4th Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security in Africa

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from Panapress

The 4th Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security in Africa ended on Tuesday afternoon in Diamniadio, Senegal, after two days of work marked by a high-level panel led by Presidents Macky Sall of Senegal, Paul Kagame of Rwanda, and Ibrahima Boubacar Keita of Mali.

The three heads of state particularly emphasized the need for Africa to rely first on itself to ensure its security before appealing to the international community.


(From l) Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame, Senegal’s president Macky Sall, Mali’s president Ibrahima Boubacar Keita and AU Commission head Moussa Faki Mahamat at the opening of the Peace and Security forum in Dakar. By SEYLLOU (AFP)

“We must commit ourselves to solving our problems before resorting to foreign aid. I do not believe that Africa’s defense will come from outside. I do not believe it. Africa must first take charge of its security and our partners will come in support,” said President Sall.

The Prime Minister of Chad, Albert Pahimi Padacké, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AU), Moussa Faki Mahamat, the French Minister of Armed Forces, Ms. Florence Parly, and the Deputy Minister at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs , Masahisa Sato, also took part in this panel.

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

Question for this article

Islamic extremism, how should it be opposed?

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The Prime Minister of Chad, Albert Pahimi Padacké, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AU), Moussa Faki Mahamat, the French Minister of Armed Forces, Ms. Florence Parly, and the Deputy Minister at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs , Masahisa Sato, also took part in this panel.

The sentiment of the three heads of state is shared by Padacké who highlighted the efforts made by his country to help its neighbors, Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon, to fight against Bokko Haram, which is rampant in the Lake Chad Basin.

“We have to rely on ourselves first, because the security of the continent and Africans are at stake. It is our responsibility to protect our countries and our people. We can always appeal to the international community, but we must not depend on it,” he said.

“Chad does not host any terrorist organization, but it was the first to intervene in Mali and devotes significant resources to the fight against terrorism that is raging among its neighbors,” he said, wondering how long his country can hold out if its efforts are not supported?

However, they all recognize the need for subregional and global cooperation to fight terrorism, particularly in Africa.

Discussions focused on several themes including terrorism and violent extremism, Africa and emerging security challenges, migration and security challenges, the fight against terrorist financing, maritime security and safety in Africa, as well as cybersecurity, information governance and the digital space.

This “Mature Forum” was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and by Senegalese from abroad with the support of the French Ministry of Defense and many other partners.

Placed this year under the theme “Security Challenges in Africa: for integrated solutions”, the meeting brought together “more than 400 participants” including regional and international actors, political and military authorities, experts, academics, diplomats, representatives of international organizations and civil society.

The organization of the forum was decided in December 2013 in Paris during a France-Africa summit on the fight against terrorism.

Africa, DISARMAMENT & SECURITY

Burkina Faso: A forum talks about peace

. TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article by Irmine Kinda for Burkina 24

The first international youth forum on the culture of peace is taking place this Wednesday, November 15, 2017 in Ouagadougou under the sponsorship of Michel Kafando, former President of Burkina Faso. The forum brings together the different religions to discuss, revisit the holy texts, see what these texts say about the peace, and to promote peaceful coexistence in spite of religious differences.

The background of this first forum is the African initiative of education for peace and development through interfaith and intercultural dialogue launched in Cotonou in May 2015 and the historic UN Security Council Resolution 2250 on youth, peace and security. Organizers include the Burkina Faso Interfaith Youth Network (BFIYN) and the JEC (Jeunesse Etudiante Catholique du Burkina Faso).

The forum gathers from November 15 to 18, 2017 young participants of various religions. While recognizing the need for military action in the fight against growing terrorism, they want to bring their touch as sentinels of peace. And to do this, the promoter of the Forum, Henri Kaboré, has retained for this first forum the theme: “Youth committed to a culture of peace through interreligious dialogue”

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

Question related to this article:
 
How can different faiths work together for understanding and harmony?

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For this first edition 120 participants are expected and the coordinator stressed that the focus will be on the representation of young people coming from the various religious denominations including Islam, Christianity and African traditional religion. Young people will have the opportunity to meet, exchange, accept their differences and realize that they are all creatures of God, called to love each other and to protect human life that is sacred.

