South America

As part of its 67th voyage around the world, the Peace Boat will arrive in the port of Manta in Ecuador carrying over 400 passengers and 10 Hibakusha (survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs) who are participants in the “Global Voyage for a Nuclear-Free World – Peace Boat Hibakusha Project.” The program includes a conference on peace constitutions.

Senator Miriam Gallardo, together with the organization World Without Wars in Mendoza, promoted a multimedia experience for the nonviolent cause. It will take place between November 2 and January 1 and will reflect, in works from youth and children’s groups, representations of the kind of world in which they would like to live.

Including the Mayor of Moreno, now more than a dozen cities in Argentina have endorsed the World March for Peace and Nonviolence. Mayor Arregui, in his message announcing participation in the initiative, which he made in the La Reja Park of Study and Reflection in Moreno, Buenos Aires, called on others to work “hard in the fight against violence and for world peace”.

The Nobel Peace Prize that U.S. President Barack Obama recently received continues to provoke strong debate. Writers, ambassadors and institutions have opined on the controversial choice. What is certain is that, with this award, it is hoped that Obama makes a contribution to the strengthening of Peace in his country and in the world.

Lanin Volcano is situated in south east Neuquén province in Argentina. Two mountaineers, Siloman Toledo and Cecilia Ulloa, reached its summit at 3776m, where they unfurled the World March for Peace and Non-Violence flag. According to the two adventurers, “we hope that this experience is inspiring and that we manage to raise awareness in society”.

The project is the result of a partnership among several internationally known organizations working in Brazil, including institutions such as the International University for Peace (UNIPAZ), Afro Reggae, and UNESCO, among others. The program aims to train people who are engaged in areas such as education for peace, citizenship campaigns, conflict mediation, and human rights.

The foundation Journalists for Peace (FUPERPAZ), along with various youth groups, organized the event “Over a Thousand Candles for Peace”, which was developed to commemorate the International Day of Non-Violence. More than 100 people participated in this act, which also initiated the World March for Peace and Nonviolence in the city of Ibague, Colombia.

“The Olympic Games symbolize the eradication of nuclear arms and world peace”, stated Tadatoshi Akiba, mayor of Hiroshima. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is investigating the potential candidacies for the 2020 Olympic Games of the two Japanese cities that suffered nuclear attacks in 1945 and left approximately 220,000 dead.

Indigenous movements throughout the world have called for a “Global Minga for Mother Earth,” which will take place October 12-16, 2009. Its purpose is a large-scale peaceful mobilization toward the United Nations in order to put an end to global warming. Also, during its stop in Bolivia, it will inaugurate the first Climate Justice Tribunal.

On Wednesday, October 7th, activists from the Humanist Movement entered the Obelisk, a national historic site located in downtown Buenos Aires, where they hung an orange banner almost 50 meters long with the logo of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence, accompanied by orange pennants. The non-violent direct action was widely reported in local newspapers.