Author: Eugenia

On Thursday, 21 September, coinciding with the commemoration of the International Day of Peace, ICIP presented the ICIP Peace in Progress Award 2023 to the associations “Women Victims of the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina” and “Forgotten Children of War” in a ceremony held at the Palace of the Parliament of Catalonia.

The award-winning associations work on the documentation of rapes during the Balkan War and the legal and social recognition of children born in situations of sexual violence. The award recognises their work “denouncing rape as a weapon of war, fighting against impunity, and empowering and drawing attention to victims of sexual violence.”

The ceremony was presided over by the president of Parliament, Anna Erra, and ICIP president Xavier Masllorens. In his speech, the president of ICIP stated that the award “honours all those people and entities that work against the tide, highlighting the dignity of the victims and building bridges where mental walls abound.” He also pointed out that sexual aggressions are “crimes against humanity” and a “reminder of the brutality of war,” and he emphasised the need to work within the paradigm of the culture of peace for a “world without misery, more just and egalitarian.”

The event began with the performance of an excerpt of the play Encara hi ha algú al bosc (There is still someone in the forest), inspired by the experiences of survivors of the Bosnian War and created by the Cultura i Conflicte collective, the organisation that nominated the winning ICIP Award candidacy.

The journalist and member of Cultura i Conflicte, Teresa Turiera-Puigbò, read an overview of the award-winning organisations and defined the people receiving the award as “survivors of war and victims of peace” because, for thirty years, they have had to suffer “not only the physical and psychological consequences of the aggressions they endured but also the lack of recognition as victims by institutions and the silence and stigma of the society in which they live.” In her speech, Turiera highlighted the “discreet and silent” work of the award-winning associations and noted that sexual violence is a crime that “is still prevalent in most present-day conflicts.”

Meliha Merdzic and Amela Medjuseljac received the award for the “Women Victims of the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina” association. In their acceptance speech, they pointed out that “rape survivors still suffer society’s stigma”. They added that many war criminals have been tried and sentenced due to the testimonies the organisation has gathered since its establishment in 2003. Ajna Jusic and Alen Muhic, both born of rape, were also present at the ceremony on behalf of the “Forgotten Children of War” association. Upon receiving the award, Jusic noted that the children born of war live in a context of “social injustice” since “their fundamental rights for a dignified life have been revoked” and denounced the inactivity of the international community and the failure of Bosnia and Herzegovina to comply with the requirements for peace.

The president of the Parliament, Anna Erra, closed the ICIP Peace in Progress Award ceremony. In her speech, she highlighted the work for peace carried out by award-winning organisations and praised the work of ICIP in the promotion of peace both at home and abroad.

The ICIP Award, a twelve-year history

The ICIP Peace in Progress Award, established in 2011, aims to publicly recognise individuals, organisations or institutions that have worked for and contributed to promoting and building peace prominently and extensively.

The award consists of public recognition, the sculpture Porta del Sol, created by Nobel Prize winner, artist and activist Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, and an economic endowment of 6,000 euros. Throughout its twelve-year history, the ICIP Award has honoured individuals and organisations from Catalonia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Colombia, Mexico, Algeria and Bosnia for their struggle in favour of reconciliation, truth, justice and equality, with a focus on women’s empowerment and the gender perspective.

Photo gallery of the ICIP Peace in Progress Award 2023 ceremony (Source: Parliament of Catalonia)

Video of the ICIP Peace in Progress Award 2023 ceremony (Canal Parlament)

After more than three years acting as Technical Secretariat of the Truth Commission of Colombia in Europe, ICIP has published a document that compiles the details of this unique experience. The document, which has the support of the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation, aims to serve as a model for other countries in conflict that are facing similar processes and are committed to working with the exile community.

Exile and the Colombian Truth Commission. An unprecedented collaboration experience explains how the participation of the exile community in several European countries was coordinated through the interview participants, the nodes and the internodal groups. It also describes the key elements of the process such as active listening, a psychosocial approach, recognition and the role of art as a healing and transformative element, among others.

The publication aims to compile the legacy of the Commission and the lessons learned from the process; recognize the work of the people, organizations and institutions involved in this experience; contribute to the recognition of “the Colombia outside of Colombia”; and provide the international community with a tool to design future participation processes of exiled, refugee and migrant populations in processes of peace, memory and reconciliation. In consonance with the spirit of the Colombian peace agreement, the central focus of this work was the prominent role of the victims, a key element in this peacebuilding process.

