Webinar 1: Demilitarizing Security
Isabel Rikkers (Columbia)
Member of Tadamun Antimili
Isabel Rikkers is a member of Tadamun Antimili, a collective promoting Boicot, Divestment and Sanctions campaigns in solidarity with Palestine and resisting the arms industry in Colombia. As part of Tadamun Antimili she has participated in campaigns against the biggest arms fair in Colombia, Expodefensa, as well as in research on the arms industry in the country and on Israeli militarism in the region, among other topics and campaigns. She holds an undergraduate degree in Sociology from the National University of Colombia.
Carlos Juárez Cruz (Mexico)
Mexico Director, Institute for Economics and Peace
Carlos leads the Mexico Program of the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) and has experience spanning academic, corporate, and social impact spheres, with a strong focus on peacebuilding and conflict transformation. He has led various multi-sector peacebuilding initiatives, including local governments, universities, and NGO’s in Mexico. He has given talks and training in Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and several cities of the United States, to diverse audiences ranging from military and police officers, to religious leaders, business sector, children and college students. Carlos is a Rotary Peace Fellow, a graduate of Duke University (Master of International Development Policy), holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics and is the father of three.
Otilia Inés Lux de Cotí (Guatemala)
ONUMUJERES from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Guatemala
Licenciada en Administración Educativa. Mujer Maya k´iche´/guatemalteca. Catedrática del Programa del Título de Experto de Pueblos Indígenas, Universidad Carlos III. Catedrática en diplomados para mujeres indígenas UNAM/México. Universidad Democrática Humanista y de la Universidad Intercultural Arica, Chile y de la UII FILAC. Asesora de MADRE para mujeres indígenas con sede en Nueva York. Y del Programa Emblemático de la Mujer Indígena del Fondo Indígena de América Latina y el Caribe. FILAC. Integrante del Grupo Asesor de América Latina y el Caribe, para ONUMUJERES de América Latina y el Caribe y de Guatemala Fue participe de la Comisión del Esclarecimiento Histórico sobre la violación de los Derechos Humanos y hechos de violencia en Guatemala. Exdiputada al Congreso de la República de Guatemala. Exministra de Cultura y Deportes de Guatemala. Exrepresentante de Guatemala ante el Consejo Ejecutivo de la UNESCO. También, fue experta de Pueblos Indígenas en las Naciones Unidas en el Foro Permanente de Cuestiones Indígenas.
Webinar 2: Managing Conflict without Violence
Paola Lozada Lara (Ecuador)
Facilitator, Regional Institute on Nonviolent Action in the Americas / Professor, Catholic University of Ecuador
Paola is an associate professor at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. She has a master's degree in International Relations and is a doctoral student at FLACSO Ecuador. Her main research focus lies in peace studies and conflict resolution.
Gabriel Aguirre (Venezuela / Columbia)
Latin America Organizer, World BEYOND War
Bio coming soonGabriel Aguirre is Latin America Organizer for World BEYOND War, is from Venezuela, and is currently based in Bógota. He has been an activist and advocate for peace, social justice, international solidarity and human rights, and has more than 13 years of experience in social and community work. He has participated in multiple international events and activities on five continents, always in defense of a stable and lasting peace. He has been a representative to the United Nations to defend the foundations of a more just world without wars or sanctions. His work experience includes participation in several international missions of solidarity to countries that have had military, economic, political, and social conflicts. He has also been an organizer of various campaigns for the closure of military bases, and the lifting of sanctions on countries that suffer their consequences. He holds a degree in Political Science, with a specialization in International Relations, and a master’s degree in Public Policy. He can be contacted through his email: gabriel @ worldbeyondwar.org
Pryanka Peñafiel Cevallos (Ecuador)
Coordinator and Facilitator, The Regional Institute on Nonviolent Action in the Americas
Bio coming soonShe is coordinator of the Regional Program for the Study and Practice of Strategic Nonviolent Action in the Americas. She has a master's degree in International Relations from FLACSO Ecuador and is a doctoral student at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.
Germán Ignacio Díaz Urrutia (Chile)
Executive Secretary, Committee for the Prevention of Torture
Germán is an educator, sociologist, master's degree in social psychology and specialist in various fields related to the sociology of deviance, security and crime prevention policies, Human Rights and social intervention processes aimed at human transformation. He has lived and worked as a volunteer, consultant, and academic in several countries in the region such as Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, Mexico, and Chile. He currently serves as Executive Secretary of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture in Chile, and as an academic at the Center for Urban Security of the Alberto Hurtado University in Chile. Along with his academic training, Germán has been interested in spirituality and human transformation, first from Ignatian spirituality, and then from Eastern spirituality and philosophy, where he has dedicated himself for more than 15 years to the practice and teaching of yoga, and more recently to the field of meditation and Buddhist psychology. His interest in the dialogue between spirituality and social transformation led him to investigate the effects of practicing yoga and meditation on inmates in high-security prisons in Argentina, an experience that led to his book "Spirituality and Social Transformation: Ideas for a Civilizing Change" . » published by Editorial Cuarto Propio.
Webinar 3: Creating a Culture of Peace
Roberto Valent
United Nations Development Coordination Office (UNDCO) Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean
Coming soon
Gerardo Berthin (Bolivia)
Vice President of International Programs at Freedom House
Gerardo Berthin is a political scientist specializing in applied democratic governance policy in areas such as human rights, anti-corruption, accountability, and civic engagement. He has over two decades of experience in senior and/or executive positions, such as vice president, director, chief of party, senior technical policy adviser, and/or program officer. Mr. Berthin has managed and led an array of large and complex democratic governance policy reform programs. He has worked in over 45 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and Central and Eastern Europe on behalf of international development organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the World Bank, and the Swedish Agency for Development Cooperation (SIDA). Mr. Berthin has led and conducted over 30 independent assessments and evaluations to incorporate democratic governance into donor and/or national strategies in Latin America and Eastern Europe. He has developed manuals, guides, training courses and knowledge products on several topics related to democratic governance. He is the author of two books on political development and democracy, co-author of three books about democratic governance, political parties and institutional development respectively and is the author of over 40 articles in specialized peer reviewed social science academic journals and/or books in topics related to democratic governance, transparency, and anti-corruption. He is also author and co-author of 12 UNDP National Human Development Reports on various democratic governance issues in a number of countries around the world (Bolivia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Moldova). Mr. Berthin graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, he holds two Masters Degrees: one in Political Science from the University of Chicago, the other in Latin American Studies from Georgetown University. In addition, he has a Certificate from Harvard University’s J.F.K School of Government for Leaders in Development to manage political and economic reform and a Trainers’ Certificate from the United Nations Staff College in Turin-Italy. He has been a professor and trainer for undergraduate and graduate university students and for government and non-governmental professionals, as well as youth organizations, in topics such as democratic governance, anti-corruption, social accountability, and civic engagement, among others. Mr. Berthin blogs at www.4democraticgovernance.com Mr. Berthin’s public library https://gerardoberthin.academia.edu/
Lani Anaya (Mexico)
United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Young Peacebuilders
Lani Anaya is a Mexican practice-based research expert in peace and development. She does consultancies for local, national, regional and international projects related to youth inclusion in peacebuilding (Youth, Peace and Security Agenda), the 2030 Agenda, and the ecumenical movement. She has implemented YPS-focused research, multi-stakeholder advocacy, and training. Lani collaborates in Mexico as SDG Mentorship Programmes Coordinator and NGO Major Group Organizing Partners at MY World Mexico and co-leads the YPS Latin American network Juventudes por la Paz. She currently works at ACT CoS and co-leads the UNAOC Young Peacebuilders edition in the LAC region.