“Difference is a wealth and not a disadvantage (…). Without peace, there is no development (…). Young people are actors of peace and development “, emphasized the initiator and the coordinator of the Forum, Henri Kaboré.

The forum’s sponsor, Michel Kafando, praised the youth initiative. Indeed, he says, “in a world where youth represents the essential in its number, it is necessary that this youth can truly make its mark in the search for peace. This forum focuses on interreligious dialogue. That means that this youth is aware that our world is disrupted and that our future is youth. By raising the issue and ensuring that through these various meetings, there is a general consciousness so that through exchanges we can find a solution that makes this world more peaceful. I accepted to sponsor this forum because I believe that the youth has a very big role to play “.

The opening of this forum also saw the presence of the deputy Jacob Ouedraogo, president of the commission of laws in the National Assembly and the general secretary of the religion for christ, Dr. Francis Kayena. The two co-chairs of the forum congratulated and encouraged the young people and said they would spare no effort to accompany them in the quest for peace.

Africa, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Historic peacebuilding program launches in Bosnia and Herzegovina

. TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article from the Catholic News Agency

When Pope Francis visited Bosnia and Herzegovina two years ago, he found a country still healing from a devastating conflict two decades earlier. The three-year Bosnian War killed around 100,000 people and displaced a million more. Although ethnic and religious violence tapered off after the peace treaty of 1995-96, deep cultural and religious divides are enduring.

Now, a historic master’s program has been created in Sarajevo that primarily focuses on Interreligious Studies and Peacebuilding, taught by the three major theological seminaries of Catholic, Islamic and Orthodox thought.

“This program represents efforts of the three faculties to work, on a scientific basis, on peace-building and reconciliation in this country,” said Darko Tomasevic, the dean of the Catholic Theological Faculty at the University in Sarajevo.

“Above all, we want to ensure as good a foundation as possible for a better future for Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the capacity that we, as institutions within religious communities and churches, can provide,” Tomasevic said.

The first of its kind in the region, the master’s program was coordinated by Catholic Relief Services, in conjunction with the Faculty of Islamic Sciences, the Catholic Theological Faculty and Orthodox Theological Faculty of St. Basil of Ostrog.

According to Zuhdija Hasanovic, the dean of the Faculty of Islamic Sciences at the University in Sarajevo, the program is an effort to be more intentional about healing the country’s divisions with an attitude of respect.

“Each of the faculties works on developing a sense of respect for ‘others,’ or different ones, but this study program is something special and it will, hopefully, yield results,” he said.

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Question related to this article:
 

How can different faiths work together for understanding and harmony?

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The first class began on Oct. 26, and the program will run over the course of the next year. Professors and teachers from all three seminaries will lead the program, which now includes 23 students. The course is aimed at students who are have backgrounds in theology, social sciences and humanities, and are interested in interreligious studies and peacebuilding.

“Joint-study programs like this one offer a unique opportunity to use religious as a catalyst for peace,” stated Marc D’Silva, the CRS country representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“This program will show how religious institutions can train a new generation of religious and civil society leaders to be advocates for a more just and better society,” D’Silva continued.

The master’s program is currently only being offered to local students, but there are hopes of expanding the course to international students. CRS is also promoting scholarships, internships and job opportunities with local government officials and civil society organizations in the country.

The official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the U.S., Catholic Relief Services has had a presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1993, when it began offering emergency relief services to victims of the war in Sarajevo. Post-war, CRS continued to offer aid by helping displaced families return to their homes. The organization has a continued presence in the country today through education, psychological support, rebuilding homes and promoting livelihoods.

Pope Francis’ pastoral visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2015 was seen as an important step in unity, in a nation where religion is closely tied to ethnicity. Forty percent of the country’s 3.8 million population are Muslim/Bosniak and another 40 percent are Orthodox/Serbian. Fifteen percent are Catholic/Croats.

“There is no other foundation on which the culture of peace can be based, but on interreligious dialogue,” stressed Vladislav Topalovic, dean of the Orthodox Theological Faculty “St. Basil of Ostrog” of the University in East Sarajevo.

