The International Catalan Institute for Peace (ICIP) presented the 2016 Peace in Progress Award to the NGO Peace Brigades International (PBI) for their work in the support and accompaniment of human rights defenders. The event took place in the Parliament of Catalonia on Tuesday 7 February and was attended by approximately one hundred people.
The ceremony was chaired by the President of Parliament, Carme Forcadell, and ICIP president Xavier Masllorens. On the part of the award-winning organization, the representative of PBI Spain, Montserrat García, picked up the award, while the commentary was given by the historic human rights activist and current Member of Congress in Guatemala, Nineth Montenegro.
ICIP president Xavier Masllorens justified recognition for PBI because “standing by those whose most fundamental rights are violated, and who risk their lives and safety, accompanying them, is at the very heart of the ethic of care that we promote from the institutions that work for peace.”
The importance of the work carried out by Peace Brigades International was made clear with the emotional testimony of human rights activist Nineth Montenegro, founder of the Mutual Support Group (GAM), an organization formed by relatives of the disappeared in Guatemala, who was supported and protected by PBI in the 1980s after she denounced the abduction and disappearance of her husband: “Neither my daughter nor I would be alive if it were not for the commendable, selfless and self-sacrificing work of members of the Brigades. […] They gave me the opportunity to stand up today in Guatemala and keep fighting for a better country.”
During the ceremony a video about Peace Brigades International was shown, and then Professor Antoni Pigrau, member of the ICIP Governing Board, read the conferment statement. The award was presented to the international representative of PBI Spain, Montserrat García, who dedicated it to all human rights defenders, “with the hope that it will contribute to make the important work they do more visible, and for which they face threats, attacks and persecution.” In her speech, García regretted that “unfortunately, the world remains a dangerous place to defend human rights and the need for international support is growing.” The international representative of PBI also highlighted “the hundreds of volunteers” who have been members of PBI teams and who are one of the “fundamental pillars” of the organization.
In the closing ceremony, the President of Parliament, Carme Forcadell, congratulated the International Brigades and stated that they were a “necessary model” because “we need to have examples that reinforce the culture of peace in our society.” Forcadell said that “peace is much more than the absence of violence,” because “there can be no peace without respect for human rights and dignity. There is no peace without freedom and justice.”
Inspired by Gandhi’s nonviolent techniques, Peace Brigades International was founded in 1981 with the conviction that the presence of international volunteers could deter attacks against the civilian population in conflict areas. Thus, for 35 years, they have been working in conflict areas, where their volunteers provide support to human rights activists and other groups and organizations that are threatened, such as unions or indigenous communities. They currently have permanent teams in Guatemala, Colombia, Mexico, Honduras, Nepal, Indonesia and Kenya, and they have also worked in Sri Lanka, the Balkans, El Salvador, Haiti and East Timor.
The ICIP Peace in Progress Award is granted annually and consists of public recognition, a sculpture created by Nobel Peace Prize winner, activist and artist Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, called Porta del Sol, and a financial prize of 4,000 euros.
Full video of the ceremony (Canal Parlament)
08.01.2017
