Tag Archives: Latin America

National Autonomous University of Mexico: Encounters and Networks for Peace. Why Talk About a Culture of Peace?

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

On March 25, the National School of Social Work (ENTS) at UNAM hosted the inauguration of the comprehensive project between Civil Society, Academia, and Government: Encounters and Networks for Peace. Why Talk About a Culture of Peace?

Photo: PUCPAZ

The event was organized by the University Program on Culture of Peace and Eradication of Violence (PUCPAZ), in coordination with ENTS; the University Program on Human Rights (PUDH); the Metropolitan Autonomous University (UAM) Iztapalapa Campus; the Rosario Castellanos National University (UNRC); and the Undersecretariat for Peacebuilding, Social Participation, and Religious Affairs of the Ministry of the Interior. Services and Consulting for Peace AC (Serapaz) and the Don Bosco Foundation.

This university initiative seeks to build a shared, analytical, forward-looking, and critical action agenda, aimed at fostering dialogue, identifying best practices, and contributing proposals that inclusively promote progress toward an active society that weaves together knowledge and participates in building a culture of peace.

An Act of Resistance

At the opening ceremony, Leticia Cano, director of PUCPAZ, noted that this gathering is an act of living, everyday resistance, accompanied by dialogues and conversations about experiences, best practices, interventions, and significant contributions, stemming from the challenges faced daily.

“We neither start nor arrive from a vacuum; we reconnect with others in their own territories where the struggle for peace takes place every day, from within the communities, not to talk about them, but with them and from within them, because they are the ones who experience firsthand the contradictions of our time.” Carmen Casas Ratia, director of the ENTS (National School of Social Work), emphasized that it was no coincidence that the meetings began at this academic institution, given the close relationship between social work and a culture of peace.

She also underscored the importance of promoting a positive peace, based on justice, equity, and the satisfaction of needs, as well as addressing the structural causes of violence.

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(Click here for the Spanish original of this article)

Question for this article:

Where is peace education taking place?

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

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For his part, Alfredo Sánchez Castañeda, coordinator of the PUDH (Program for the Development of Human Rights), warned that violence has surpassed the limits of imagination and disproportionately affects the most vulnerable sectors. “It is linked to multiple crises: economic, social, health, migration, and security, which poses the challenge of rethinking the role of educational institutions in peacebuilding.”

Carlos C. Contreras Ibáñez, from the Social Psychology for Peace Project at the UAM (Autonomous Metropolitan University), Iztapalapa Campus, emphasized the need to maintain a constant dialogue between academia, government, and civil society. The latter, in particular, has direct contact with communities and their problems, and maintained that peace must be understood as a collective process.

In turn, Diana Lepe Sánchez, director of Serapaz, shared a community experience that sparked reflection on the type of peace that is being sought. Peace, she said, does not imply silence, but rather the possibility of expressing and addressing the problems of individuals and communities.

José Antonio Sandoval, general director of the Don Bosco Foundation, agreed on the importance of strengthening ties with civil society organizations, whose experiences on the ground allow for a rethinking of peacebuilding strategies. He also highlighted the role of academia in deepening the analysis of community work.

Laura Angélica Cordero, general director of Social Prevention and the Reconstruction of the Social Fabric, representing Rocío Bárcena Molina, Undersecretary of Peacebuilding, Social Participation, and Religious Affairs of the Ministry of the Interior, celebrated the inter-institutional collaboration and noted that peacebuilding is not a recent trend, but a sustained effort. In that regard, she quoted Eleanor Roosevelt: “It is not enough to talk about peace; one must believe in it and work to achieve it.”

Ana María Rosas, general counsel of the UNRC, representing its rector, Alma Herrera Márquez, noted that education plays an essential role in peacebuilding, as it is a means to transform both those who receive it and those who provide it.

Human Rights and Violence

María Dolores González Saravia Calderón, president of the Mexico City Human Rights Commission, gave the opening address, in which she spoke about the challenges to peacebuilding and the guarantee of human rights. She distinguished between positive peace, which is lasting and based on justice, and negative peace, which is imposed and focused on security.

She also defined violence as the use of force to dominate or impose, and emphasized the need to build solutions.

