CENTRAL AMERICA: In Search of a ‘Culture of Peace’

By Thelma Mejía Reprint | | Print |

Thelma Mejia

TEGUCIGALPA, May 24 1996 (IPS) - On the 10th anniversary of the birth of the peace process in Central America, efforts to promote a “culture of peace” come up against rising levels of violent crime.

On May 25, 1986, the presidents of the countries of Central America met in Esquipulas, Guatemala and signed a historic commitment to peace in the region to be achieved through dialogue, pluralism and democratisation.

The “Declaration of Esquipulas” was the first big step taken in a chain of summits that have been tackling Central America’s most sensitive problems.

In Central America, armed conflicts have cost at least 160,000 lives, created two million refugees and displaced people, and led to serious economic and social consequences over the past few decades.

In Esquipulas, the presidents laid the foundations for national reconciliation, ceasefires, free elections, the suspension of military aid, a prohibition of the use of national territory to attack other countries, and a reduction of arms.

While peace has been achieved in all Central American countries except Guatemala — where a peace accord could be signed in September — the region continues to be plagued by growing rates of violence and crime.

Francisco Barahona, the rector of the University for Peace, a United Nations entity based in Costa Rica, said violence and crime “are becoming the region’s new problems.

“The people of Central America don’t want more war – they are tired of it. The main challenge is educating for peace, forming a culture of peace and respect with a background of dialogue, solidarity and tolerance.”

Over the past year, the University for Peace has been carrying out the programme “Culture of Peace and Democracy” in the countries of Central America, financed by the government of Taiwan as part of its aid programmes in the area.

Through workshops, educational forums and cultural festivals, Culture of Peace and Democracy seeks to reduce violence and ensure respect for human rights. Advising Councils were also created, to come up with concrete activities to fight violence and work towards peace. The programme has been especially strong in Honduras.

But according to Alicia Portillo, a consultant to the project in Honduras, the most valuable experience has been “getting human rights groups and the armed forces to sit down at the same table – something that a short while ago was impossible to even dream of.

“Without abandoning their antagonistic positions, the two sectors have dedicated themselves to promoting a culture of peace. They participate in all the programme’s activities, and are providing an example of convergence around the rejection of violence, which shows the growing maturity of Honduran society,” Portillo said.

The programme is currently working on a plan for fighting violence and crime in Olancho, the largest department in Honduras, where family feuds and the use of arms are rife.

In Guatemala, efforts focus on indigenous communities, in Belize on youth gangs, and in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama on addressing grassroots survival issues.

Abelardo Brenes, the regional director of Culture of Peace and Democracy, said “a lot has been done in a short time period, thanks to support from Central American governments that want to bury the effects of war once and for all, and learn to live in peace.”