The methodology used to elaborate the document combined a meeting for analysis and reflection held in Barcelona, virtual focus groups with participants in several European countries, personal interviews, and the compilation of documentation.

The Truth Commission, an unprecedented experience

The Commission for the Clarification of Truth, Coexistence and Non-Repetition of Colombia began its mandate in November 2018 with the aim of clarifying the patterns and causes of human rights violations during the Colombian armed conflict, promoting the recognition of victims and contributing to coexistence. The Commission’s work culminated in 2022, with the presentation of its Final Report and socialization among the actors involved in the process.

One of the many innovations of this Commission, in comparison with the dozens of commissions that have previously been created in other countries, was the commitment to work with the exile community – around one million people who had to leave the country as a result of the armed conflict. This unprecedented mandate in the context of transitional justice entailed the need to coordinate an infrastructure in support of the Commission abroad.

Between 2019 and 2022, ICIP acted as the Commission’s Technical Secretariat in Europe. During this period, ICIP provided technical and financial resources, and coordinated the three elements of participation abroad: the interviewers, the meeting and coordinating spaces – known as nodes – and the thematic working groups, called internodal groups.

The entire work process carried out by ICIP as Technical Secretariat of the Truth Commission in Europe is available on this webpage.

The culture of punishment and punitivism normalize violence and limit the options to build a peaceful society. Many punitive measures, such as prisons, video surveillance or police forces, are immovable and, in some cases, are increasing. What supports that paradigm? Are there more humane, just and effective alternatives to address violence? How are the trinomial security, justice and peace interrelated?

The new monograph of Peace in Progress magazine, “The culture of punishment: a critical approach” (number 41), reflects on these issues through eight central articles and an interview.

Sandra Martínez Domingo, the coordinator of the monograph and head of the “Alternatives of security” area of the ICIP, offers us an initial reflection on the interrelationship between the concepts of peace, security and justice and exposes the critical elements of the dichotomy punitivism-antipunitivism.

Next, the political scientist and criminologist Albert Sales Campos exposes the failure of punitive policies (massification of prisons, instrumentalization of victims, discourse of fear) and claims, as an alternative, to invest in social policies and violence prevention.

Criminologist Paz Francés Lecumberri also focuses on the discourse of fear and the media and political parties’ role in creating myths that promote punitiveness.

The philosopher Clara Serra delves into the feminist perspective and the challenges that feminism has in the management of violence.

The conflictologist Noe Ayguasenosa Soro advocates placing the ethics of care at the centre of community relations and the public model of managing insecurities and injustices.

On the effectiveness of restorative and transformative justice, as opposed to the failures of retributive justice, we have the analysis of Teiahsha Bankhead and Rachel V. Brown, leaders of organizations that promote successful restorative practices in schools, communities and the juvenile justice system.

Finally, lawyers Claudia Cesaroni and Paola Zavala Saeb reflect on prisons as the ultimate expression of punitiveness and the central axis of criminal control mechanisms worldwide. They do it based on the cases of two homicides with very unequal consequences in Argentina and the failure of punitive measures in Mexico, a country with high levels of violence and impunity.

The monograph closes with an interview with Howard Zehr, a referent of the modern concept of restorative justice, about the opportunities offered by restorative practices, which place emphasis on who has received the damage, not on who is responsible.

Polarization, in so far as the existence of opposing positions regarding debate topics, is not harmful to society.

Beyond the confrontation of ideas typical of a democratic system, there is a phenomenon on the rise in many established democracies that is pernicious in many ways. It is toxic polarization, a dynamic in which different positions are belittled and delegitimized: “others” are seen as “enemies”, and there is no place for dialogue, debate and confrontation of constructive ideas.

Dealing with toxic polarization is a challenge as a society because it affects coexistence, cohesion and democratic culture. Toxic polarization impairs political and social debates, generates political disaffection and can lead to violence.

The animated audiovisual “Risks of toxic polarization: how to deal with it”, made by the ICIP and Intuitivo Films, warns about this harmful dynamic and exposes some tools we have at our disposal to avoid it.

Symptoms of toxic polarization

Categorical, simplistic and nuanced approaches – reducing debates to black or white – indicate toxic polarization. But so are the use of belligerent language – calling people who think differently “enemies” or “traitors”, for example – the appeal to feelings rather than arguments, the absence of self-criticism and exclusionary thinking – be with me or against me.

Tools to deal with it

Dialogue is the main tool to prevent or redirect conflicts: political dialogue at an institutional level and social dialogue in all spheres of society.