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April 12, 2026EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin AmericaLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

Nonviolence International: What Cuba Taught Us

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An email received at CPNN from Nonviolence International

Dear Friend,

From March 20 to 23, NVI Co-Directors, Michael Beer, Sami Awad, and board member Mohammed Abunimer, joined the Nuestra América Delegation to Cuba as part of a much larger international convoy of more than 600 people from around the world. We came as activists, artists, influencers, faith leaders, and community organizers, united by a simple conviction: the Cuban people should not be left alone under an embargo that continues to punish ordinary life.

The delegation was supported by CODEPINK, Progressive International, Global Health Partners, and Busboys and Poets, alongside a wider network that included The People’s Forum, Cuban Americans for Cuba, and Global Exchange.

It was our first time in Cuba! What we witnessed was not theoretical, was not news reports, was not propaganda.

Havana looks like a movie set from the 1950s! The cars and buildings are stunning — but so run down. During our time there, Cuba continued to experience major electrical outages, part of a broader energy crisis that has left entire neighborhoods in darkness and placed immense strain on daily life. The blackouts are tied to the suffocating impact of the U.S. embargo, including restrictions on oil and essential resources.

In Cuba, this is not an abstract policy debate. It means hospitals under pressure, food and medicine at risk, transportation disrupted, garbage piled in streets, markets shut, restaurants closed, and families forced to survive with less and less.

And yet what we encountered was not defeatism. It was resilience. Generosity. Dignity.

People gathered in the dark. They shared what they had. They played music and sang in the streets. We played spirited mixed-gender ultimate with them (with donated frisbees that Michael brought). That spirit stays with us.

For those of us Palestinians, this was deeply personal. We met with and were inspired by Cuban students and others from around the world including Palestinians. We know what it means to live under systems designed to isolate, weaken, and break a people. We know what it feels like when your suffering is discussed from a distance while you are still living inside it. In Cuba, we recognized something painfully familiar: a people being made to pay the price for refusing to submit.

(Click here for another article about the convoy to Cuba. )

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Question related to this article:

Solidarity across national borders, What are some good examples?

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That is why this trip was not only a solidarity visit with medical relief and aid but also an act of nonviolent defiance.

This said, the convoy defied the embargo and carried real material support.

Around 20 tons of aid were delivered, including food, medicine, solar panels, and bicycles. The delegation we were part of brought thousands of pounds of medical supplies and over a hundred suitcases and boxes of humanitarian aid, all going directly to hospitals and health workers facing severe shortages.

After we returned, the delegation faced attacks and accusations meant to discredit the trip and turn solidarity into suspicion. We reject that.

People can debate politics from afar, but we know what we saw. The US has no problem engaging and trading with the communist parties of Vietnam, China, Nepal, and Laos. We saw a country under enormous pressure. We saw communities enduring blackouts and shortages. We saw doctors, families, churches, and neighbors doing their best to hold life together. And we saw hundreds of people from across the world choosing not to look away.

The embargo is not just policy, it is collective punishment.

What we carried back from Cuba was more than memory, it was clarity.

The Palestine and Cuba siege are connected, and so must be our response.
What can you do?

° Learn. Stay informed. Support organizations like the ones mentioned above.

° Refuse the narratives that justify collective punishment and oppose US unilateral sanctions on Palestine, Cuba and many other countries.

° Use your voice—in your communities, your platforms, your spaces.

° And find ways—big or small—to stand in real solidarity, including joining future delegations. Visit CUBA!

With Nonviolent Defiance,

 Mohammed Abunimer, Michael Beer & Sami Awad

P.S. Please remember to attend our round table Field Testing Israeli Occupation Tech: The Palestine Lab on Sunday, April 19, 2026 3pm ET and see films in advance. This Round Table centers the human impact of this experimentation, examining how Palestinian lives are used as testing grounds for weapons, AI platforms, and policing tactics later exported worldwide. Join the Q&A discussion with: Omar Zahzah, Jeff Halper, Antony Loewenstein, Hassan El-Tayyab

You must register to join the discussion & receive access to the films .

Nonviolence International : https://www.nonviolenceinternational.net/

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March 27, 2026Latin America, North America, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITYLatin America, North AmericaCPNN Coordinator

Cuba Receives Solidarity Convoy from Europe

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article from Cuban News Agency (translation by CPNN)

A contingent of more than one hundred activists, representing some 50 solidarity, political, and labor organizations from 17 countries, arrived Tuesday night at Havana’s José Martí International Airport with about five tons of medical supplies and other essential items.