“It is our only exit, our only path on which we can base that culture of peace, and trust among all of us in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

Europe, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Pope Francis denounces nuclear weapons possession

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from Abolition 2000

On Friday Nov 10, Pope Francis denounced the possession of nuclear weapons, in what appears to be a departure from the Roman Catholic Church’s position of conditional (and temporary) acceptance of nuclear deterrence and mutually assured destruction.


Video of Pope’s address to conference

In a presentation to participants in a high-profile Vatican conference on nuclear disarmament, including representatives of Abolition 2000 member-organisations and affiliated networks, Pope Francis said that ‘humanity cannot fail to be genuinely concerned by the catastrophic humanitarian and environmental effects of any employment of nuclear devices. If we also take into account the risk of an accidental detonation as a result of error of any kind, the threat of their use, as well as their very possession, is to be firmly condemned.”

‘Pope Francis is taking a pro-active approach toward nuclear disarmament which is to be commended, celebrated and supported’ says Alyn Ware, Co-convener of the Abolition 2000 Interfaith working group and a participant in the conference. ‘This should give encouragement to people of all faiths – and also non-religious people – to feel new hope and to be inspired to act for nuclear abolition.’

Pope Francis did not directly criticize world leaders such as U.S. President Donald Trump, who has openly threatened nuclear war with North Korea over that country’s continuing development of nuclear arms. However, he remarked that “International relations cannot be held captive to military force, mutual intimidation, and the parading of stockpiles of arms. Weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons, create nothing but a false sense of security. They cannot constitute the basis for peaceful coexistence between members of the human family.”

While previous popes have strongly called for the abolition of nuclear weapons, in general they also granted conditional moral acceptance to the system of nuclear deterrence. Pope John Paul II, for example, said in a message to the U.N. in June 1982 that the system of deterrence could be judged “morally acceptable” as “a step on the way toward a progressive disarmament.”

The exception was Pope Benedict XVI who also condemned the possession of nuclear weapons: ‘One can only encourage the efforts of the international community to ensure progressive disarmament and a world free of nuclear weapons, whose presence alone threatens the life of the planet and the ongoing integral development of the present generation and of generations yet to come’.

Jonathan Granoff, President of the Global Security Institute, proposed that Pope Francis turn his condemnation of nuclear weapons into church doctrine by including this in a papal encyclical. The encyclical Pacem in Terris released by Pope John XXIII, accepts nuclear weapons as a deterrent. The encyclical Laudato si, released by Pope Francis in 2015, notes the risks of nuclear weapons but does not condemn possession outright.

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Question related to this article:

Can we abolish all nuclear weapons?

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“The church should be saying the ethic of nuclear deterrence is not morally warranted any longer,” said San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy, who also serves as a member of the U.S. bishops’ committee on international justice and peace. McElroy pointed to the fact that the conditional acceptance of deterrence was given with the understanding that the nations of the world would gradually move to disarm.

The Vatican conference, brought together Nobel Peace laureates, government representatives, religious leaders, United Nations officials, academics, and non-governmental representatives.This included leaders from ICAN, which is the 2017 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for their actions to promote and achieve the treaty.

Cardinal Peter Turkson, the head of the Vatican dicastery, said that the participants at the event had gathered “for a very candid conversation about how to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. This conversation is urgently needed, given the current tensions among nuclear weapons states and given the tensions between nuclear weapons states and states seeking to become nuclear weapons states.”

The new Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was a key topic at the conference. Many of the participants commended the Vatican for being one of the three signatories that have already ratified the agreement. However, it was also recognised that none of the nuclear powers and no NATO members have signed on to the measure.

Mexican Ambassador Jorge Lomonaco, one of the leaders of the initiative to achieve the treaty, said that the treaty was one of the ‘jigsaw pieces of the framework required to achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world.’ He noted that this is a contribution that non-nuclear States have made. He urged everyone to move beyond divisions about the treaty – to end the debate on whether one supports it or not – and work now on the other pieces of the jigsaw, especially those pieces requiring action by the nuclear-armed and allied states.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, told the conference their considerations were taking place during a “decidedly disheartening state of affairs” across the world.

