Network for Peace in Chiapas

a. Establishment

The Network for Peace in Chiapas was born in December 2000 answering a call by three organizations working in the state (Chiapas): el Colectivo de Educación para la Paz (Collective Education for Peace) (CEPAZ), la Comisión de Apoyo a la Unidad y Reconciliación Comunitaria (the Comission of Help for Unity and Community Reconciliation) (CORECO) and Servicio Internacional para la Paz (International Service for Peace) (SIPAZ).

These three organizations invited various other organizations from Chiapas to a premier meeting to reflect upon social deterioration, which prevailed and affected primarily the indigenous communities in the zone of conflict. The suspension of the peace process, the latent violence derived from the tensions in the villages and the necessity for reconciliation in the long run all posed challenges to the organizations that aimed to help in the search for peaceful and just solutions to the multiple existing conflicts.

The objective of the meeting was to collaborate and find a way to reweave the social thread and how to promote reconciliation in the indigenous communities and the countryside, where we work on the following agenda:

• Identify the primary needs of the indigenous communities and peasants, find a means to an end through conflict resolution, mediation and reconciliation.
• See what each participant had in relation to each theme.
• Share ideas related to each necessity and come to a common proposal.

Propose how possible works combine:

• Share experiences on resolution and conflicts that were developed in our distinct work areas.
• Adapt methods of peaceful resolution to conflicts in the reality of indigenous communities and peasants and follow through in their application.
• Elaborate a series of popular pamphlets to aid us to undertake aspects of peaceful resolution to conflicts, mediation, and reconciliation in the work areas of each organization.
• Find concrete forms of collaboration in conflict situations (for example: case analysis, joint responses, or part of each in face of specific situations, open other forums of capacity, etc.)
• However, due to the diversity of the organizations that responded to the call the forum evolved. After six months of monthly meetings the participants elaborated a strategic plan that will be detailed following.

b. Integral Actions

16 organizations :

• Alianza Cívica, (Civic Aliance)
• Caritas
• CEPAZ (Colectivo de Educación para la Paz) (Educational Collective for Peace)
• Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Barolomé de las Casas (Fray Barolome de las Casas Center for Human Rights)
• Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Pedro Lorenzo de la Nada (Fray Pedro Lorenzo de la Nada Center for Human Rights)
• Centro de derechos de la Mujer (Women’s Rights Center)
• CIEPAC (Centro de Investigaciones Económicas y Políticas para la Acción Comunitaria) (Center for Economic and PoliticalInvestigation for Community Action)
• CIAM (Centro de Investigación y Apoyo a la Mujer) (Center for Investigation and Women’s Help)
• COFEMO (Colectivo Feminista Mercedes Olivera) (Mercedes Olivera Feminist Group)
• CORECO (Comisión para la Reconciliación Comunitaria) (Commision for Community Reconciliation)
• DESMI (Desarrollo Económico y Social de los Mexicanos Indígenas) (Economic and Social Development for Indigenous Mexicans)
• EDUPAZ
• Enlace, Capacitación y Comunicación (Capacitation and Communication) (Ocosingo y Comitán)
• PROPAZ (Plataforma Suiza para la Paz en Chiapas) (Swiss Platform for Peace in Chiapas)
• SERAPAZ (Servicios y Asesoría para la Paz) (Service and Advice of Peace)
• SIPAZ (Servicio Internacional para la Paz) (International Service for Peace)

A permanent structure was not formed, but rather the three organizations accomplished a rotating basis (facilitation and summary of the meetings) or as needed (for example for the Meetings through the Commissions such as logistics, facilitation, summary etc.). Meetings happen, at a minimum, every two months and each one has a forum for joint analysis.

c. Vision

POSITIONING IN FACE OF REALITY

• We maintain an independent stance and criticism in face of the government.
• We are civil participants whom seek to strengthen others on local and regional levels.

PRINCILPES AND VALUES

To promote the construction of dialogue under the principles of respect, dignity, and transparency, which create peaceful solutions in face of the reality of conflict.

d. Mission

The original mission is defined in these terms: “To contribute to the creation of the peace process and reconciliation in Chiapas, from civil society and particularly the indigenous communities and peasants.”

Today the actual mission has become “As a peace Network we seek to strengthen processes within the social movement with men and women towards a true peace in Chiapas and Mexico.”

e.General objectives

The general objective is “to contribute to the construction of peace with justice, dignity and equality in Chiapas and Mexico. Particularly in the peasant and indigenous communities.” The specific objectives are currently under discussion, however, to better understand where they have focused the work it is best to look at the work of those up to this point:

• Create forums for dialogue and meetings in indigenous and peasant communities.
• To collaborate in the reconstruction of the social fiber of the communities and organizations in general.
• To promote citizen participation in social and political life.
• Adapt, recuperate and construct a methodology in conflict resolution.
• To help indigenous communities in the autonomy process.
• To contribute to the formation and capacity of civil society in general.
• Strengthen the bonds and articulation of the peasant and indigenous organizations through the use of concrete tools toward the analysis and peaceful resolution of conflicts.

f. Focuses of work and activities completed

The most difficult work is to actually make the meetings happen

• Four meetings concerning community reconciliation experiences and peace (one each year since the creation of the Network). The volunteers permitted to work in the recuperation of methods and resolution of the indigenous communities’ conflicts using tools and other experiences.
• A forum concerning Autonomy in August of 2003

Volunteers began a diagnostic of the conflicts in zones of the state of Chiapas. In all the meetings (every two months) they accomplished an analysis of the reality.

They have begun a force to promote synergies, for example, through the work of a “Feria” (2002) in which each organization participating in the Network had an opportunity to present their work and results (including materials which could be of use to others).