Peace Brigades International

PBI IS AN INTERNATIONAL GRASSROOTS NGO THAT HAS PROMOTED NON-VIOLENCE AND PROTECTED HUMAN RIGHTS SINCE 1981. WE SEND INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEERS TO AREAS OF CONFLICT PROVIDING PROTECTIVE ACCOMPANIMENT TO HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS THREATENED BY POLITICAL VIOLENCE.

COLOMBIA PROJECT: BY 2021, THE PROJECT CONTINUES TO ACCOMPANY 12 ORGANIZATIONS, 3 HRDS, AND 1 DISPLACED COMMUNITY IN RESISTANCE. FROM THE 3 TEAMS; BOGOTÁ, BARRANCABERMEJA AND APARTADÓ HAVE CARRIED OUT 229 ACCOMPANIMENTS AND INTERNATIONAL OBSERVATION ACTIVITIES (CORRESPONDING TO 486 DAYS OF PRESENCE NEXT TO THE DEFENDERS), AS WELL AS 116 VISITS TO THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE ORGANIZATIONS. THE CONTACT WITH ORGANIZATIONS, TO ANALYZE THEIR RISKS AND THINK ABOUT PROTECTION STRATEGIES, HAS BEEN VERY FLUID, WITH MORE THAN 200MEETINGS. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT 49% OF THE ACCOMPANIMENTS WERE TO WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS, 47% TO MEN AND 4% WERE ACCOMPANIMENTS TO MIXED GROUPS. FROM THE AREA OF SUPPORT FOR THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE SOCIAL TISSUE (ARTS), 40 DAYS OF WORKSHOPS WERE HELD WITH ORGANIZATIONS AND COLLECTIVES IN DEFENSE OF HUMAN RIGHTS. THE MAIN THEMES OF THE WORKSHOPS WERE PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT, SELF-CARE STRATEGIES AND DIGITAL SECURITY, ALL OF THEM WORKED FROM A GENDER PERSPECTIVE.

GUATEMALA PROJECT: A TEAM OF AN AVERAGE OF 7 INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEERS PER MONTH ACCOMPANIED 156 HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS. WORKING ON ENVIRONMENT AND LAND RIGHTS, IMPUNITY AND GLOBALISATION. THE PROJECT PROVIDED 210 ACCOMPANIMENTS, CONDUCTED 44 VISITS AND MEETINGS WITH HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS TO PROVIDE MORAL SUPPORT AND PRACTICAL ADVICE ON THEIR PROTECTION NEEDS AND FACILITATED 12 WORKSHOPS ON PROTECTION STRATEGIES FOR 87 HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS. VOLUNTEERS ARE BASED IN GUATEMALA CITY AND TRAVEL TO OTHER AREAS OF THE COUNTRY.

MEXICO PROJECT:2021 HAS BEEN THE YEAR OF RETURN TO THE FIELD AND FACE-TO-FACE ACTIVITIES, AS WELL AS THE START-UP OF THE NEW PLANNED AND AGREED WITH STRUCTURE AT THE END OF 2020 DURING THE THREE-YEAR EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT. IN MARCH 2021, THE PROJECT REOPENED THE NORTHERN TEAM WHICH, STARTED WITH 3 VOLUNTEERS ON THE GROUND AND ENDED IN 2021 WITH 6 VOLUNTEERS. UNTIL THE END OF 2021, SOUTH CENTER TEAM'S OPENING WAS ALSO LAUNCHED WITH THE FIRST 4 VOLUNTEERS. THE NORTHERN TEAM HAS DEDICATED ITSELF TO RESUMING THE ACCOMPANIMENT OF THE 2 ACCOMPANIED ORGANIZATIONS IN THE STATE OF CHIHUAHUA, OPENING A NEW ACCOMPANIMENT IN THE STATE, CONTINUING STRATEGIC RELATIONS WITH THE FORMER ACCOMPANIED ORGANIZATIONS, AND BEGINNING AN EXPLORATORY PROCESS TO OPEN NEW ACCOMPANIMENTS. THE SOUTH-CENTRAL TEAM, TEMPORARILY INSTALLED IN MEXICO CITY, HAS DEDICATED ITSELF TO RESUMING FACE-TO-FACE ACCOMPANIMENT IN THE STATE OF PUEBLA AND TO INSTALLING THE EXPLORATORY TO ESTABLISH THE NEW TEAM HEADQUARTERS AND NEW ACCOMPANIED ORGANIZATIONS BASED ON NEW REQUESTS. THE CDMX OFFICE HAS RESUMED ITS ADVOCACY ACTIVITIES IN PERSON, AND SECURITY ADVISORY ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. AT THE STRUCTURAL LEVEL, THE MEXICO PROJECT HAS BEGUN TO EXPAND ITS STAFF WITH THE CREATION OF THE FIELD COORDINATION POSITION FOR THE NORTH TEAM AND THE TRAINING COORDINATION POSITION IN MEXICO CITY. 2021 ENDED WITH A FACE-TO-FACE EVENT TO CELEBRATE THE 20 YEARS OF THE PROJECT WITH CIVIL SOCIETY'S PARTICIPATION, ACCOMPANIED BY HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS, DIPLOMATIC CORPS AND ALL THE PBIS TEAMS.