This gesture of support for Cuba is part of the European leg of the Nuestra América (Our America) convoy, from which other groups will arrive in the coming days from different geographical areas, carrying similar cargo intended to alleviate the current tensions caused by the intensification of the policy of maximum suffocation applied by the United States government against Cuba.

Rigoberto Zarza, director for Europe at the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, explained that the shipment, valued at approximately 500,000 euros, will be distributed in coordination with Cuban institutions to four hospitals in Havana.

He specified that the initiative was coordinated by the Italian Agency for Cultural and Economic Exchange with Cuba and the call from the Progressive International, which resonated across various platforms. This allowed for the collection of contributions from some 700 individuals and several solidarity groups in Europe, with representation from Morocco and Algeria in North Africa.

(Click here for the original version in Spanish.)

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Question related to this article:

Solidarity across national borders, What are some good examples?

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He praised this action as being of great importance, not only for its material significance at this time from a medical and humanitarian perspective, but also for its awareness of the particularly complex energy situation facing the archipelago, which is also reflected in the shipment of photovoltaic systems

Belgian MEP Marc Botenga defined the presence on the island in these circumstances as a duty of solidarity with Cuba, which is a victim of Washington’s criminal policy of strangulation and which has historically offered its support to the rest of the world in other particularly delicate episodes.

He recalled the presence of the Cuban medical brigade in Italy during the peak of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and how its healthcare professionals played a decisive role in containing the virus in Italy.

“We are here to remind you that Cuba is not alone, that we stand with you from our countries and return this great solidarity!” he emphasized.

French MEP Emma Fourreau insisted that the first thing to do for the cause of the Caribbean nation is to speak about it throughout the world and how it is affected by the economic war being waged against it.

She pointed out that by experiencing the Cuban reality firsthand, they can be spokespeople for this struggle at the international level.

“The most important thing is to listen and learn what Cubans have to say; this is a first step, a symbolic action that will attract the attention of the rest of the world,” she concluded.

The Cuban ambassador to Italy, Jorge Luis Cepero, went to Rome’s Fiumicino Airport on Tuesday to see off the members of the European Solidarity Convoy as they departed for Havana.

In statements to reporters at the airport, the diplomat emphasized the significance of the gesture, a demonstration of the close ties of friendship between the people of Italy and Cuba, and of the strong rejection in Italy of the genocidal economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States against the island.

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March 18, 2026Latin America, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITYLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

Benki Piyãko, Brazilian indigenous spiritual leader awarded Niwano Peace Prize

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article from Vatican News

The 43rd Niwano Peace Prize has been awarded to Mr. Benki Piyãko, an Indigenous spiritual leader of the Ashaninka People in Brazil’s Amazon. The Niwano Peace Foundation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, awarded the prize in recognition for his “sustained leadership in defending Indigenous land and culture and for pioneering reforestation and environmental protection over the past fifteen years.”

Ecology and community

Benki Piyãko founded the Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute and the Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference to advance education, community-based ecological restoration, and the transmission of traditional knowledge, mobilizing youth and communities for large-scale reforestation and biodiversity conservation.

In the press release announcing the prize, the Niwano Peace Foundation noted how he had become an influential voice for environmental stewardship in Brazil and internationally, “guided by Indigenous spirituality and committed to intercultural dialogue.”

The recognition of Benki Piyãko’s work highlighted his efforts to preserve the Amazon rainforest, protect Indigenous culture and spirituality, and educate younger generations about living in harmony with the Earth.
The prize also noted his work to show the importance of traditional wisdom, ecological responsibility, and global cooperation in addressing the climate and environmental crisis.

The award presentation ceremony will take place in Tokyo on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, where he will be given the peace prize certificate, a trophy as well as and twenty million yen.

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(Click here for an article in French.)

Question related to this article:

Indigenous peoples, Are they the true guardians of nature?

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The Niwano Peace Prize

The Niwano Peace Foundation conducts an annual international search for prize candidates “to honor and encourage individuals and organizations that have contributed significantly to inter-religious cooperation, thereby furthering the cause of world peace, and to make their achievements known as widely as possible.”
The purpose is to “both to enhance inter-religious understanding and cooperation and to encourage the emergence of still more persons devoted to working for world peace.”