Based on this premise, increasing the ability to listen and dialogue with people who think differently is key to reducing toxic polarization. So is the ability to self-criticize and to identify and neutralize toxic polarizing actors – through, for example, isolation or silence.

The audiovisual production is part of the ICIP’s work area, “Social and political dialogue“, which aims to offer tools for analysing, managing and transforming conflicts.

The assessment of coexistence in Catalonia as a whole, and at a municipality/neighborhood level, continues to score over 6 out of 10. But the perception that there are quite a few or many problems in the immediate environment, especially related to antisocial behavior, has increased considerably. These are the findings of the ICIP 2022 “Coexistence and cohesion in Catalonia” Survey, which also reflects a society that is committed to human rights and dialogue, that rejects the use of violence to defend the country or ideas, and that regards multiculturalism favorably.

In the context of the war in Ukraine, the survey – conducted in October 2022 – also indicates that Catalan society is open to the resettlement of refugees and critical of increasing military spending.

This is the fourth survey published by ICIP on perceptions and attitudes regarding coexistence in Catalonia and the third to include a focus on ideological and emotional polarization. This means that the current survey includes comparative data from the last four years. In this sense, the ICIP 2022 Survey has found that political conflict in Catalonia continues to be the issue that most polarizes citizens, followed by language, which moves up from fifth to second place.

“The survey is directly related to two major issues currently on the political agenda: on the one hand, despite the reduction of tension regarding the pro-independence debate, polarization remains. On the other hand, citizens have a different perception of security than NATO and the Spanish government, since they consider increased military spending as a major security risk,” says ICIP director Kristian Herbolzheimer.

Coexistence and social trust

Citizens rated the perception of coexistence in Catalonia with a score of 6.3 out of 10 and 6.6 at the municipality/neighborhood level. This score remains stable compared to the ICIP 2021 Survey, with a variation of one tenth, and slightly lower than the 2020 and 2018 surveys, when it was around or even over 7 out of 10.

Antisocial behavior is perceived, by far, as the main problem of coexistence at the local level. Up to 74% of the people surveyed reported many or quite a few problems of antisocial behavior at the municipality/neighborhood level, a rate that has increased considerably compared to four years ago, when it was 46%.  Compared to antisocial behavior, the poor integration of migrants (47%), crime (45%) and a lack of public safety (44%) scored far lower. The perception that there are many or quite a few problems of coexistence is higher in large cities of over 100,000 people.

As for trust indicators, the survey shows that citizens tend to trust other people, with an average score of 5.2 out of 10. While this is above the European average, the percentage of people who are very distrustful of others has increased to 21.5%, double the rate of 2020.

Cohesion

On this occasion, the ICIP Survey has focused on the degree of cohesion of Catalan society based on different indicators: an assessment of immigration, acceptance of different groups at risk of vulnerability and respect for human rights.

In relation to immigration, a majority (64%) considers that living with people from different backgrounds enriches society. However, 24% somewhat or strongly believe that Catalonia has become a worse place to live because of immigration, 28% believe that it is better for the country if everyone shares culture and traditions, and a third of the people surveyed perceive that their culture or way of life is under threat.

In terms of acceptance of different groups, Catalonia is among the leading countries in Europe in terms of tolerance towards refugees, homosexuals and bisexuals and, to a lesser degree, transsexuals.  However, 20% say they do not feel comfortable with transsexual people.

Finally, almost 90% of the people surveyed consider that human rights are important to create a just society and that institutions must strive to guarantee them. When asked about the situation in Catalonia, 43% of the people surveyed believe that human rights are violated, while 21% consider that there are no human rights violations.

ideological and emotional polarization

The ICIP 2022 Survey also analyzes the perception of polarization in Catalan society, an indicator that remains at the same level as in previous surveys. The perception that political parties and the media are more polarized than society as a whole remains the same. Regarding the analyzed topics of debate, the pro-independence movement continues to be the issue that most polarizes Catalan citizens and polarization has increased in relation to language, which moves up from fifth place to second place compared to the 2020 data.

If we look at emotional polarization, namely, at the feelings that people perceive towards those who think differently, respect predominates over all other emotions, followed by helplessness, with rates that remain stable. Sadness and fear of people who think differently have increased somewhat and confidence has decreased.

The survey also reveals a favorable attitude towards dialogue with people who think differently: 68% of the people surveyed agree or strongly agree that an effort should be made to talk to everyone regardless of their ideas.