‘In such a fractious and uncertain world there are many voices that contend the time is not ripe for disarmament and that weapons provide security. There is an insinuation that disarmament is a utopian dream,’ said UN High Representative Izumi Nakamitsu. ‘However, I believe that quite the opposite is true. In a fractious and uncertain world, more than ever we need disarmament as a diplomatic key to unlock the door to peaceful solutions.’

Cardinal Parolin noted that 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Populorum progressio, which proposed that the world’s governments set aside a portion of their military spending for a global fund to relieve the needs of impoverished peoples. Paraphrasing the encyclical, Parolin stated: “Is it not plain to everyone that such a fund would reduce a need for those other expenditures that are motivated by fear [or] stubborn pride? Countless millions are starving. We cannot approve a debilitating arms race.”

“Nuclear armament is never an appropriate policy to achieve a long-term basis for peace,” said Cardinal Turkson. “And true security is not found in the size of our military or the number of weapons we possess, but when every human need for food, for housing, for healthcare, for employment and dignity is met — that’s when we begin to fashion peace.”

A number of Abolition 2000 member-organisations are active in the Move the Nuclear Weapons Campaign which acts to cut nuclear weapons budgets and re-direct these resources for social, environmental and economic needs. This includes actions in legislatures of the nuclear-armed States to slash nuclear weapons budgets. It also includes actions that can be taken by governments, cities, churches, universities, banks and others to end investments in corporations manufacturing nuclear weapons See Abolition 2000 working group on Economic Dimensions of Nuclearism.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, global

USA: Fearing Trump, Congress Holds First Hearing in Decades on President’s Nuclear Authority

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article by Jessica Corbett in Common Dreams (reprinted according to provisions of Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License)

Despite Sen. Bob Corker’s (R-Tenn.) insistence that the congressional hearing on Tuesday about the authority to use nuclear weapons “is not specific to anybody,” it is the first hearing on this topic in decades, and comes at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump seems to have made a sport out of taunting North Korea’s leader as his nation advances its nuclear abilities.


Youtube video of Congressional hearings

Even before Trump took office and started threatening North Korea with “fire and fury,” the Pentagon had developed a $1.7 trillion plan > under Barack Obama “to build a new generation of nuclear-armed bombers, submarines, and missiles, as well as new generations of warheads to go with them”—even though, as William Hartung describes in an excerpt from his new book about nuclear weapons, “in every sense of the term, the U.S. nuclear arsenal already represents overkill on an almost unimaginable scale.”

Trump’s behavior throughout his campaign and presidency has heightened concerns about the threat of nuclear annihilation and has, for months, provoked global demands that the U.S. Congress strip Trump of his nuclear authority. “A tough-guy attitude on nuclear weapons, when combined with an apparent ignorance about their world-ending potential,” writes Hartung, “adds up to a toxic brew.”

Thus, advocates of nuclear disarmament welcomed the decision by Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to hold the first nuclear authority hearing since 1976. Several groups and individuals offered real-time analyses and critiques of the testimonies, tweeting with the hashtag #NoRedButton.

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Question for this article:

Are we more than ever in danger of perishing in a nuclear war?

(See responses below)

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A key takeaway seemed to be the president’s sweeping authority over whether the U.S. ever uses its nuclear weapons—and, as Ploughshares Fund president Joe Cirincione put it, “If a crazy president orders a legal nuclear strike from one of the already vetted war plans, there is no one that can stop him.”

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said members of Congress are concerned the president “is so unstable, is so volatile” that under the current authorization process, “he might order a nuclear weapons strike that is wildly out of step with U.S. national security interests.”

As Bloomberg News outlined—with help from Global Zero co-founder and nuclear expert Bruce G. Blair—earlier this year, despite brief consultation with military and civilian advisers, the commander-in-chief “has the sole authority to use nuclear weapons.”

“About five minutes may elapse from the president’s decision until intercontinental ballistic missiles blast out of their silos, and about fifteen minutes until submarine missiles shoot out of their tubes,” Bloomberg notes. “Once fired, the missiles and their warheads cannot be called back.”