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Here are CPNN articles about some of the previous winners of the Niwano prize:

2023 – Mr. Rajagopal P. V. to receive the Niwano Peace Prize

2019 – CJP co-founder and first director John Paul Lederach awarded Niwano Foundation Peace Prize

2018 – Adyan Foundation in Lebanon to Get 35th Niwano Peace Prize

2016 – Center for Peace Building and Reconciliation in Sri Lanka, to receive the Niwano Peace Prize

2015 – Esther Abimiku Ibanga, Founder of The Women Without Walls

2014 – Dena Merriam, Founder and leader of The Global Peace Initiative of Women

2012 – Rosalina Tuyuc Velasquez: Constructing an Inclusive Guatemala

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March 14, 2026FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin AmericaLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

International Women’s Day: Latin America

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

A press survey by CPNN

Here are the results from Latin America.

ARGENTINA

In Buenos Aires, thousands marched from Congress to Plaza de Mayo. The demonstrators, mostly women, carried green and purple scarves symbolizing feminist struggles, as well as gay pride flags, drums, and signs demanding justice for femicide victims or bearing slogans such as “Not one less” or “Why do they hate feminists more than a rapist?” “It’s a strike and mobilization against the austerity policies of Javier Milei’s government, just days after the labor reform was passed that will impact women and dissidents,” feminist activist Luci Cavallero told AFP.

BOLIVIA

Women hold photos of people who they accuse of being victimizers of women during a march marking the upcoming International Women’s Day, in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

BRAZIL

Women march marking International Women’s Day on Copacabana beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

CHILE

Chanting “Not one step back,” thousands of Chilean women took to the streets of Santiago this Sunday to commemorate International Women’s Day, three days before the far right is set to assume power in Chile for the first time. They warned of the risks that the ultraconservative Catholic convictions of the future president, José Antonio Kast, pose to women’s rights. Photo: EFE/ Adriana Thomasa

COLOMBIA

In front of the mural “The Mothers Are Right,” a symbol of the struggle of mothers of victims of forced disappearance, hundreds of women gathered this Saturday in the streets of Bogotá to raise their voices collectively, demand their rights, speak of resistance, and paint the city purple and green during the March 8th feminist demonstration. Among the banners with phrases like “cleaning paint bothers them more than our blood,” “our cry comes from a heart tired of living with pain and fear,” and “they sowed fear in us, we grew wings,” a space was reserved for the victims of femicides in 2025, who “number more than 50 and we’re not even halfway through the year.” Photo: EFE/Vannessa Jiménez.

ECUADOR

In the Ecuadorian capital, hundreds of women marched through the streets of Quito’s Historic Center on the morning of March 8th to commemorate International Women’s Day. The participants marched with signs and banners denouncing gender-based violence and aggression, as well as messages demanding respect for women’s rights and greater freedom. During the march, slogans related to equal pay, access to rights, and the rejection of gender-based violence were observed. PHOTO: API

(Click here for a Spanish version of this article)

Question related to this article:

International Women’s Day

GUATEMALA

People rally for International Women’s Day in Guatemala City, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

MEXICO

Protesters take part in a rally marking International Women’s Day, at the Zocalo in Mexico City, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

Indigenous women organized to lead the march, followed by groups with children, women with disabilities, and young students, all calling for an end to the femicidal violence that claims the lives of eight women every day in Mexico. (YouTube video)

PARAGUAY

People hold a banner that reads in Spanish, “If the world were feminist, these wars would not exist” during a march marking International Women’s Day in Asuncion, Paraguay, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)

PERU

Demonstrators chant slogans as they march marking International Women’s Day in Lima, Peru, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Women’s Day in Peru unfolded amidst tributes, flowers, and speeches in favor of women’s rights, on the one hand, and demands for greater respect and an end to violence against the still-called weaker sex, on the other.(Prensa Latina)

URUGUAY

The need for funding to ensure the country’s progressive legislation “transcends paper” and translates into effective policies to combat violence and gender inequality was the central theme of the massive march held on this International Women’s Day in Uruguay’s capital. Under the slogan “Faced with the fascist advance, feminist struggle!” and led by the Uruguayan Feminist Coordinating Committee, the massive march, in which tens of thousands of women make their demands for a society free of sexism heard every March 8th, once again turned Montevideo’s main avenue purple.