Percepció de riscos i amenaces

The survey also portrays a society that is aware of the values of social and global justice. A society that perceives as risks, in this order: economic crises, the deterioration of democracy, climate change, disinformation, the increase in inequality and the rise of the extreme right.  In the case of the extreme right, almost 40% of the population considers it to be a maximum risk.

In the context of the war in Ukraine, people identify Russia’s world influence and increases in military spending as risks to their own security. Half of the population believes that military budget increases pose a high or very high risk to their security, and 62% of the population believes that the Spanish government spends too much money on defense.

As a current situation analysis regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the sample includes public perception on the resettlement of refugees. There is a favorable attitude towards taking in and assisting people from Ukraine and Syria. This predisposition is greater in the case of Ukrainians – 18% of the population considers that the presence in Catalonia of people from Syria increases the risk of terrorism.

Finally, the sample devotes a chapter to evaluate the predisposition of citizens to use violence. This predisposition is slight in the cases of defending one’s country or ideas (15%) or the environment (16%).  However, it is greater in the case of defending the family (64%).

Methodology used

The ICIP 2022 Survey was carried out between 17-24 October 2022. It was based on 2,047 online interviews with people over 18 years of age living in Catalonia, with a margin of error of 2.17%. It is a sample with cross-quotas of gender, age (in age groups of ten years) and provinces (Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona).

This is the fourth survey published by ICIP on the perception of coexistence in Catalonia and the third that evaluates the degree of polarization. Previously, ICIP has published the surveys “Polarization and coexistence in Spain 2021: The role of the territories” (ICIP and EsadeEcPol), “Coexistence and polarization in Catalonia.  ICIP 2020 Survey” and “Public perception of coexistence and security in Catalonia.  ICIP 2018 Survey.”

On Monday, 30 January, the Parliament of Catalonia’s First Conference on Peace brought together the peace movement organizations of Catalonia and representatives of the organizations awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize.  The objective of this event, co-organized by ICIP and Lafede.cat, was to reflect on the role of civil society in the context of the war in Ukraine.

The conference, which was opened by the vice president of the Parliament, Alba Vergés, featured speeches by the president of Lafede.cat, Ares Perceval, and ICIP president Xavier Masllorens.  Coinciding with the School Day of Nonviolence and Peace, Perceval highlighted the ever-more important task of working for peace and preventing school conflicts.  For his part, the president of ICIP emphasized the importance of building peace in civil society, citing the organizations awarded the Nobel Prize as an example.

Contributions of Catalan peace organizations

Under the title “Peacebuilding alternatives for a paradigm shift: Contributions of Catalan organizations,” the first panel of the day brought together representatives of Catalan peace organizations: Albert Caramés of FundiPau; Ana Villellas of the School for a Culture of Peace; Tica Font, of the Centre Delàs; Luca Gervasoni, of Novact; and Pilar Font, of Peace Brigades International.

Their speeches highlighted the need to work to prevent conflicts and promote positive peace based on social justice.  They recalled the strength of the peace movement, for example, in the demonstrations of precisely twenty years ago against the war in Iraq, and pointed out the need to network and build critical alternatives without losing hope.

Defence of human rights in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus

The organizations awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2022 participated in a roundtable entitled “Civil society facing war and authoritarian regimes: Ukraine, Russia and Belarus,” where they shared their experiences.  Oleksandra Romantsova, executive director of the Center for Civil Liberties (Ukraine), spoke about the efforts of Ukrainian civil society to advance towards democracy and demanded justice to clarify the war crimes committed in Ukraine.  She added that her organization is working to bring “Putin and all those responsible for this war before the international justice system to have them punished.”

Natallia Satsunkevich, a member of the Interim Board of the Viasna Human Rights Center (Belarus), stated that the leader of her organization and Nobel Peace Prize laureate is in prison and that she had to leave the country two years ago and cannot return.  She spoke about the lack of freedom in Belarus and asked Catalans to express their solidarity with the 1,500 political prisoners in her country.

For his part, Aleksander Cherkasov, former chair of the Board of the Memorial Human Rights Center (Russia), described the current war in Ukraine as one more crime on the list of war crimes committed by Putin’s regime, along with Chechnya and Syria.  He also stated that “Russia has declared war on non-governmental organizations” such as his own, so he had to flee the country eight months ago.

Developing a crosscutting narrative

The Parliament’s First Conference on Peace was closed by the director of ICIP, Kristian Herbolzheimer, as vice president of the Catalan Council for the Promotion of Peace, and the deputy and parliamentary board member, Carles Riera.  In the context of the war in Ukraine, Herbolzheimer recalled that wars are avoidable and that the pacifist message is not utopic.  He also called for the creation of “a crosscutting narrative” in response to the war “that allows us to make Putin understand that his aggression is unacceptable, that Ukraine is and will continue to be an independent while, at the same time, questioning a weapons logic that divides the world.”