“Trump can use the nuclear codes just as easily as he can use his Twitter account,” Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) quipped during the hearing.

“There may be plans in place, right now, at the White House, to launch a preemptive war with North Korea using nuclear weapons—without consulting Congress,” Markey added. “No one human being should ever have the power.”

Earlier this year, Markey and Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) introduced legislation that would prevent the president from launching a nuclear first strike without a declaraton of war by Congress, with Markey saying at the time that “neither President Trump, nor any other president, should be allowed to use nuclear weapons except in response to a nuclear attack.”

Although the bill has been praised as fears continue to mount in the U.S. and beyond, many critics of nuclear weapons point to it as merely, in the words of Global Zero executive director Derek Johnson, “an important first step to reining in this autocratic system and making the world safer from a nuclear catastrophe.”

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, North America

Creating a new normal, students across Bangladesh say no more sexual harassment

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from UN Women

Women, everywhere, have had enough. Around the world, they are saying #metoo, no longer willing to suffer sexual harassment in silence. In cities across Bangladesh, sexual harassment against women is a daily reality. A project implemented by the Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association (BNWLA) and UN Women in four major universities is engaging male and female students, as well as teachers, to challenge gender stereotypes, speak out and learn how to prevent sexual harassment. Koyesh Miah from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology and Sumaya Rahman Kanti from the University of Rajshahi, recently spoke to UN Women about their experience. They too, have had enough, and will not be silent bystanders.


caption: Students gather to share their experience and organize to prevent sexual harassment on campus.

It’s simple they say. “Let’s learn to respect women as our equals!” says 23-year-old student Koyesh Miah, from Sylhet.

In homes, schools and public spaces across Bangladesh, women and girls face sexual harassment every day. “Many men in Bangladesh do not see women as equals in any respect. Gender-based violence and harassment is considered normal,” says Miah. “Growing up, we saw discrimination against girls everywhere. They get less food and poorer education than boys; throughout their lives, they receive fewer opportunities than their male counterparts.”

“Before we joined the campaign group, many of us thought [sexual harassment] was harmless fun…We didn’t realize how our behaviour affected women and girls.

Through the campaign, students got the opportunity to hear from their female classmates about the way they feel about sexual harassment. It helped us understand how much this so-called ‘funny’ behaviour humiliated women and girls…how it affects their self-esteem, confidence, mobility and opportunities.

Today I know how to raise my voice against sexual harassment. Whenever and wherever a girl faces harassment in front of me, now I never think twice about protesting.”
 
Until recently, Miah used to be a silent bystander, like many others when other men sexually harassed women. Since participating in the “Building Capacity to Prevent Violence Against Women Project” implemented by UN Women and Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association (BNWLA), things are changing and Miah fully understands the serious ramifications of sexual harassment and is ready to tackle it head on.

The project, which started two years back in October 2015, was initiated in four major universities across Bangladesh—Shahjalal University of Science and Technology in Sylhet, East West University in Jahangirnagar, University of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, and the University of Rajshahiin Rajshahi—with generous support from Embassy of Sweden in Dhaka. The project has set up Sexual Harassment Prevention Committees (SHPC) which meet weekly or monthly, and provide a safe space for students to share their experience and organize to prevent sexual harassment on campus.

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Question related to this article:

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

What role should men play to stop violence against women?

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During one of Miah’s campus meetings, a student shared how her friend was being harassed by a guard outside their hostel. When the harassment escalated, she reported the incident. The guard was transferred, but not fired. Miah uses this case as an example and says “this made us realize how difficult it is for girls to feel safe when someone who is supposed to protect them acts like this.”

On the other side of the country, Sumaya Rahman Kanti, aged 21, from the University of Rajshahi in the north-west part of the Bangladesh, believes that it is crucial to involve men in campaigns against sexual harassment. She says, “men must strongly say no to sexual harassment first and act accordingly. They shouldn’t walk away from any situation where a girl is being harassed, rather, they should take immediate steps to prevent any form of sexual harassment or violence.”

“Women are being harassed regularly regardless of how they look, what they wear, or what their educational or family background is.
There are laws, but no implementation… Women shouldn’t wait for someone to protect them or to speak for them. If we don’t ask for justice, if we don’t ask for change, nobody will come forward.”
 
Kanti knows, first-hand, the impact of sexual harassment: “As a female student, I know how other female students suffer, and the kinds of barriers and obstacles they need to overcome. I have faced this harassment too, and I don’t want any other girl to suffer what I’ve suffered, and I want to make people understand that being born a girl in our society is not a sin.”

UN Women has helped in establishing and expanding on-campus mechanisms in all four universities to prevent violence and support survivors. Sexual Harassment Prevention Committees now manage dedicated telephone hotlines, among other forms of assistance, and have clearly defined procedures for investigations, as well as referrals to university authorities and law enforcement.

“Changing the culture starts with the young,” says Mahatabul Hakim, UN Women Programme Analyst in Bangladesh.. “We started this project because there was an urgent need for an intervention. A survey by UN Women in 2013 showed that 765 female students faced sexual harassment within university campuses in Bangladesh. The project targeted male and female students, so that together they can create a new normal by refusing to accept sexual harassment against women.”

Both Miah and Kanti feel that these campaigns in their campuses have been extremely helpful. Kanti has seen a change on campus and among leaders of student unions, which are affiliated to various political parties. She says, “before the campaign, many political leaders misused their power to harass female students. However, this year they’re involved with our campaign, and they have committed to protest and take necessary actions to prevent any kind of harassment they see around.”

Koyesh Miah agrees, adding: “Today I know how to raise my voice against sexual harassment. Whenever and wherever a girl faces harassment in front of me, now I never think twice about protesting.”

Using theatre, music, arts and sport, students and faculty have engaged 20,000 people in the last two years. The momentum for change continues to build, as more students like Kanti and Miah step in to stop sexual harassment and start challenging the various forms of gender inequality in their daily lives.

As the next step of the programme, UN Women is working with university authorities to strengthen institutional response to violence against women on campus. Safety Audits have been completed in all four universities; authorities will be trained on gender-responsive budgeting, so that appropriate resources are allocated to prevent violence; and accountability mechanisms within universities will also be strengthened.

South Asia, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Mexico: Expanding the Women’s Network against Gender Violence

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from the Heraldo de Coatzacoalcos

As part of the program “Strengthening for Security” (Fortaseg) carried out by the City Council of Coatzacoalcos and the program Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (DIF), under the direction of its Gender Unit, 25 women from the Benito Juárez Norte colony received their certificates as members of the Women’s Network against Gender Violence.

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Question related to this article:

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

(article continued from left column)

The Director of Gender Unit of the DIF, Liliana Alonso Martínez, stressed that more women will be added to the network. Its purpose is outreach to women who have been victims of violence so that they know where to go to request assistance, whether legal, medical or psychological.

Within the framework of this accreditation, dozens of people gathered inside Plaza Forum, to add their signatures against gender violence and in favor of a culture of peace in Coatzacoalcos.

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

Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Peru: Launch of the national extrajudicial conciliation campaign

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from La Republica

The national mega-campaign of the “Week of Extrajudicial Conciliation” began yesterday [November 13]. The purpose of the campaign is to promote and disseminate out-of-court conciliation as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism of the General Directorate of Public Defense and access to Justice in Tacna.

“This is a tool that encourages and forms the culture of peace in our country,” said Christian Fernández, general secretary of the Free Conciliation Center of the Justice Ministry of Tacna.

He also said that the main mission of this process is for the parties involved in a conflict to reach consensual solutions, which are recorded in an act that has a value similar to a judicial decision.

During the week various activities will be carried out to promote this campaign.

(click here for the Spanish version)

Question for this article:
EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Mexico: Marcos Aguilar Inaugurates Forum “Towards a Culture of Peace”

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from the Diario de Querétaro

The municipal president of Querétaro, Marcos Aguilar Vega, inaugurated the first forum of community mediation “Towards a culture of peace” Fortaseg 2017, where state and municipal public servants will learn to promote a social transformation through mediation.