VENEZUELA

Dozens of Venezuelan women marched in Caracas to demand better wages, shelters for victims of gender-based violence, and the legalization of safe and free abortion. The women, members of various feminist movements and unions, marched from the central Plaza Venezuela to Plaza Brión in Chacaíto (east) carrying banners that called for better wages and the elimination of “governmental and patriarchal violence.”

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March 10, 2026Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITYLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

Mexico: Culture of peace to be taught in Michoacán schools

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from Cambio de Michoacán (translation by CPNN)

The Economic and Social Council of Michoacán presented a citizen initiative this Thursday at the State Congress in Morelia to reform the state Education Law and establish a culture of peace as a guiding principle of the education system. This was proposed Fátima Conde Moreno, during the official ceremony.

The Economic and Social Council of Michoacán | Photography: Graphic Communication Agency

The proposal aims to incorporate a culture of peace as a mandatory subject at the basic and upper secondary education levels, with the purpose of ensuring that education contributes to rebuilding the social fabric. Fátima Conde explained that the initiative arises in response to problems of violence in school and community settings, and the need for conflict resolution.

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Question for this article:

Where is peace education taking place?

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

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During the event, Representative Reyes Galindo Pedraza, coordinator of the Labor Party’s Parliamentary Group, welcomed the proposal and pointed out that Michoacán has citizen participation mechanisms that allow anyone to submit initiatives to the Congress without requiring the collection of signatures, unlike at the federal level.

For his part, Eduardo Orihuela, president of the Michoacán Center for Social Studies (CESMICH), indicated that building peace requires preventive actions starting in education. He maintained that addressing violence solely through reaction is limited. Similarly, Jesús Vivanco Rodríguez, president of the Together for Michoacán Network, expressed his support for the initiative.

The initiative was referred to the State Congress for analysis and eventual discussion in committees, where its viability will be determined and, if applicable, its incorporation into the current regulatory framework, so it is expected that the legislative process will continue in the coming weeks.

(Click here for the Spanish original of this article)

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March 5, 2026EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin AmericaLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

A Culture of Peace as a Structural Response to Violence in Ecuador

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION .

An article by Fausto Lara Flores in Vístazo (translation by CPNN)

The current situation of violence in Ecuador is not an isolated phenomenon, but rather part of a global context marked by transnational criminal networks, black economies, and structural threats that transcend national borders.

This is the analysis of Dr. Carlos García Torres, research professor at the UNESCO-UTPL Chairs, who emphasizes that the country faces problems linked to powers and organizations that operate on a global scale. In this scenario, a culture of peace emerges as a strategic solution.

The Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL) organized the Security, Conflict, and Peace Summit in Guayaquil. (Photo courtesy of UTPL)

The notion of a culture of peace arose with the creation of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), based on the premise that if war originates in the minds of people, it is also in the minds that peace must be built. This principle remains fully relevant in the current context, both in the face of global threats and internal challenges stemming from drug trafficking and organized crime.

According to Dr. García Torres, fostering a culture of peace involves reactivating human values that have historically sustained social cohesion. “A society with a strong social fabric is resilient to diverse threats, whether criminal, economic, political, or natural. A culture of peace, then, acts as the glue that binds society together and strengthens its capacity to respond,” he states.

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

Question related to this article:

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

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During the Security, Conflict, and Peace Summit, organized by the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL) in Guayaquil, concrete examples of promoting this culture of peace were presented.

In neighborhoods plagued by violence, expressions such as poetry shared on social media and other cultural initiatives offer alternative meanings to populations exposed to the influence of drug trafficking. These actions demonstrate that violence prevention is not limited to coercive measures, but requires educational and cultural programs that reorient life plans.

The UNESCO-UTPL partnership has yielded significant results in three dimensions: social engagement, academic development, and research.

° The Student Network for Peace stands out, comprised of young people from Ecuador, Peru, and other countries, who coordinate concrete actions to promote peaceful coexistence.

° Furthermore, ongoing training in a Culture of Peace, aimed at the National Police and the general public, strengthens institutional and civic capacities.

° In the field of research, the UNESCO Chair in Culture and Education for Peace promotes specialized academic production in collaboration with the Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Granada.

“Conflict is inherent to the human condition; therefore, peacebuilding is an ongoing task. Proper conflict management requires non-violent resolution, the philosophical foundation of a culture of peace,” adds Dr. García Torres.

