Author: Eugenia

The World Peace Congress organised by the International Peace Bureau (IPB) and the International Catalan Institute for Peace (ICIP) ended this Sunday in Barcelona after three days of conferences, workshops, and cultural events.

Under the title “(Re)imagine the world. Action for peace and justice”, more than 2,600 people participated in this hybrid congress, with activities in Barcelona. The events took place in the Centre of Contemporary Culture (CCCB) and the Blanquerna – Universitat Ramon Llull and were broadcast on the Internet.

Nine hundred people attended the congress in person, while 1,600 attended virtually. Participants came from 126 countries. In Barcelona, activists from 75 countries, including South Korea, the United States, Afghanistan, India, and Mongolia, were also able to listen to the speeches covering issues such as nuclear disarmament, climate justice, racism, and indigenous peoples’ rights.

As IPB Executive Director, Reiner Braun, explains, this is the most significant international peace event this year. “The congress was a great success. We got great support from the city of Barcelona and the president of the government of Catalonia. From my point of view, it was the right congress in this difficult political time and the right place because we got great support from the city. The IPB will continue working on the way of more engagement for peace after the congress”.

Jordi Calvo, IPB Vice-President and member of the local committee, affirms: “At the congress, we have seen that the peace movement is not alone. The large participation of feminist, anti-racist and global justice movements in the conferences and seminars shows that pacifism is more alive than ever but needs to adapt to new narratives and generations. After this congress, the Catalan, Spanish, European and global peace movement is stronger”.

The World Peace Congress brought together the different peace organisations in Catalonia for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic. From the event has also emerged the commitment to organise a Catalan Congress of Culture of Peace within two years, after opening a period of analysis, reflection and action. “The values of peace and justice are accepted everywhere, but the reality contrasts with good intentions. The peace movement must go one step further so that institutional commitments can be translated into necessary transformations. We need to update our discourse and seek new alliances to have a greater impact”, said Kristian Herbolzheimer, the director of ICIP.

The congress started on Friday 15 October with an event attended by the President of the Generalitat Pere Aragonés and the Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau. The opening session was attended by prominent names such as British politician Jeremy Corbyn and ICAN Executive Director Beatrice Fihn.

Exhibition “Facing Violence: Stories of Resilience in Central America”.

Coinciding with the Second World Peace Congress celebration, ICIP will launch the photo exhibition “Facing Violence: Stories of resilience in Central America “. The show, created by the Ruido Photo group, will be on display for three days, until 18 October, at Plaça Joan Coromines in Barcelona.

Through photography and interviews, the exhibition is a journey through the many faces of violence that affect daily life in three Central American countries known as the Northern Triangle: El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

Sean MacBride Award

Each year, IPB gives the Sean MacBride Peace Prize to an individual or organisation that has done outstanding work for peace, disarmament and human rights. This year the award was awarded to Black Lives Matter for the movement’s dedication and work to create a world where the lives of black people can thrive.

On the second day of the World Peace Congress in Barcelona, Rev Karlene Griffiths Sekou, community minister, academic and activist, and director of Healing Justice and International Organizing, received the award on behalf of the social movement. “Our movement is not a moment in time; it is a constant reminder to eradicate white supremacy, change racist policies and overthrow oppressive systems”.

You can access the photos of the congress here.

On 15 October, coinciding with the celebration of the Second World Peace Congress, ICIP will launch the photo exhibition “Facing Violence: Stories of resilience in Central America“. The exhibition, created by the Ruido Photo group, will be on display for three days, until 18 October, at Plaça Joan Coromines in Barcelona.

Through photography and interviews, the exhibition is a journey through the many faces of violence that affect daily life in three Central American countries known as the Northern Triangle: El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. The figures are alarming: on average, a person is killed every 40 minutes. Extortions, rapes, kidnappings, murders and disappearances, but also situations of poverty and social exclusion, are part of the daily life of a large segment of the population, especially the most vulnerable.

However, in this hostile context of violence, the exhibition also gives voice to the people who fight, day after day, to transform this reality through educational initiatives, awareness, care and solidarity. Brave people who undertake projects with an amazing capacity for resilience, who demonstrate that history is not written and that there is extraordinary potential to advance towards peace.

Women, children, youth and migrants

The exhibition is divided into four thematic areas: Women, Children, Youth and Migrants.  Throughout the exhibition, the violence suffered by various sectors of society is shown.  Women and children are particularly vulnerable, as are young people who, in poor and socially marginalized environments, are recruited by “maras,” lured by the promise of security.  These gangs, which have become violent transnational mafias, give them the opportunity to grow and make easy money.

In this context, many people are forced to migrate, thus exposing themselves to arrest, kidnapping, rape or murder, mostly by organized crime.  The Northern Triangle route to the United States is the scene of a serious humanitarian crisis.

As a counterpoint to the multiple forms of violence, the exhibition highlights the trajectory of four people who, from their fields of action, face the situation.  Based on interviews, the exhibition features the following testimonies:

• Morena Herrera, women’s rights advocate, El Salvador
• Marisa Martínez, children’s rights advocate, El Salvador
• Wilfredo Gómez, former member of the “maras” and founder of the “Huellas de esperanza” (Traces of hope) program, El Salvador
• Mauro Verzeletti, founder and director of “La Casa del Migrante,” Guatemala

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Technical characteristics

The exhibition includes a QR code through which those interested can access a Spanish and English translation of the texts. It also features an audio description system for the blind.

The exhibition consists of four cube-shaped structures that can be distributed in indoor and outdoor public spaces. The distribution of the cubes adapts to the space available and the exhibit is both easy to install and weather resistant. Each cube deals with a particular theme and features photographs on the outside and texts on the inside.

“Face to face with violences: Stories of resilience in Central America” is part of ICIP’s “Violences in non-war settings” work area.

Barcelona, 20 September 2021.-  This Monday afternoon, on the eve of the International Day of Peace, ICIP presented the ICIP Peace in Progress Award 2020 to Congolese activist Julienne Lusenge in a ceremony at the Parliament of Catalonia.  Lusenge received the award “for her work in preventing and reducing sexual and gender-based violence, and for strengthening women’s participation in peacebuilding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” a country with high rates of violence against women.

The ceremony was presided over by the President of the Parliament, Laura Borràs, the Minister of Foreign Action and Open Government, Victòria Alsina, and ICIP President Xavier Masllorens, who stressed the importance of fighting resolutely against sexual violence, also here at home: “We in Catalonia cannot allow ourselves to be just another country in this matter.  We have the tools to work more decisively at home to achieve a critical mass to confront this truly shameful pandemic.” Masllorens said he felt honoured to be able to pay tribute to a person like Julienne “committed to the struggle for peace and justice” and noted that this is the tenth ICIP Award, which adds to a list of people and organisations “who have devoted energy and effort to building peace in the face of conflict.”

During the ceremony, a video featuring the award winner’s career was shown, and the journalist specialising in Africa, Xavier Aldekoa, said of Lusenge: “Julienne is, above all, a brave woman – very brave.  Because of her leadership and courage, because of her fight against impunity by exposing, both nationally and internationally, the culprits and perpetrators of violence against women, she has received threats and attacks; nevertheless, she has continued to raise her voice regardless of the consequences.”

In her speech expressing gratitude for the award, Julienne Lusenge dedicated the prize to all Congolese women: “This award is for all the heroic women who constantly work for peace in the Congo and who live with violence every day.  This award gives me the energy to keep on fighting.” The activist defined Congolese women as “agents of change” and summarised the priorities of her struggle at the helm of the organisation SOFEPADI, which provides comprehensive care to survivors of violence: “Educating young women, raising community awareness about non-discrimination and mobilising resources to care for victims.”

The Minister of Foreign Action, Victòria Alsina, paid tribute to Lusenge’s “tireless and titanic work” regarding women’s rights: “Key figures like Julienne inspire us and remind us of the need to continue participating in this struggle.”

In the event’s closing speech, the President of the Parliament, Laura Borràs, praised the creation of ICIP by the Parliament of Catalonia. This feat represents “an example of the real power of the legislative body.” Borràs recalled the ten-year history of the Peace in Progress Award and pointed out that the award presented to Lusenge was the first to honour an individual woman. A recognition well deserved for a “life dedicated to the education, dignity and freedom of women, who suffer violence all over the world,” she said.

Among those attending the ceremony was Capuchin priest Joan Botam, recipient of the ICIP Peace in Progress Award 2015.  In his case, ICIP recognised his role as one of the leading pioneers of pacifism in Catalonia and a staunch defender of interreligious dialogue and religion as a source of peace.

A benchmark in the fight against sexual violence

Lusenge is the founder and current President of the organisation SOFEPADI (Female Solidarity for Integrated Peace and Development), which focuses on victims of sexual and gender-based violence. She is executive director of Fund for Congolese Women, which offers financial and technical support for the empowerment of Congolese women and girls to become agents of change within their families and their communities. She is also the founder of hospital Karibuni Wa Mama, in Bunia, which provides holistic services to sexual violence survivors and their children, having served over 7,000 survivors to date.

Originally from eastern Congo – a region devastated by the war started in 1998 and by atrocities committed by armed groups against local communities and, particularly against women and girls- Lusenge has experienced this violence herself and has emerged as a voice to denounce injustices and support the victims. From the organisations where she works, Lusenge has pushed the Congolese government and the international community to act against sexual violence, put women at the centre of peace and security processes, and foster the political rights of women and girls. She has advocated for the adoption of Resolutions 1820 and 1325 on women rights at the UN Security Council and creating the Special Relator to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Due to her activism and leadership, she has been repeatedly threatened by former members of armed groups, and she has been forced to relocate several times.

ICIP Peace in Progress Award

The ICIP Peace in Progress Award consists of public recognition, a sculpture created by the Nobel Peace Prize winner, artist and activist, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, called Porta del Sol, and 6,000 euros.

In previous editions, the award was granted to the Mexican organisation Cauce Ciudadano (2018), the activist Arcadi Oliveres (2017), Peace Brigades International (2016), the Capuchin friar Joan Botam (2015), WILPF (2014), the ex-general Jovan Divjak (2013), Madres de Soacha (2012), and the struggle of conscientious objectors and “insubmisos” (people who refuse to do military service or any substitute social work) represented by Pepe Beúnza (2011). The same year, 2011, in an extraordinary edition of the award, the Parliament of Catalonia was honoured for representing the continuity and legacy of the institutions “Pau i Treva” and “Consolat de Mar.”

Barcelona, 16 September 2021.- On Thursday afternoon, ICIP president and director, Xavier Masllorens and Kristian Herbolzheimer respectively, appeared before the Committee on External Action, Transparency and Cooperation of the Parliament of Catalonia to present the institution’s activity reports for the years 2019 and 2020.

In his speech, the president highlighted ICIP’s distinctive profile, “with a clear and defined identity,” as well as its commitment to internationalization and collaboration with other institutes and organizations, despite the global pandemic situation. “ICIP has reacted very well to the new socialization and has maintained or increased some of its most important actions,” said Masllorens. The celebration of the First International Forum for Peacebuilding in Mexico, the collaboration agreement with the Commission for the Clarification of the Truth, Coexistence and Reconciliation of Colombia and the second survey on coexistence and polarization in Catalonia are among the most noteworthy of these accomplishments.

The independence of ICIP: an indispensable condition

For his part, ICIP director Kristian Herbolzheimer defended the independence of the Institute, “an indispensable condition” to carry out the mandate established by law (which implies the creation of synergies between different actors and movements) and provide answers to a changing world. “The nature of conflicts is changing and from the field of peacebuilding we must reinvent and update our agenda to adapt it to the challenges of the 21^st century,” said Herbolzheimer. In this regard, the ICIP director highlighted the celebration of the World Peace Congress that will take place in Barcelona from 15-17 October and announced the intention to work towards a Catalan Peace Congress, which would allow us to bring the agendas of the different social movements up to date and face future challenges, such as the security model debate.

The ICIP director also highlighted the institution’s work in favor of social cohesion in Catalonia and its commitment to dialogue as the way to transform any conflict. “The art of building peace is to make possible what seems impossible and unimaginable,” he said.