Marcos Aguilar inaugurated the first Community Mediation Forum “Towards a Culture of Peace”, FORTASEG 2017. Photos: Yolanda Longino

After seeing a protest at the first Community Mediation Committee of the Felipe Carrillo Puerto delegation, the mayor said that lack of communication is one of the most recurrent causes of conflicts and crimes that put people’s lives and assets at risk.

The mayor said that if we achieve an assertive communication, that puts the accent on the collective benefit, we will achieve a definitive step for social cohesion and the strengthening of the Rule of Law.

The mayor said that if we achieve an assertive communication, that puts the accent on the collective benefit, we will achieve a definitive step for social cohesion and the strengthening of the Rule of Law.

He said that the objective of the Community Mediation Committee is that citizens on an equal basis have the means to peacefully resolve their conflicts, without jeopardizing the fundamental principles of coexistence and mutual respect.

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(click here for the Spanish version)

Question for this article:

Mediation as a tool for nonviolence and culture of peace

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He said that this government’s commitment is to trust citizens; “To understand each other as fellow citizens is the only way to build a friendly, just and prosperous city.”

“Today more than ever we need a united society that forms a common front against the evils that threaten our well-being such as crime, corruption and the deterioration of the social fabric,” he said.

He pointed out that governments come and go, but citizen initiatives remain; He asserted that a culture of peace will be achieved if each citizen, neighborhood, colony and community live by the fundamental principles that govern the culture of peace.

The Municipal Public Security Secretary, Juan Luis Ferrusca Ortiz said that community mediation is a new way of approaching psychosocial problems; it privileges neighborhood leadership through the creation of committees that promote alternative spaces for peaceful conflict resolution.

He reported that the community mediation model, whose investment is 980 thousand pesos from the resources of Fortaseg 2017, began in several areas of the Felipe Carrillo Puerto delegation.

He said that this model will also be taken to other of the six remaining municipal delegations, encouraging participation in community mediation committees.

Adriana Báez Sosa, who is responsible for the program, stressed that the capital will be a pioneer in the practice of community mediation, which is committed to strengthening the exercise of citizenship.

“This is a great step forward in the municipality of Queretaro, since it recognizes the importance of the community, as well as generating citizen participation, as they are key elements for the solution of conflicts in the community,” she acknowledged.

She indicated that this project started with a diagnosis, followed by the creation of a committee of citizens interested in contributing their time to the community, followed by a process of training, dissemination and operation of these areas.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

El Salvador: Project to promote a culture of peace

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article from La Prensa Grafica (reprinted for non-commercial purposes)

Roberto Rubio, the executive director of the National Foundation for Development (FUNDE), launched the challenge: “We invite you to start changing the country. No more no less”. And that implies, he assured, to imagine “a country in peace.” That is the concept behind the citizen campaign “Préstale tu voz a SAL”, which FUNDE is carrying out with the support of the Seattle Foundation and in alliance with the Espacio Ciudadano network. They are joined by the embassies of the United States of America (USA) and Colombia.

“Small steps matter. The change on a large scale begins with individual commitment, “said the US diplomatic representative, Jean Manes, during the launch of the initiative, on Wednesday night.

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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?

(continued from left column)

On behalf of Colombia, Ambassador Julio Anibal Riaño said that the great example is the city of Medellín, which went from being the face suffered by narcoterrorism to a model of coexistence. “The greatest strength of Medellín is its people,” said the diplomat, referring to the “social re-engineering” that Mayor Federico Gutiérrez executed in the city. “Security,” said the mayor through a video that was transmitted during the launch of the citizen campaign, “is neither left nor right,” but a responsibility of all.

According to Rubio, “Préstale tu voz a SAL” is part of the “Somos Paz” movement, which seeks to promote the culture of peace in El Salvador through all daily activities. He explained that its purpose is to change impunity at all levels of society.

Manes noted that the city of Chattanooga in the United States went from being, in a span of 20 years, “the dirtiest city in America” ​​to receiving recognition from the United Nations for having executed a total transformation. In addition, 10 years later, this model allowed the population of the American city to profit economically. It was only achieved, said Manes, when citizens, NGOs and businessmen got involved in a shared project.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America