For this reason, it is important that the State and civil society work together to develop public policies that enable this continuous construction of a culture of peace, thereby improving social and human conditions.

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March 5, 2026FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin AmericaLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

Speech by the Permanent Representative of Cuba to the United Nations, Ambassador Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, at the commemorative event of the 12th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

Cuba’s Representative Office Abroad

Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Mr. Khaled Khiari,

High-ranking officials un the UN Secretariat,

Distinguished Ambassadors,

Brothers and Sisters of Latin America and the Caribbean,

Dear colleagues,

Twelve years later, we are gathered on a date of profound significance for the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean. On 29 January 2014, the Heads of State and Government of CELAC adopted a landmark decision in Havana: to proclaim our region a Zone of Peace.

(click on image to enlarge)

Such a Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace signed by the Heads of State and Government of the region was a major historic event.

The Proclamation materialized the historic wishes of our people and their fighters for independence, those who envisioned and fought for a free and united Great Motherland, which José Martí called “Our America.”

It was an affirmation of dignity, sovereignty, and confidence in genuine regional integration. It was our joint decision to reject war, coercion, or interference aimed at seizing our region. It was our collective commitment to dialogue, cooperation, and mutual respect—in favor of a true culture of peace.

It committed us to settling differences among nations peacefully, through dialogue and negotiation, with absolute respect for international law—and thereby to banish forever the use or threat of force in our region.

It endorsed the renewed commitment of our States to promoting nuclear disarmament as a primary goal, as well as contributing to general and complete disarmament, with a view to strengthening trust across all nations.

It indicated the path for a peaceful living and for cooperation to face up challenges and to jointly solve the problems which affect us all.

With it, we committed ourselves to fulfilling our “obligation not to interfere, directly or indirectly, in the internal affairs of another State and to observe the principles of national sovereignty, equal rights and the self-determination of peoples”, as well as to respecting the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law.

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(Click here for the article in Spanish.)

Questions related to this article:

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

Where in the world can we find good leadership today?

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Distinguished colleagues:

The Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace was clear in its defense of the inalienable right of every State to choose its political, economic, social and cultural system, as an essential condition for ensuring the peaceful coexistence of nations.
This historic document urges all member states of the international community to fully respect its principles in their relations with CELAC member states, practice tolerance and live together peacefully as good neighbors. Preserving these precepts is an imperative.

Just over a decade later, the regional and international context has become extremely dangerous and unpredictable. The United States Government is reviving its imperial claims to domination, driving the planet towards anarchy and war‑mongering chaos, posing a constant threat to international stability and security, and displaying utter disregard for multilateralism and international law. In the face of these colossal challenges, we have a historic duty to safeguard, at all costs, the status of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace.

In just one month, in our region alone, the United States carried out a brutal and unjustified military intervention in Venezuela, kidnapped its constitutional President, Nicolás Maduro Moros, and comrade Cilia Flores and reinforced the aggressive escalation against Cuba by trying to impose an absolute siege on fuel supplies to the country. These irresponsible actions require urgent mobilization by the international community. Today, the fate of our peoples, regional stability and the very identity of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace are at stake.

Reason, International Law and the unwavering will to fulfill and uphold the postulates of the Peace Proclamation are on our side.

In the face of intentions to reinstate the Monroe Doctrine by military force, we reaffirm that Latin America and the Caribbean is neither disputed territory nor anyone’s backyard. Latin America and the Caribbean belong to the peoples from the Rio Bravo to Patagonia, as our Apostle said.

José Martí warned us 135 years ago, and I quote: “The trees must form ranks to keep the giant with seven-league boots from passing! It is the time of mobilization, of marching together, and we must go forward in close ranks, like silver in the veins of the Andes.”

This historic moment needs more unity, even in our diversity. In the face of the differences, challenges and threats that now loom over Latin America and the Caribbean, let us uphold peace. The peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean deserve to live in peace.

Thank you very much.

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March 4, 2026DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin AmericaLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

English bulletin March 1, 2026

. LATIN AMERICA LEADS THE WAY

Once again this month we see on CPNN that Latin America leads the way towards a culture of peace.

Articles this month come from Mexico (6), Brazil (4), Colombia (2) and Peru (1) along with two articles mentioning Cuba.

