Human Rights, Nonviolence, and Conflict Transformation
In the summer of 2019, Colombia was a place of significant convergence for people of faith and people of conscience who are concerned about issues of human rights, nonviolence and conflict transformation. In early July, the Baptist Peace Fellowship held an international gathering in the Colombian city of Cali. In late July and early August, Bogota was the site for additional international gatherings. Chris Ney was privileged to attend the meetings in Bogota as part of his continuing education.
War Resisters’ International, a 98-year-old pacifist organization based in London, organized a conference called, “Antimilitarism in Movement.” From July 30-August 1, 300 peace workers gathered to share experiences, insights, and resources. While many of the participants came from Colombia and other Latin American nations, but representatives from places as diverse as West Papua, Ambizonia (a region in Cameroon), Palestine, Western Sahara, England, Holland, and more.
In addition to plenaries and workshops, conference participants interacted with each in working theme groups that gathered under the headings, “just peace,” “sustainable peace” and “diverse peace.” The three work groups examined and developed program ideas that relate to the intersection between peace and issues of human rights, the environment, and culture. Over the course of three days, we heard reports about the occupation of territories, the work of human rights workers, and the power of nonviolence to mobilize diverse communities.
Prior to the WRI meeting, a smaller, yet historic consultation took place. For the first time, two international nonviolence networks representing activists from the global south, met for the first time. The Latin American network, Servicio Paz y Justicia (Peace and Justice Service or SERPAJ), founded in 1974 by Argentine Adolfo Perez Esquivel met with the Pan African Nonviolence and Peace Building Network (PANPEN), a network of peacemakers representing thirty nations across the continent of Africa. It was an honor to hear stories of nonviolence from places that are often ignored.
An awareness of the situation in our host country, Colombia, ran through many of these international encounters. Colombia has been known as the site of the longest running civil war in the Western Hemisphere, and one of the most intractable conflicts in the world. But a peace treaty signed in January 2016 by the government and the largest rebel group created hope for an end to the violence.
One of the highlights of the trip to Colombia was the opportunity to learn about the work of JUSTAPZ, a faith-based organization dedicated to conflict transformation. Founded by the Mennonite Church of Colombia in 1990, JUSTAPAZ is a mission partner of the UCC. Their Executive Director, Martín Nates, spoke to the SERPAJ-PANPEN meeting, offering a critique of the implementation of the peace accords and expressing concern about the ongoing violence against leaders of community organizations. Later, I was invited to visit the JUSTAPAZ office to learn about their work with churches and rural communities—workshops on conflict transformation, documentation of human rights violations, and communication by print and radio to reach larger audiences.
On a personal level, these conferences gave me the opportunity to spend time with old friends in the peace movement and even to offer workshops on a Chilean human rights movement. I’m grateful to have had this opportunity.