The activity presented by ICIP in the annual reports corresponding to the years 2019 and 2020 received almost unanimous support from the spokespersons of the various parliamentary groups. In their speeches, PSC, ERC, Junts per Catalunya, CUP, En Comú Podem, Ciutadans and the Mixed Group expressed their gratitude for the work carried out by ICIP and highlighted its internationalization efforts and the extensive activity maintained at all times, even in the midst of a pandemic, during which the institution has been able to adapt to a virtual format.

ICIP was created by the Parliament of Catalonia in 2007 with the aim of promoting a culture of peace both in Catalan society and internationally, and to ensure that Catalonia plays an active role as an agent of peace in the world.  ICIP is an autonomous organization with its own legal personality.  It serves public administrations, academia and civil society, and reports to Parliament, the Government and the general public.

The International Peace Bureau and the ICIP are the Second World Peace Congress organisers. The event will be held in Barcelona from 15 to 17 October 2021.

Under the title “(Re) imagine Our World. Action for Peace and Justice”, participants from 40 countries will attend this event with face-to-face activities, conferences and workshops, most of which will take place at the Center for Contemporary Culture of Barcelona (CCCB).

The conference will have a hybrid format, and many of the activities will also be available online. The main goal of the congress is to invigorate international pacifism, be a meeting point for different actors, redefine action for peace, and, as the motto of the congress says, reimagine the world through the prism of a culture of peace.

At the same time, the event seeks to foster synergies between organizations and individuals and between interconnected social movements fighting for global justice: peace and disarmament advocates, feminist and LGBTQIA+ campaigners, ecologists and climate activists, antiracists and indigenous people, human rights defenders and trade unionists.

More than 30 speakers

During the three days of the congress, there will be talks and lectures by more than thirty speakers. Featured names include Noam Chomsky, Vandana Shiva, Jody Williams, Martin Chungong, Wada Masako and Beatrice Fihn.

There will also be different workshops on ‘Peace Economics’, ‘Peace Accords to End Wars’, ‘Nonviolent Journalism for Peace’ or ‘Peace, Racism and Migration’.

The main organizer of the congress is the IPB, an entity that has its headquarters in Berlin and has offices in Barcelona and Geneva.

The office in the Catalan capital has been operating for four years, and from there, the Global Campaign on Military Spending (GCOMS) is managed in collaboration with Centre Delàs.

The IPB has a network of 400 members, and the Centre Delàs is part of the board of directors. In Catalonia, in addition to the Centre Delàs, other entities form part of the IPB: Justícia i Pau, Fundipau, Unipau, Escola de Cultura de Pau i Fundació Carta de la Pau dirigida a l’ONU.

The first peace congress in history was held in 1843 in London, then in Paris in 1889 and Rome in 1891 when the IPB was created.

In 2016, these world congresses were restarted with the idea of putting global disarmament on the agenda. This first congress of the new stage was held in Berlin, and the one in Barcelona will be the continuation.

Equality and care are among ICIP’s intrinsic values, and a gender perspective is a cross-cutting tool that guides the institution’s action throughout its various action lines. That is why ICIP has also decided to create its first Gender Equality Plan (available in Catalan), developed in a participatory manner by the fifteen people who make up the staff.

The plan will be valid until 2025 and has been designed with the following objectives:

• To ensure effective equal opportunities for ICIPemployees;
• To promote the integration of the gender perspective into ICIP’s organizational culture and management;
• To promote the values of gender equality, inclusiveness and respect for plurality among the staff and with external companies and individuals with whom ICIP works.

Methodology used

The elaboration of the ICIP Equality Plan has been carried out following the methodology proposed by the Directorate-General of Equality of the Department of Labor, Social Affairs and Families of the Government of Catalonia, and considering current regulations at the state regional level.

The plan has been elaborated based on the diagnosis carried out between October 2020 and February 2021 and considered current regulations regarding equal opportunities between women and men in the workplace and equality plans. It includes a total of 32 measures covering ten thematic areas.

To implement the plan, a negotiating committee has been set up, consisting of a representative of the institution, the employees’ representative and two additional members, with secretarial and coordinating roles, who are experts in inequality issues.

The ICIP Gender Equality Plan applies to anyone who works at ICIP: employees, regardless of their relationship with the organization, the members of the Governing Board, students doing internships at the institution and also third parties that provide services to ICIP, either through a contract awarded to them or through the company that they work for.

Citizen marches, homicides and disappearances, plus political tension, reveal the new dimension of the conflict in Colombia: a conflict about change, where diverse demands and expectations converge and clash with the establishment that resists change.

The 2016 Peace Agreement between the government and the FARC rebel group is a key reference point for this dispute.  Unlike agreements elsewhere in the world, in Havana, no significant concessions were negotiated for the rebels, but rather the conditions to undertake structural reforms that were long delayed in the country, largely under the excuse of war.  In fact, once the FARC handed in their weapons and became involved in political life, the influence of the former guerrilla group became marginal.  Thus, the myths created by those opposed to the agreement about the threat of Castro-Chavismo and the FARC as a Trojan horse that would lead the country to a left-wing authoritarian regime have collapsed.

The current conflict can also be analyzed from a global perspective, where the health, economic and ecological crises strain institutional capacities to offer solutions that benefit the population as a whole.  A citizenry that has lost hope in the progress of society and that suffers and despairs because of the growing gap between privileged minorities and excluded majorities.

Some sectors advocate profound transformations in our way of understanding the world and the role we human beings play in it and, consequently, push for new economic, social and cultural models.  Meanwhile, other sectors, reluctant to change, cling to the idea of a past in which order prevailed in the face of what they perceive as a future of chaos.

In a way, this conflict transcends the historical debates between right and left because there are progressive and conservative sectors in both groups.  And because, faced with the uncertainty of the future and the lack of economic and political references, political dogmas lose strength due to the rigidity of their analysis.

At this global crossroads there are two fundamental issues: the quality of democracy and public security policies.

Democratic culture and institutions are fundamental to channel the social and political conflicts inherent to the human condition.  But they can only perform this function if the public trusts them.  This trust is undermined in many countries because the institutions fail to respond to the needs of the majority and are perceived as instruments for consolidating the privileges of a few minorities.  In some countries, there are even doubts as to whether the state has become an instrument of organized crime.

In this context, the concept of security takes on special relevance: What do we understand by security?  Whose security and against what?  If the state does not allow different political proposals to be settled through democratic channels, the security forces become a protective arm of the status quo, whether in Venezuela, Hong Kong, the United States or Colombia.

Thus, what is happening in Colombia these days is the local expression of a broader phenomenon.  It is an outburst of exasperation by those who fear a darker future or who no longer have anything to lose.  It is also a new case of digital battles for the control of the narrative, where each side wields a video to reinforce their position and delegitimize that of the other, without taking into consideration the overall picture.

Five decades of armed conflict weigh heavily.  A Colombian political culture marked by violence has little tolerance and little experience in dealing with discrepancy and alternation of power.  Now that the war with the FARC is over, there is no reason why the country cannot face a brighter future and bring about an improvement in living conditions for the whole of society.

The country needs a new peace framework.  The 2016 agreement is a starting point that calls for new deliberations, at all levels, to identify and agree on a path towards a better future: one where peace does not germinate in furrows of pain – as the national anthem suggests – but as a result of collective and inclusive effort and commitment.

Kristian Herbolzheimer, director of the ICIP

May 12, 2021

Public security policies are being questioned locally and globally, from different contexts that present a diverse conflictology.  In countries with armed conflict, in countries with chronic violence and also in places where it could be said that there is no context of generalized violence, security is currently a much discussed and debated notion because the strategies deployed in its name are not effectively managing to deal with social conflicts or to prevent violences.  On the contrary, they often limit freedoms and the free exercise of human rights, reinforcing existing vulnerabilities or even generating new violent dynamics.

The classic approaches to security, of a state-centered and military nature, have been challenged by a plurality of schools and academic currents grouped under the name of “critical security studies” (feminist security, human security, green theory, securitization, emancipation, post-structuralism, post-colonialism and decoloniality…). 

In this context we detect two strategic challenges: the need to facilitate dialogue between different approaches to thinking when reflecting on a new security model and, at the same time, that these approaches be connected to specific practical experiences.

With the aim to face these challenges, the ICIP call for proposals for a report on the interaction between alternative approaches, both theoretical and practical, that are developed in response to the traditional security model.

Those interested in participating in the call must submit their proposals via email to smartinez@icip.cat, to the attention of Sandra Martínez, with “Security Report” in the subject line.

The deadline for submitting proposals is 26 May 2021.

ICIP, together with the Catalonia node in support of the Colombian Truth Commission, has initiated actions to recognize the victims of the Colombian conflict exiled in Catalonia on the part of various Catalan institutions and social actors. The process of recognition of the victims is one of the tasks carried out by ICIP as Technical Secretariat of the Colombian Truth Commission in Europe.

The first act of recognition took place on 16 April in Barcelona, in an event featuring the participation of the Commissioner of the Truth Commission, Carlos Martin Beristain. The event began with a dialogue between the Commissioner and victims of the conflict based on the book Una maleta colombiana (A Colombian Suitcase), a compilation of articles by Beristain that describe the experience of Colombian exile from different perspectives: refugees, asylum seekers, victims abroad and of cross-border displacement.

The Commissioner recognized the importance of all the victims who have contributed with their testimony to the task of clarifying the events that took place during the Colombian armed conflict. And he also recognized those who voluntarily support the work being carried out by the Commission in Catalonia.

Afterwards, during the event, several victims of the Colombian conflict living in Catalonia who have contributed their testimony to the Truth Commission shared with the Commissioner written, audiovisual and musical productions that reflect their experiences as victims in exile. This exercise of listening and recognition concluded with the performance of the Colombian singer-songwriter living in Catalonia, Marta Gómez, who sang two songs composed collectively by victims in exile.

The process of recognition

The process of recognition of the victims of the Colombian conflict in exile will include actions throughout Catalonia via institutional statements and resolutions by municipalities and social organizations involving a participatory process. The objectives are as follows:

• To raise awareness throughout Catalonia of the impact of the Colombian armed conflict and the migratory process of exiles

• To contribute to the respect and dignity of the victims who had to flee Colombia due to the armed conflict

• To strengthen the emotional, social and institutional links between exiles and host societies

• To promote the participation of victims in the task of clarification of the truth and non-repetition of the Colombian Truth Commission

More than 500,000 people have been forced to flee Colombia because of the armed conflict and they have settled in different countries. The Truth Commission aims to understand and explain the violence, recognize the victims and promote coexistence. The Commission carries out this task in Europe with ICIP assistance, based on the collaboration agreement between the two institutions, and with additional support from the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation and the Catalonia node in support of the Truth Commission.

The same week of the departure of our friend and mentor, Arcadi Oliveres, another great peacebuilder has left us: Jovan Divjak, the former general who defied the orders of the Serbian army and defended Sarajevo during the Balkan War.

It was precisely for his courage during the war and for his contribution, later on, to peacebuilding in the country, that Divjak was conferred the ICIP Peace in Progress Award 2013, which he received at a ceremony in the Parliament of Catalonia the following year.

The ICIP team and Governing Board regret this loss and express our sincere condolences to his family and friends.

From general to peacebuilder

Jovan Divjak was born in Belgrade in 1937 to parents originally from the Bosanska Krajina region of Bosnia. He studied at the Military Academy in Belgrade, the École d’État Major in Compiègne (France), the Cadet Academy in Belgrade and the School of War and Defense Planning, also in Belgrade. He was Commander of the Yugoslav People’s Army, first in the Mostar sector (1984-1989) and later in Sarajevo (1989-1991).

In the spring of 1992, at the outset of the siege of Sarajevo that would last until 1996, Divjak received orders from Belgrade to leave the city. He refused and left the Yugoslav People’s Army to serve as Commander of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in an act of disobedience and commitment to those who were under attack. From this new position, Divjak supervised and coordinated the defense of Sarajevo – a symbol of multiethnicity – against the attack of the Serbian troops, led by General Radovan Karadzic. Because of this courageous attitude, he was known as “the Serb who defended Sarajevo” (although he defined himself as a Bosnian born in Belgrade) and is considered a national hero in Bosnia.

Protection of the victims

In 1994, after retiring from the military, forced into the reserve by the Bosnian government, Divjak participated in the foundation of OGBH (“Education builds Bosnia and Herzegovina”), of which he was the executive director.  The association works to ensure the education of all children victims of the Bosnian War, regardless of their ethnicity, providing them with scholarships and material support.

Convinced of the importance of preserving coexistence in a multiethnic society, Jovan Divjak wanted to turn problems that, at first sight, seemed to be only ideological and political, into educational issues. That is why he was involved in the drive for a unified, but not uniform, education in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

From then on, Divjak made Sarajevo his home and fought for the reconstruction of the city and to create a future for children, whether Croats, Muslims or Serbs. For his work in the association, he received numerous local and international awards, including the Sixth of April Award of Sarajevo, the French Legion of Honor and the Humanist of the Year Award from the International League of Humanists.

The ICIP team and Governing Board express our most sincere condolences for the loss of our friend Arcadi Oliveres, mentor and undisputed leader for the entire pacifist movement in Catalonia.

Arcadi was with us from the establishment of ICIP in 2009. And even before then, since he was one of the promoters of the creation of the Institute. As a member of the first Governing Board, he was closely involved with ICIP, especially during the first years of our existence, to define the road map for the promotion of a culture of peace, in Catalonia and around the world.

Coherent, radical in ideas and approachable in manner, Arcadi was always a person of peace. He never said no and always defended all the causes he knew led to a greater humanitarianism, to greater social justice: the fight against the arms trade or against the foreign debt of impoverished countries, the conscientious objection to compulsory military service, war tax resistance, the fight against inequalities, injustices and war in general.

A career in peace and justice that ICIP honored in 2017 with the ICIP Peace in Progress Award “for his commitment and tireless dedication to the promotion of peace, social justice, human rights and disarmament, from a universal perspective.”

Arcadi leaves behind an immense legacy, as immense will be his absence.

As the activist and journalist David Fernàndez said in the essay he wrote on the occasion of the ICIP Award, “We are all Arcadi (or at least that’s what we all aspire to).”

Rest in peace, Arcadi.

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The jury of the fifth edition of the ICIP Hip Hop for Peace Contest has announced the winners for 2020. This contest aims to promote creativity and draw attention to the commitment of young people in the field of peace.  In this edition, the award-winning entries address gender-based violence, bullying and racism, and include messages of rejection of all forms of discrimination and abuse.

The contest is aimed at youth between the ages of 12 and 25 and has two categories.

In Category 1, aimed at students in secondary school, senior high school, and vocational training school in Catalonia, the winning video clips are:

• First prize: “Això ha de canviar” (This must change), a video clip created by fourth-year secondary school students at Guillem Catà School in Manresa (Bages), winners of the recording and music production of a rap piece in a professional recording studio with artistic support. The video clip denounces the system with a focus on gender-based violence.

• Second prize: “En este infierno” (In this hell), a video clip created by students at Montagut School in Santa Susanna (Maresme), winners of a rap workshop conducted by a hip hop professional. In this case, the piece denounces bullying and a call to raise awareness of abuse.

In Category 2, aimed at young people between the ages of12 and 25 from youth, cultural, civic or socio-educational action centres in Catalonia, the winners are:

• First prize: “No sound bite,” a video clip created by youth at the “Sota Mínims Teatre,” a creative artistic workshop at Brians 2 Penitentiary, winners of the recording and music production of a rap piece in a professional recording studio with artistic support. The piece is a call in favour of personal empowerment and against discrimination.

• Second prize: “El camino de los valientes” (The path of the brave), a video clip created by youth in training at Càritas Diocesana of Girona, winners of a workshop conducted by a hip hop professional. This piece calls for equality, a denunciation of the discrimination experienced by many immigrant youths in Catalonia.

The ICIP Hip Hop for Peace Contest aims to draw attention to the commitment and creativity of young people in peace culture. The contest receives support from the Department of Education, the Directorate-General for Youth and the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation.