence and the pain it generates.

After knocking on several doors with federal public servants, this year the bill was revived by Senator Juan Carlos Loera de la Rosa (Morena), who organized discussions to strengthen the bill.

“This law aims to reach the deepest reaches of society and institutions to foster, from the roots, the establishment of a culture of peace and reconciliation in our country in schools and other institutions,” he stated in an interview.

Loera de la Rosa said the law would be introduced in the next legislative session, which runs from September to December of this year.

For her part, Sandra Ramírez, director of the civil association Colectiva Arte, Comunidad y Equidad, believed the new law should articulate other laws that have justice as a cross-cutting theme.

“Justice must come first to put victims at the center, and with this comes a state of peace (…) it must reflect a state of peace, but not understood as the absence of conflict, but rather as the administration of justice,” she emphasized. She added that the expectation is that the dialogue and promotion of this law will bring the issue of peace and justice back into the public eye.

On the other hand, Leslie Molina, director of the Somos Autistas Juárez association, which serves children with neurodivergences, considered it essential that the law consider the eradication of all forms of discrimination as an important attribute for peace.

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EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

BRICS Summit signs historic commitment in Rio for more inclusive and sustainable governance

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article by Maiva D’Auria from BRICS Brasil

 Foto: Alexandre Brum/BRICS Brasil

On Saturday, 6 July, the leaders of the 11 largest emerging economies signed the Joint Declaration of the 17th BRICS Summit  in Rio de Janeiro.

Entitled “Strengthening Global South Cooperation for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance”, the document seals the group’s commitment to strengthening multilateralism, defending international law, and striving for a more equitable global order.

It reflects months of intense coordination, with over 200 meetings held and 200 new cooperation mechanisms created or reinforced in areas such as eradicating hunger, tackling climate change, and developing emerging technologies.

“We want to reaffirm our commitment to the BRICS spirit of mutual respect and understanding, sovereign equality, solidarity, democracy, openness, inclusion, collaboration and consensus. Building upon the past 17 BRICS Summits, we are now extending our commitment to strengthening cooperation within the expanded BRICS, based on three pillars of cooperation: politics and security, economy and finance, and cultural and people-to-people cooperation. We are also enhancing our strategic partnership to benefit our peoples by promoting peace, a fairer and more representative international order, a revitalized and reformed multilateral system, sustainable development, and inclusive growth,” states one of the 126 commitments made by the leaders.

At the Summit, BRICS member countries reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism and to defending international law, including the purposes and principles enshrined in the UN Charter. The document also calls for the increased participation of developing countries, particularly those in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, in global decision-making processes and structures.

In light of today’s multipolar realities, the countries agreed that it is essential for developing countries to strengthen their efforts to promote dialogue and consultations in pursuit of more just and equitable global governance, and of mutually beneficial relations among nations. “We recognize that multipolarity can create opportunities for developing countries and emerging markets (DCEMs) to realize their constructive potential and benefit from inclusive and equitable economic globalization and cooperation that is universally advantageous. We want to emphasize the importance of the Global South as a driver of positive change, especially amid significant international challenges—including escalating geopolitical tensions, economic slowdown, accelerated technological transformation, protectionist measures and migration challenges.”

Finance

In the financial realm, the 11 countries emphasized the need to increase IMF quotas and World Bank shareholding of emerging and developing countries.

“We want to reiterate that IMF quota realignment should not come at the expense of developing countries, but rather reflect the relative positions of countries in the global economy and increase DCEM quotas”

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Question for this article:

What is the contribution of BRICS to sustainable development?

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Health

When it comes to health, the countries acknowledged the interconnected nature of global health challenges and their cross-border implications. They reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening global health governance by enhancing international cooperation and solidarity.

“We are committed to actively supporting efforts to strengthen the global health architecture by promoting equality, inclusion, transparency, and responsiveness. This ensures that no country is left behind in achieving the health-related Sustainable Development Goals,” BRICS’ joint understanding argues.

Another milestone is the launch of the Partnership for the Elimination of Socially Determined Diseases, which promotes health equity and demonstrates the BRICS’ commitment to addressing the root causes of health disparities, such as poverty and social exclusion.

Artificial Intelligence

For the first time, artificial intelligence (AI) governance plays a prominent role in the BRICS agenda, offering a shared Global South perspective on this innovative technology and bringing economic and developmental aspects to the forefront of the discussion. In their joint declaration, the countries recognize that AI presents a unique opportunity to drive progress toward a more prosperous future. However, to achieve this, global AI governance must mitigate potential risks and meet the needs of all countries, including those in the Global South. “A collective global effort is needed to establish AI governance that upholds our shared values, addresses risks, builds trust, and ensures broad and inclusive international collaboration and access.”

Climate change

In preparation for COP30—also under Brazilian leadership in November—the countries recognized the Tropical Forest Forever Fund (TFFF) as an innovative mechanism to mobilize long-term financing for tropical forest conservation, encouraging ambitious donations from potential partners.

“Our Climate Framework Declaration charts a roadmap for the next five years to transform our capacity to raise resources for fighting climate change. With the collective scale of the BRICS, we will combat the climate crisis while make our economies stronger and fairer,” the document states.

Promoting Peace, Security, and International Stability

One of the pillars of the declaration is its commitment to addressing ongoing conflicts in various parts of the world, and the current polarization and fragmentation of the international order. The leaders express concern over the current trend of sharply rising global military expenditures at the expense of adequate financing for the development of emerging countries. They advocate for a multilateral approach that respects diverse national perspectives and positions on crucial global issues, including sustainable development, hunger and poverty eradication, and global climate action. They also express deep concern over attempts to link security with the climate agenda.

In addition to the traditional leaders’ declaration, three other documents reflecting the priorities of the Brazilian presidency were approved: the BRICS Leaders’ Framework Declaration on Climate Finance, the BRICS Leaders’ Declaration on Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence, and the BRICS Partnership for the Elimination of Socially Determined Diseases. “These initiatives reflect our joint efforts to promote inclusive and sustainable solutions to pressing global issues.”

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