The deputy of Parliament Carles Riera thanked the entities organising the event and urged them to start working on next year’s edition.

After two years of work and virtual meetings, the Platform for Peacebuilding in Mexico, of which ICIP is one of the promoters, met for the first time this week in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas.

The Platform is a space for dialogue and synergy that brings together people and organizations linked to the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), the Civil Service for Peace of Pan para el Mundo and the First International Forum for Peacebuilding in Mexico.  This forum was held in Barcelona in 2019 and organized by ICIP, Serapaz and Taula per Mèxic.

During this process, other organizations joined the group and participated in various activities in Chiapas.  These include Aluna, CCC México, Consorcio Oaxaca, Coreco A.C., Energía y Estrategia, Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, Serpaj México, Sipaz, SweFOR, Taula per Mèxic and the Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative.  They all form part of this Platform, which also brings together activists, journalists, artists and academics committed to transforming violence in Mexico through a peacebuilding approach.

From 25-28 October, the Platform organized an international forum and an Indigenous peoples’ meeting and held several other meetings to discuss the present and future of the organization.  A visit was also made to Acteal, a community in Chenalhó, Chiapas, with great symbolic significance.  On 22 December 1997, paramilitary groups, allegedly acting in collusion with the State, killed 45 Indigenous Tzotzil people, including four pregnant women and 18 minors.  It was at the House of Memory and Hope in Acteal where a statement announcing the formal constitution of the Platform was read.

A forum as the first public event

The Platform’s first public event was the International Forum for Peacebuilding in Mexico, held at the Daniel Zebadúa Theater in San Cristóbal de las Casas on 25 October.  The objective was to reflect on and analyze the challenges posed by the current violent situations in Mexico’s various territories.

More than 500 people attended the Forum, organized around four panels.  The aim of the opening panel, “Keys to building peace: a global reflection”, was to discuss the strategic frameworks for peacebuilding that have been promoted in other places, including needs and obstacles.  Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Nobel Peace Prize winner; Marta Ruiz, former commissioner of the Truth Commission of Colombia; and Luis Jorge Garay, academic and international consultant, shared their reflections.

The second panel, entitled “Security, justice and territory” was based on the question “How can we end violence?” especially in the context of a crisis of human rights and insecurity in Mexico, to identify the various actors that perpetrate violence from a territorial standpoint.  This panel was led by Jenny Pearce, of the London School of Economics, in the United Kingdom; Guillermo Trejo, of the University of Notre Dame, in the United States; and Francisco Huaroco Tomás, of the Indigenous community of Cherán.  The session was moderated by Yésica Sánchez Maya, of the Consorcio para el Diálogo Parlamentario y la Equidad, A.C.

The third panel, entitled “Restorative practices, dialogue and reconstruction of the social fabric” was presented by Gloria Abarca, an expert in Education for Peace, and featured the participation of Lenin Torres, of the Center for Research and Social Action (CIAS Por la Paz), Lina Ibáñez, of Diálogos Improbables (Colombia), and Abel Barrera of the Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montaña Tlachinollan.

Finally, the fourth panel, entitled “The cultural and spiritual dimension of peacebuilding” featured the participation of academic and social activist Pietro Ameglio, journalist and member of Quinto Elemento Lab, Marcela Turati, and the Bishop of the Diocese of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mons. Rodrigo Aguilar.  The session was moderated by Carla Ríos, of the Brigada Marabunta.  In this panel, participants exchanged points of view and experiences on how education, spirituality, art, culture and journalism are crucial elements for transforming the mechanisms that justify and support the perpetration of violence in society.

The panels’ content and conclusions are available through this link.

An Indigenous people’s meeting on the second day

The event entitled Tejiendo la palabra, dialogando entre pueblos, jointly organized by the Slamalil K’inai Platform for Peacebuilding in Chiapas, took place on Wednesday, 26 October, following the Forum.

More than 200 people from various Indigenous communities in several Mexican states participated in this conference, which took place at the Diocesan House in San Cristóbal de las Casas.

During the day, participants analyzed the reality of Chiapas and other Mexican states in six panels (Community protection and security; Reconstruction of the social fabric and peacebuilding; Support for processes of victims; Youth; Women; and Economic alternatives, land and territory, autonomy and self-determination).