Nobel Peace Laureate Rigoberto Menchu is promoting the culture of peace in Mexico. She was the featured speaker at an international peace conference in Mérida from February 4-7. And she has signed an agreement to strengthen the construction of a new culture of peace in Jalisco. “I believe in peace as a culture, as education, and as dialogue. I believe in peace as the transmission of experiences and knowledge to our youth, to our communities who must become the next generation of our society,” she stated in signing the Jalisco agreement.

Mexican universities in Morelos , Colima and Mochicahui are engaged in programs for the culture of peace. According the the representative of the Autonomous University of the State of Morelos, educating for peace in higher education institutions is a shared need for all universities in the country, as these are spaces where professionals and citizens with social responsibility are trained. Also, in Querétero, the Basic Education Services Unit has trained 5,000 teachers to foster a culture of peace.

Music for peace is a theme in Brazil. Singer and songwriter Nando Borges has released the song “Culture of Peace” as a call for social awareness, valuing dialogue, empathy, and non-violence as paths to build a more just society. The festival Summer in Bahia featured many popular music groups uniting people and promoting peace and tranquility. And the successful process against racism in religious practice by the prosecutor’s office in Paraiba culminated in song with the Umbanda Hymn led by singer Mãe Renilda.

Also in Brazil the Center for Conflict Prevention and Resolution, mandated by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Ceará, promotes a culture of peace, the prevention of violence, and the promotion of dialogue as a legitimate and necessary path to conflict resolution.

The peace process in Colombia is strengthened by the participation of women and indigenous people, as described this month by the photographic exhibition in Bogotá, ‘Equal Women: Transforming Territories,” and by an interview with indigenous leader Leonor Zalabata Torres. Torres explains that peace requires the recognition that water, air and land are the “common building blocks of collective life” and must not be subordinated to an idea of development that measures everything in terms of production or profitability.

The School Day of Non-Violence and Peace, celebrated primarily in Spain, was also celebrated this year in Zocalo Monclova and Yucatan, Mexico, and Holguín, Cuba. This day has been celebrated in Spain on January 30 since 1964 to commemorate the great prophet of non-violence and peace, Mahatma Gandhi who was assassinated on this day in 1948.

Opposing the North American blockade of Cuba, leaders from Caribbean states have called for humanitarian aid and a flotilla , sponsored by Progressive International, CodePink and other direct action and advocacy groups in the United States, is planning to bring aid.

In Peru the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations is training peace promotors to spread a culture of peace in their neighborhoods, communities, and workplaces.

Latin American leadership for a culture of peace is not new. As documented in my newly updated History of the Culture of Peace, they have taken the lead since this beginning of this history. .

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Colombia: Peace as a living system: Indigenous perspectives from the voice of Leonor Zalabata Torres

HUMAN RIGHTS

Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights Leader Who Fought for Economic Justice, Dies at 84

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

Brazil: Pelourinho celebrates culture of peace and diversity, in a Sunday of free programming during Bahia Summer

WOMEN’S EQUALITY

‘Equal Women: Transforming Territories,’ a photographic exhibition that pays tribute to the organizations working for women’s rights in Colombia

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Brazil: Interfaith event held at the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office celebrates a culture of peace in Paraíba.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Brazil: “Culture of Peace” Reinforces Message of Unity and Social Awareness in Music

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Mexico: Pablo Lemus and Rigoberta Menchú Agree on Actions to Build a New Culture of Peace in Jalisco

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY

Mexico: Al Sharpton and Rigoberta Menchú to Join Mérida Peace Conference

March 1, 2026Latin Americaenglish bulletin, Latin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

Jamaican, St Kitts-Nevis leaders call for CARICOM humanitarian aid to Cuba, say region can be interlocutor between Havana, Washington

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article by Denis Chabrol in Demerara Waves

Former Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness and current Chairman, St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew called for humanitarian relief to Cuba and said the region could be an interlocutor between Washington and Havana to seize the opportunity for political and economic reforms in that communist-ruled island.

CARICOM Chairman, St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew addressing the opening of the summit (CARICOM Secretariat picture)

“This moment, therefore, calls not for rhetoric, but for responsible statecraft, even as we encourage support for humanitarian relief,” Mr Holness told the opening of the mid-term summit of CARICOM leaders in St Kitts, less than one day before regional leaders, including Guyana’s President, Irfaan Ali, are due to meet with United States (US) Secretary of State Marco Rubio

He added that Jamaica supports constructive dialogue between Cuba and the US aimed at de-escalation, reform, and stability. “We believe there is space, perhaps more space now than in years past, for pragmatic engagement that protects the Cuban people from any further deterioration in their circumstances and instead promotes national and regional prosperity,” said the Jamaican PM, regarded as a moderate US ally.

For his part, CARICOM Chairman, Dr Drew said the regional grouping could be an interlocutor between Washington and Havana to address concerns. “And the community must serve as a conduit to ensure that there is communication and dialogue between the forces that be, so that the best opportunity can be had,” he said.

CARICOM member states are pursuing capitalism and Western-style freely-elected government, but during the reign of Venezuela’s socialist governments of Hugo Chavez and Nicolás Maduro, several historically left-leaning CARICOM governments especially in the Eastern Caribbean had up to earlier this year enjoyed more than cozy relations with Venezuela.

But Mr Holness said that with the “shifting” geopolitical environment, the time has come for CARICOM member states to broker improved conditions there. “This may well be a moment of opportunity, a moment for transition, for recalibration, for a new chapter. CARICOM can play a constructive role, not as an ideological bloc, but as a community of democratic states offering cooperation, economic reform, and social development,” he said.

Mr Holness said “clarity and courage” should be the key ingredients in addressing the situation in Cuba whose doctors and teachers have served across the Caribbean.

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Question related to this article:

Solidarity across national borders, What are some good examples?

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Under intense pressure of government officials and their immediate families losing their American visas, Guyana and several other Caribbean countries have scrapped their decades-old Cuban Medical Brigade agreements over Washington’s concerns about forced labour that it says amounts to human trafficking.

The Jamaican leader lamented the plight of Cubans at a time when the US has further tightened its more than 64-year-old trade and economic embargo since the removal of the Venezuela President from office.

The Trump administration has warned of tariffs if any country supplies fuels to Cuba. “Its people are part of our shared history. But today, the Cuban people face severe economic hardship, energy shortages, and growing humanitarian strain. Jamaica is sensitive to the struggles of the Cuban people,” Mr Holness said.

Weeks of no supplies have forced the virtual closure of the airport to international flights because refuelling is impossible.

Dr Drew, who studied in Cuba and said he was in contact with Cubans on the Spanish-speaking island, appealed for regional unity in bringing urgent relief to Cuba now beset by food shortages, electricity outages and garbage pileups. “I can only feel the pain of those who treated me so well when I was a student. I can feel their challenges and their difficulties. I do not get involved in their politics, but as a matter of humanity, it is challenging. I would say it is almost impossible not to feel the pain that (is) the pain that is conveyed to me in messages and calls from those who I lived among,” he said.

Without naming the US, the Jamaican PM cautioned that “humanitarian suffering serves no one” before issuing a grim warning that the current conditions could spell several crises for the rest of the Caribbean. “Apart from our fraternal care and solidarity with the Cuban people, it must be clear that a prolonged crisis in Cuba will not remain confined to Cuba. It will affect migration, security, and economic stability across the Caribbean basin,” he said.

Dr Drew also feared that worsening conditions in Cuba, with a population of nine to 12 million, could adversely impact CARICOM member states whose combined population is fewer than 10 million. “A destabilized Cuba will destabilize all of us…Therefore, if a state within our community is so destabilised, it will affect all of us in the region. And as a matter of course, it is important that the community looks at the humanitarian issue in Cuba, treats it extremely seriously,” he said.

Mr Holness urged careful consideration and collective action, even as he stated categorically that Jamaica favours democracy, human rights, political accountability, and open market-based economies.

He said Jamaica does not believe that long-term stability can exist where economic freedom is constrained and political participation is limited. “This is not a moment for division in our community. It is a moment for maturity, for principled realism, and if we act wisely, for positive change in our hemisphere,” he said.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar – an unabashed US ally who has credited the presence of American troops in the Caribbean for 42 percent or 257 fewer murders in her country – chastised those CARICOM member states for supporting Cuba.

She accused sister member-governments of engaging in double standards by coming to power through democratic elections but at the same time supporting communism.

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February 26, 2026Latin America, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITYLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator