WEBINAR #3 "PEACE EFFORTS IN COLOMBIA: CURRENT CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES"

IFOR-International Fellowship of Reconciliation, together with FOR Peace Presence and FOR Austria, is pleased to invite you to the

WEBINAR #3 of the ANNIVERSARY WEBINAR SERIES

“20 YEARS OF INTERNATIONAL ACCOMPANIMENT IN COLOMBIA”

May 7th 2022 at 5pm CEST on Zoom

International Fellowship of Reconciliation - IFOR, together with its branch IFOR Austria - VersöhnungsbundPeace Presence and its affiliate Peace Presence, is pleased to invite you to the webinar #3 "Peace efforts in Colombia: current challenges and opportunities" of the ANNIVERSARY WEBINAR SERIES.

The webinar is scheduled for May 7th 2022 at 5pm CEST.

This webinar #3 will focus on ongoing peace work highlighting challenges and opportunities and will present specific peace building experiences such as the peace community peace Comunidad De Paz San José De Apartadó and the humanitarian space Espacio Humanitario Puente Nayero and other local experiences with the participation of IFOR Swedish branch Kristna Fredsrörelsen, Swefor.

Our main speakers will be:

- Jose Roviro Lopez, Peace Community of San Jose de Apartado

- Nhora Isabel Castillo, Humanitarian Space Puente Nayero, Buenaventura

- Henry Alberto David, Life and Work Community La Balsita, Dabeiba

- Miriam Heins, SweFOR Choco Office Coordinator

- Irmgard Ehrenberger, FOR Austria

Moderators: Zaira Zafarana (IFOR), Manuel Müller (FOR PP), Michaela Soellinger (FOR Austria)

The webinar will provide more information on how to support such peace efforts and partner with local actors

Participating individuals and organizations will have the possibility to raise questions and engage in a direct exchange to explore opportunities to get involved and contribute to peace efforts in Colombia.

Register at bit.ly/20FORPP and participate!

The webinar will be in English and Spanish.

Share on Facebook here

Click here to read about webinar #1

Click here to read about webinar #2

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IFOR-International Fellowship of Reconciliation, 

junto con FOR Peace Presence y FOR Austria, se alegra de invitarle al 

WEBINAR #3 de la SERIE DE WEBINARIOS DEL ANIVERSARIO

Descarga el flyer aquí

"20 AÑOS DE ACOMPAÑAMIENTO INTERNACIONAL EN COLOMBIA"

7 de mayo de 2022 a las 5pm CEST en Zoom

International Fellowship of Reconciliation - IFOR, junto con su rama IFOR Austria - VersöhnungsbundPeace Presence y su afiliado FOR Peace Presence, se complace en invitarle al webinar #3 "Esfuerzos de paz en Colombia: retos y oportunidades actuales" de la SERIE DE WEBINARIOS ANIVERSARIOS.
El webinar está programado para el 7 de mayo de 2022 a las 5pm CEST.
Este webinar #3 se centrará en el trabajo de paz actual destacando los retos y oportunidades y presentará experiencias específicas de construcción de paz como la comunidad de paz Comunidad De Paz San José De Apartadó y el espacio humanitario Espacio Humanitario Puente Nayero y otras experiencias locales con la participación de la rama sueca de IFOR Kristna Fredsrörelsen, Swefor.

Nuestros principales ponentes serán:
- José Roviro López, Comunidad de Paz de San José de Apartadó
- Nhora Isabel Castillo, Espacio Humanitario Puente Nayero, Buenaventura
- Henry Alberto David, Comunidad de Vida y Trabajo La Balsita, Dabeiba
- Miriam Heins, Coordinadora de la Oficina de SweFOR, Chocó
- Irmgard Ehrenberger, FOR Austria

Moderadores: Zaira Zafarana (IFOR), Manuel Müller (FOR PP), Michaela Soellinger (FOR Austria)

El seminario web proporcionará más información sobre cómo apoyar estos esfuerzos de paz y asociarse con los actores locales.
Las personas y organizaciones participantes tendrán la posibilidad de plantear preguntas y participar en un intercambio directo para explorar las oportunidades de involucrarse y contribuir a los esfuerzos de paz en Colombia.
Inscríbete en bit.ly/20FORPP ¡y participa!
El webinario será en inglés y español.

Comparte en Facebook aquí

Haga clic aquí para leer sobre el seminario web nº 1
Haga clic aquí para leer sobre el seminario web nº 2

IFOR speaks at the UN about the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó on its 25th anniversary

The International Fellowship of Reconciliation participated in the UN Human Rights Council General Debate on item 3: Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.

IFOR took the floor to address the members of the plenary concerning the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó and the several human rights violations the community members are facing.

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Human Rights Council, 49th Session 

16th March 2022 

Item 3: Promotion and protection of all human rights,  

civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights 

Oral statement delivered by the International Fellowship of Reconciliation. 

Mr. President, 

Despite some progress, implementation of the Peace Agreement in Colombia is slower than expected.1 This has made the human rights situation increasingly dramatic. 

IFOR is especially concerned about the safety of the members of the Peace Community of San José de  Apartadó. 

The establishment of the Peace Community, 25 years ago this month, is based on principles of  International Humanitarian Law that protect civilians from being involved in armed conflicts.  

The recent murder of Huber Velásquez, a social leader of San José de Apartadó reveals the freedom of  operation of paramilitary groups in the region [that manifests itself in extortions, forced meetings,  sanctions, threats and recruitments].  

The Peace Community also reported violations of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. In 2018, the Peace Community publicly denounced several human rights violations committed against its  members by paramilitaries and the tacit and passive attitude of the army concerning these violations. The 17th Brigade of the Colombian Army denounced the Peace Community for slander and defamation and  the Constitutional Court eventually urged the Peace Community to refrain from denouncing such issues.  This decision raises strong concerns regarding the respect of international obligations, increases the  vulnerability of human rights defenders and promotes a climate favorable to the persistence of human  rights violations and their impunity.  

IFOR calls upon the Member States and the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to monitor  the violations of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and to support an urgent action by the Colombian government to ensure the safety of the Peace Community and the dismantlement of  paramilitary successor groups, [as agreed in point 3 of the Final Peace Agreement]. 

Thank you. 

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Click here to watch the delivery of the statement in the plenary.

Click here to download the complete statement.

IFOR has submitted a written thematic statement to the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council. This document, titled "Colombia: New Threats Against The Peace Community Of San Jose De Apartado On Its 25th Anniversary", has been received by the Secretary-General and has been circulated in accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31. It is registered officially on the UN website as A/HRC/49/NGO/239 and is available here.

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25th anniversary of the Peace Community

The Peace Community represents a longstanding effort of nonviolent resistance in a highly violent context in Colombia.

The Community was created in 1997 and March 23rd marks its 25th anniversary.

IFOR, together with FOR Peace Presence and FOR Austria is organizing a webinar series on the occasion of this anniversary. Learn more about the series here. And about the webinar on the Peace Community here.

Read more about the anniversary on site celebration, here.

IFOR takes the floor at 46th UN HRC during the general debate with the High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms. Michelle Bachelet

IFOR is currently participating in the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council which is in remote modality due to the pandemic. Today program of work included the general debate with the High Commissioner for Human Rights and following the States representatives, NGOs with Consultative Status have been able to take the floor.

IFOR referred to some concerning local situations such as Colombia, Eritrea and Western Sahara and then addressed the issues of criminalization of solidarity and nuclear disarmament

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Human Rights Council, 46th Session

Geneva, 26th February 2021 

Item 2: General Debate

Oral statement delivered by the International Fellowship of Reconciliation.

Madam High Commissioner,

IFOR thanks you and your office for the reports.

We are particularly concerned by the situation in Eritrea and in the region and by the lack of collaboration as also highlighted, yesterday, by the new Special Rapporteur[1] and share a deep concern for the risk and danger faced by young people who refuse to serve in the National Service.

We welcome the recommendations which have been listed in your report on Colombia[2] and highlight the importance to guarantee a comprehensive intervention by the State to reduce the violence and not just an increase in the military presence.

 We are alarmed by the increasing cases of criminalization of solidarity[3] with individual cases of people being charged with aiding and abetting illegal immigration because they provide first assistance to migrants or rescue them, whether at sea, in the mountains or in the middle of forests.

 Western Sahara, the last colony in Africa[4], continues to be a pending decolonization case. International Law needs to be implemented.

IFOR restate the call made a few months ago “on the governments in the region and around the world to contribute to a peaceful  solution of the conflict and the implementation of the fundamental rights of the Saharawi people”[5].

We would like to conclude with a positive note: nuclear weapons are finally banned!

We welcome the enter into force of the UN Treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons (TPNW)[6], on January 22nd 2021[7].

Thank you.

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1. Oral update of Mohamed Abdelsalam Babiker, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea, at the 46th HRC on February 24th 2021. https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26795&LangID=E

2. A/HRC/46/76.

3. In 2019 the Red Cross EU Office released a statement regarding the soaring of the criminalisation of solidarity in Europe. https://redcross.eu/latest-news/the-eu-must-stop-the-criminalisation-of-solidarity-with-migrants-and-refugees 

   Some recent individual cases:
   Gian Andrea Franchi and Lorena Fornasir: https://www.avvenire.it/attualita/pagine/si-preso-cura-dei-migranti-sotto-accusa-nonno-andrea

   Carola Rackete: https://theconversation.com/sea-watch-3-captain-arrested-eu-complicit-in-criminalising-search-and-rescue-in-the-mediterranean-119670

   Sean Binder and Anouk Van Gestel: https://www.ceps.eu/ceps-events/criminalisation-of-solidarity-how-to-protect-the-right-to-help-migrants-and-refugees/

4. It is on the UN list of Non-Self-Governing Territories since 1963.

5. IFOR has released a statement on the situation in Western Sahara on November 13th 2020 http://www.ifor.org/news/2020/11/13/ifor-statement-on-the-current-situation-in-western-sahara. Another one was released on December 14th 2020 http://www.ifor.org/news/2020/12/14/smlf3m85b4eq2r7kexpxd76zzgvoi5.

6. https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/tpnw/

7. https://www.icanw.org/tpnw_enters_into_force

• You can download the original statement here.

• You can watch the recording of the session here. IFOR statements is at 00:46:36.

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IFOR has released a public statement regarding Western Sahara on November 13th 2020, the day before the truce was broken in the region. You can read the original statement here.

A second statement has been published December 14th 2020 on the U.S. recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara and on the primacy of fundamental rights and international law. You can read the original statement here.

IFOR has a long standing engagement for nuclear disarmament and on January 22nd 2021 has organized a new Day of Action to join activists worldwide to celebrate the entering into force of the UN nuclear ban Treaty adopted on July 7th 2017 by the UN General Assembly. The Treaty reached its 50th ratification on October 24th 2020, International UN Day.

You can watch here, the video message of the president of IFOR which has been released for the occasion.

You can read more about the Day of Action here and discover some actions from IFOR members published on our Facebook page.

UN Geneva: IFOR Condemns Ongoing Attacks in Colombia

On March 22, during the general debate following the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights' report on the situation of Human Rights in Colombia, IFOR delivered a statement that spoke to the experiences of its members in Colombia. 

IFOR Fellow Martina Lanza delivering IFOR comments during the High Commissioner's Report

The statement was delivered by IFOR Fellow Martina Lanza and it underlined our concern for the ongoing attacks against human rights defenders and on the militarization of the country, even after the peace accords. To read the full statement please click here. 

(video of the remarks can be viewed here).

IFOR has deep relationships with human rights defenders in Colombia. IFOR is represented in Colombia by SERPAJ-Colombia and IFOR branches from Sweden, Austria, U.S., and the U.K. work collaboratively to provide protective accompaniment to human rights defenders in several regions of the country. The coordinated work of IFOR Austria, U.S. and U.K. is organized as FOR Peace Presence. IFOR members have accompanied the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó for the past 15 years. 

Away From Arms! Demobilizing Child Soldiers

February 12, is international day against the use of child soldiers. The UN campaign #childrennotsoldiers (#enfantspassoldats) is being supported by several countries around the world. Through the work of it's Swiss Branch, IFOR began to work more closely with Junior Nzita, the goodwill ambassador for the UN campaign. Now Teenergy, a small company in Montreux, Switzerland specialized in documentary films, is finishing a 26-minute film on child soldiers and the real possibility of demobilization. Parallel to the production of the film is the development of a smartphone app by the University of Geneva. This app shall help child soldiers in process of demobilization. It is about to be used in a pilot project in Colombia. The films will be featured initially by TV5 monde in French and then in English and Spanish by other TV channels. It will be distributed free world wide through UN and various NGO channels including IFOR. 

This project is called Away from Arms and IFOR is proud to be partnering with Junior Nzita and Teenergy to support the project and child soldiers around the world. IFOR is represented in the project by Hans Ulrich Gerber.

On February 12, 2017 there will be the launch of the project in Montreux Switzerland.  The links below introduce the film and the event. Those near and far interested in this matter and willing to support the project are cordially invited to the event on February 12. We hope many will come and/or spread the word so it finds the necessary support to run over an initial period of 36 months.

- See here the invitation for February 12:  https://vimeo.com/teenergy/invitation

- An introduction to the documentary film:   https://vimeo.com/teenergy/soldat  password: teenergy

Join an International Delegation to Colombia!

Fellowship of Reconciliation Peace Presence, an effort supported by several branches of IFOR,  is organizing the Longing for Peace International Delegation April 18 – 27, 2017. 

FOR Peace Presence provides physical safety, political visibility and solidarity by accompanying communities and organizations that embrace active nonviolence to defend life, land and dignity.

Colombia is going through an historic but uncertain period. The results of four years of peace negotiations between the government and the FARC-a comprehensive agreement on five areas related to the conflict-was rejected by voters in October 2016 by the narrowest of margins. The Colombian Congress later approved the agreement on November 30th. Amid the hope of what the agreement means concerns about the future of implementation remain. 

The delegation will meet with local human rights defenders; human rights and environmental NGOs' women peace leaders; young Conscientious Objectors; Afro-Colombian, indigenous and small scale farmer leaders; and displaced communities. The delegates will learn about the impacts of corporations, and how global demand for energy is devastating communities and destroying vital ecosystems. 

For more information about FORPP or the delegation please visit their website here.