Violence in non-war settings

The dynamics of violence are constantly changing. For several years, the number of violent deaths in situations “outside the context of war” has exceeded the number of fatalities in armed conflicts. Latin America tops the global homicide ranking, the most visible expression of a wide range of violence with a complex network of actors, including institutions. So far, chronic and high-intensity violence outside the context of war has been addressed mainly by police and repressive security logic. These approaches do not help solve the problem and make it worse.

At ICIP, we understand the need to address violence outside the context of war from a peacebuilding perspective. This requires developing new concepts, adapting methodological tools, and encouraging exchange experiences between social, academic, and institutional actors.

In recent years, we have emphasized the situation in Mexico, a country with alarming levels of violence and impunity, intending to analyze its causes and identify pending challenges. Based on this line of work, the Platform for the Construction of Peace in Mexico has been established and promoted by the ICIP.

The Platform for Peacebuilding in Mexico

The Platform for Peacebuilding in Mexico is a space of dialogue and synergy formed by people and organizations linked to GPPAC, Brot für die Welt (Bread for the World) and the 1st International Forum for the Construction of Peace in Mexico held in Barcelona in 2019 and organized by the ICIP, Serapaz and Taula per Mèxic.

The Platform was formally established in October 2022 in an event in San Cristóbal de las Casas (Chiapas, Mexico) with the participation of organizations such as Aluna, CCC México, Consorcio Oaxaca, Coreco A.C, Energía y Estrategia, Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, Serpaj México, Sipaz, SweFOR, Taula per Mèxic and the Whitaker Initiative for Peace and Development. It also includes activists, journalists, artists and academics committed to transforming violence through a peace-building approach in Mexico.

International peacebuilding forums in Mexico

In 2022, the ICIP organized two international meetings in Mexico, in collaboration with local actors, to promote awareness and the transfer of knowledge about the multiple acts of violence in the country.

The Forum “Journalism and Peacebuilding in Mexico. Protect journalists, guarantee freedom of the press” was held on June 20 and 21 in Mexico City, co-organized by ICIP, Barcelona City Council and Taula per Mèxic, with the collaboration of Aluna, Artículo 19, Cimac and Periodistas A Pie.

The forum debated and analyzed Mexican journalism’s vulnerability and the challenges the profession faces to establish itself as an actor in the construction of peace and transformation. Many Mexican journalists have participated in the “Barcelona protects journalists in Mexico” programme promoted by the Barcelona City Council.

The International Forum for Peacebuilding in Mexico was held on October 25 in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, coinciding with the establishment of the Platform for Peacebuilding in Mexico.

In this case, the meeting was organized in collaboration with different Mexican entities, such as Serapaz, CCC Mexico or Consorcio Oaxaca, to analyze the challenges represented by the current scenes of violence in the country.

Exhibition 'Facing Violence'

Within this line of work, the ICIP has produced the exhibition Facing Violence: Stories of Resilience in Central America, created by the Ruido Photo collective.

Through photography and interviews, the exhibition tours the many faces of the violence that affects daily life in three Central American countries, known as the Northern Triangle: El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

The exhibition was inaugurated in October 2021 during the Second World Peace Congress held in Barcelona.

'Latin America. Facing violence from the construction of peace' conference series

To deepen the reflections on the necessary conditions for building peace in contexts of chronic violence, the ICIP organized the series of online dialogues “Latin America. Facing violence from the construction of peace”.

The events occurred in 2021 and consisted of an inaugural conference and seven sessions. All sessions can be viewed at this link.

Last update: 28/12/2022