A working session and a visit to Acteal

On the third day, Thursday, 27 October, the Platform held a meeting featuring the participation of more than thirty people from its member organizations.  This internal work session aimed to develop a shared vision in light of Mexico’s many challenges to peace and to provide the Platform with its own strategies and methodologies.

Finally, on Friday, 28 October, day four of the event, members of the Platform and participants in the Forum visited Acteal.  This coming December marks the 25^th anniversary of the massacre that turned this small community into an example of struggle, resistance and dignity of Indigenous peoples.

During the visit, the Platform members held a symbolic ceremony to introduce the group, and a statement was read announcing its establishment and its main objectives.

In the coming months, the Platform intends to continue working “to promote the transformation of the structural and cultural conditions that generate the crisis of armed violence in Mexico,” according to the statement.  Therefore, promoting an inclusive, just, transformative and lasting peace is essential.  “In other words, to fulfil all the conditions that allow everyone to lead a dignified life.”

Eleven years after the International Conference of Aiete, which led to the definitive end of ETA violence and the beginning of a new era in the Basque Country, Basque society still faces pending challenges for the achievement of a complete peace.

These challenges include the creation of a common, inclusive and social memory to explain the Basque conflict to future generations, the recognition and honoring of all the victims of violence, the promotion of new spaces for dialogue and trust among people with different sensibilities, and the processes of healing wounds that remain open.

Following the conferral of the ICIP Peace in Progress Award 2022 to the Basque Country’s associative network in favor of peace, ICIP has produced a video featuring the voices of some of the award-winning organizations in order to highlight the successes achieved so far and the challenges that still remain on the road to peace.

Participants include Aitziber Blanco (Foro Ciudadano Donostia), Agus Hernán (Permanent Social Forum), Maider Maraña (Baketik Foundation), María Oianguren (Gernika Gogoratuz), Iñigo Retolaza (MemoriaLab program) and Paul Ríos (Elkarri/Lokarri).

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian civil society has spontaneously and courageously organized to counter the military occupation through hundreds of nonviolent actions, including civil disobedience, road blockades, civilian evacuation or communication campaigns. 

The report Ukrainian Nonviolent Civil Resistance in the Face of War, prepared by Professor Felip Daza within the framework of a joint ICIP and Novact project, examines the Ukrainian nonviolent civil resistance between February and June 2022 to identify the organizational dynamics and the characteristics of the different actions, their evolution and the impacts and supports they have achieved.

The document analyses 235 nonviolent civil resistance actions shown on an interactive map. It includes a set of recommendations addressed to governments and Ukrainian and international civil society to strengthen nonviolence to transform conflicts.

The work confirms that some resistance actions contributed to stopping the invasion in the country’s north and hindered the institutionalization of the military occupation in its early stages. Likewise, nonviolence has created conditions and strategies to maintain social cohesion and community resilience in the face of fear and uncertainty caused by the invasion. It has also strengthened local governance, thanks to the empowerment of social actors and better coordination with local authorities.

Organized civil society has also allowed the construction of a comprehensive system for the development of evacuation, transportation and relocation tasks for people affected by the violence. Likewise, the work of monitoring war crimes carried out by human rights defence organizations has prevented the legal defenselessness of the population and has empowered communities to report abuses.

According to the author of the report Felip Daza, “the nonviolent civil response of the Ukrainian people is a unique experience that can serve as inspiration for other armed conflicts, but above all, it is the seed to rebuild the country and weave regional alliances to stop the barbarity of war”.

Methodology and types of actions

The research is based on fieldwork on the ground, carried out between April 2 and 18, 2022, by the author Felip Daza and the photographer and camera operator Lorena Sopena. 

During the stay, data and witnesses were collected from interviews with 55 political and social actors in the country, including representatives of public institutions, NGOs, activists, academics and religious institutions.

Information collection has enabled an interactive map with 235 verified and systematized nonviolent actions from February 24 to June 30, 2022. The registered steps are divided into three types: acts of protest and dissuasion (148), movements of nonviolent intervention (51) and measures of non-cooperation (36).

The most numerous actions were protests, including demonstrations and public gatherings, registered above all in the country’s south, in the areas under Russian occupation, and during the first weeks of the invasion.

As of April, the demonstrations were drastically reduced due to the repression, with arbitrary arrests and kidnappings of activists. On the contrary, the resistance adopted a strategy based on covert actions, disobedience and non-cooperation. For example, initiatives such as hanging coloured ribbons in municipalities, communication campaigns via social networks, letters of resignation signed by Melitopol school directors, or some teachers’ refusal to teach with Russian programs stand out.

