Latin America, a laboratory for the political-climatic challenges of the 21st century

The Geneva Press Club and the Global Studies Institute (GSI) of the University of Geneva invite you to a series of conferences.

Latin America alone accounts for almost 15% of the planet’s land surface. Its territory includes the Amazon rainforest, the largest tropical forest in the world, renowned for its biodiversity. It also includes the Andes cordillera, one of the world’s largest mountain ranges, with its glaciers, volcanoes, deserts and archaeological sites. However, the countries in the region face many challenges. Democracy is fragile. Violence and corruption also affect a large part of the population. Today, these countries are seeking to develop economically. They must therefore overcome their internal difficulties, but also the concerns of external countries about preserving their ecosystems, which are at the heart of the climate challenge. That’s why the GSI and the Geneva Press Club are inviting you to come and question the challenges facing Latin America through a series of 3 conferences. They will address the struggles of human rights defenders in Colombia, the controversies and opportunities of the Mercosur-EFTA agreement, and the migration and ecological challenges of the Amazon region. These events will be accompanied by a series of articles and an exhibition about Mecosur.

Wednesday 5 March 2025 I 18:30-20:00 I room MS150, Uni mail, University of Geneva
Conference – « Creating peace in Colombia : the crucial role of peace builders »
This event is co-organised with the Global Studies Institute, the Geneva Press Club and Peace Brigade International (Switzerland).

With

• Milbia Díaz, human rights defender with the Intereclesiastical Commission for Justice and Peace
• Fernando Berdon, advocacy manager with the International Office for Human Rights
  Action in Colombia

9 years after the peace policy in Colombia, human rights defenders are still living under the threat of paramilitary groups. In their struggle to be heard, they receive help from various non-governmental organisations, including Peace International Brigade (PBI). As part of the 58th ordinary session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, PBI is inviting activists working to defend human rights in Colombia.

One of them, Milbia Andrea Diaz, a member of the Inter-Ecclesiastical Commission for Justice and Peace, will be in Geneva on the 5th of March. She has agreed to come and talk to us about her experience at a conference at the University of Geneva. She will talk about the human rights situation in Colombia and the importance of the struggles being waged by activists. Fernando Martin Berdon, Advocacy Manager at the International Office for Human Rights, will also be on hand to give us an international organisation’s perspective on the subject.