On October 17, Camila Marin of the Peace Brigades International-Mexico Project presented at the World Peace Congress that took place in Barcelona, Spain.

She spoke on the panel titled: How People Power and Nonviolent Action is Changing the World (listed on page 36 of the conference programme).

The promotion for this panel notes: “This panel will explore civil society initiatives addressing global challenges through nonviolent means. Nonviolence is a recognized powerful force for social and political change. Many social movements, organizations and campaigns around the world build their struggles over people power. This panel will present some examples of current actors involved in major conflict transformation processes looking to increase protection for humans or the environment, achieve social justice, or end wars. It aims to show the increasing effectiveness of nonviolent means and the diversity of approaches to deal with some of the main global challenges.”

At the beginning of her presentation, Camila noted that her father is an exiled human rights defender from Colombia and that his lawyer is accompanied by PBI-Colombia.

Near the end of her presentation, she highlights: “The role of international solidarity is key in the work of PBI. International support and solidarity can help to create a secure ecosystem so that the space in which human rights defenders work can be expanded and it dissuades attacks from actors who have political costs.”

To watch Camila’s 20-minute presentation, click here (her presentation starts at the 16:12 mark). She also answers two questions on communications and consensus at the end of the panel.

To read Camila’s reflections on when she was a field volunteer beginning in January 2019, please see Reflections from the field.

There is also this Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS) interview with Camila. In it, she notes: “Peace cannot exist where marginalized communities are being displaced to make way for large-scale economic projects or when their environments are being polluted.”

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