Nonviolent intervention actions became popular at the beginning of the invasion, with the blockade of Russian tanks by Ukrainian citizens and the construction of barricades. These actions had a direct impact, pushing back Russia’s military objectives. The report also notes that nonviolent civil resistance helped stop the invasion in the country’s north.

The report includes a list of ten recommendations for governments, organizations and civil society in Ukraine and internationally, including material and financial support for resistance actions, creating protection programs for activists and investigations of war crimes, or influencing the design of security that puts people and communities at the centre.

The Ukrainian Nonviolent Civil Resistance in the Face of War report has been published in the ICIP Reports collection as a joint project with Novact and with the collaboration of Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena and the German NGO Corridors. The work is available in electronic format in Catalan, Spanish, English and Ukrainian.

On Wednesday 21 September, coinciding with the celebration of the International Day of Peace, ICIP presented the ICIP Peace in Progress Award 2022 to the Basque associative network in favor of peace.  The ceremony took place in the auditorium of the Parliament of Catalonia and featured the participation of representatives of the 17 award-winning organizations and initiatives.

All of these civil society peace initiatives jointly received the award “for their contribution to the advancement of peace, the end of political violence and the creation of new frameworks of coexistence and reconciliation.” These award-winning initiatives include several organizations that have played a key role in advancing towards resolution of the conflict, such as the Permanent Social Forum, the now-dissolved Coordinadora Gesto por la Paz and Elkarri/Lokarri. Also included are organizations that work for peace education and the promotion of coexistence and human rights, through the Forum of Associations for Peace and Human Rights Education, where Gernika Gogoratuz, Baketik and Bakeola play an important role.

The award also recognizes the Gernika Peace Museum Foundation, Foro Ciudadano Donostia, UNESCO Etxea, the Fernando Buesa Foundation, Emagune, the Ahotsak women’s network, Eskubidez, the experiences of dialogues with victims such as Encuentros Ciudadanos-Memoria Lab, the Encuentros Restaurativos between ETA prisoners and victims, and the BatzART! initiative.

The ceremony was presided over by the first vice president acting as president of the Parliament, Alba Vergés, and ICIP president Xavier Masllorens, who highlighted “the work, so often hidden and discreet, of individuals, groups and organizations that strongly believe that good social coexistence is built one step at a time, and that have decided to support initiatives that build bridges, for a future free of hate and violence.”

In his speech, the president of ICIP also stated that “the ICIP Award is a wakeup call to public authorities so that they act with the responsibility and maturity that the circumstances require.”

In his speech, Jordi Armadans, journalist, activist and former director of FundiPau, the organization that submitted the winning candidacy, highlighted “the experience, testimony and extremely important work of the peace activists.” He praised the “difficult and arduous, but absolutely essential” activism of the award recipients and stated that “violence is not only criminal, but also absurd” and that “human rights are never the problem, but rather the solution.”

A plural and collective award

Representatives from the various award-winning entities and initiatives collected the award during the ceremony and Maria Oianguren, director of the research center for peace Gernika Gogoratuz, and Eneko Calle, member of the Permanent Social Forum, spoke on behalf of them all.

In their acceptance speech, the two representatives highlighted the plurality of the award-winning initiatives but at the same time “their shared commitment in favor of peaceful coexistence and the defense of human rights,” and the ability of all of them to build bridges between opposing actors and open spaces of reconciliation between people who differ. Oianguren and Calle expressed their gratitude for the award on behalf of a civil society that has contributed to a process “that is still incomplete” and of which “there are still many knots to untie” such as the “recognition of all the victims” or the fact that “all the accounts can be honestly told.”

In their joint speech they also defended the need to continue working to delegitimize the hegemonic culture of violence as a way to resolve conflicts and called on public administrations to promote policies in favor of peace.

At the closing of the event, the first vice president acting as president of the Parliament, Alba Vergés, highlighted the “courage” of the award-winning entities in “difficult moments.” She also pointed out that “they have been able to work together for a democratic solution” to the Basque conflict and that “they are still working to solve the pending issues with the same commitment.” Finally, she added that the ICIP Award “is an award for the whole of Basque society.”

There were approximately one hundred people in attendance at the ICIP Award ceremony including many representatives of the Catalan peace movement, members of the association of victims of terrorism UAVAT and members of Parliament.

The final report of the Commission for the Clarification of Truth, Coexistence and Non-Repetition of Colombia was presented at the Parliament of Catalonia on 12 July.   It was a very emotional event, featuring victims of the Colombian conflict living in exile in Catalonia and followed by nearly 250 attendees.

The event, organized by ICIP in its capacity as Technical Secretariat of the Truth Commission in Europe, opened with music by Colombian singer-songwriter Marta Gómez and the opening remarks of the president of the Parliament, Laura Borràs, who highlighted “the commitment of the Parliament and the whole of Catalan society to the cause of peace.”

ICIP director Kristian Herbolzheimer then called attention to the three years of collective work of the Truth Commission and ICIP, which now comes to an end with the presentation of the final report: “After decades of armed conflict, Colombia is now paradoxically the leading international model for peacebuilding, while in Europe, we are once again amid polarization, bloc confrontation and war,” he pointed out.  The ICIP director also urged Catalan institutions and associations to maintain a strong commitment to the victims and to peace in Colombia.

Recognition for victims of the conflictlicte

The institutional ceremony was conceived as recognition of victims of the Colombian conflict exiled in Catalonia and all the people who have worked for years to build peace in Colombia.  That is why the highlight was a conversation between Marta Liliana Ramírez, a victim of the conflict living in Catalonia who contributed her testimony to the Commission, and Helga Flamtermesky, an interviewer in the process of taking testimonies and member of the Catalonia Node in Support of the Commission.  During the conversation, Marta Liliana Ramírez, mother of a disappeared person, explained that giving testimony to the Truth Commission and feeling listened to has given her dignity.

The event also featured the participation of two members of the Truth Commission, Carlos Martín Beristain and Alejandro Valencia, who presented the main conclusions and recommendations of the final report, placing special emphasis on the chapter on exile: “Exile is oblivion; it is the consequence of many forms of violence.  And the report is a recognition of these ignored and invisible stories,” said Beristain.  The final report includes a series of recommendations to ensure a “more complete peace,” including reparation and dignification of the victims.

After their speeches, the two commissioners symbolically presented the report to Marta Liliana Ramírez and Dorys Ardila, a committee member for the follow-up of the Commission’s recommendations, who received it on behalf of all the victims in exile.

The documentary “Para volverte a ver,” produced by ICIP and Mandorla Films, was screened during the event.  The film narrates the contribution of the Colombian diaspora in Europe to the Commission’s work.  The documentary features four stories of life in exile, and two of its protagonists, Yanira Restrepo and Juana Sánchez-Ortega, were also present at the ceremony in the Parliament.

The ceremony ended with a performance by the musical trio Ensamble Ocasa which was met with big applause.

This event received support from Taula Catalana per la Pau i els Drets Humans a Colòmbia, the Catalonia Node and the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation.

The final report features 30,000 testimonies of the armed conflict

The Truth Commission of Colombia began its mandate in November 2018 to clarify the patterns and causes of human rights violations during the Colombian conflict, promoting the recognition of victims and contributing to coexistence.  The mandate will end this summer by disseminating the report in July and August.

The final report covers the events that took place in Colombia from 1958 to 2016 and are the result of a process of investigation and analysis based on a broad and pluralistic listening process that included victims, perpetrators, state security forces, businesspeople, ex-presidents, and other actors and sectors of civil society directly or indirectly related to the Colombian armed conflict.

The Commission has collected over 30,000 testimonies of the conflict, of which 2,000 are from exiles living in 24 different countries, including 800 in Europe and one hundred in Catalonia.

The Colombian armed conflict left a toll of nine million victims, of whom half a million were killed and 100,000 disappeared.  During the decades of conflict, one million people were forced to leave the country in search of protection.  Exile is almost always the last resort after other acts of violence.

Reception at the Palau de la Generalitat

On Tuesday, 12 July, the President of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Victòria Alsina, received Commissioners Carlos Martin Beristian and Alejandro Valencia at a meeting at the Palau de la Generalitat. The reception was also attended by the President and Director of the ICIP, Xavier Masllorens and Kristian Herbolzheimer, respectively; Marta Liliana Ramírez, a victim of the Colombian conflict exiled in Catalonia; and Dorys Ardila, a member of the committee following up on the recommendations of the Commission’s final report.

During the meeting, President Aragonès stressed the pride in “the support of the institutions and social movements of Catalonia to the peace process in Colombia”. They highlighted the work of the ICIP as the Technical Secretariat of the Truth Commission in Europe.

For her part, Minister Alsina reaffirmed the Government’s commitment so that Colombia “continues to be a priority country for Catalan cooperation, as it has historically been”.