Guatemala’s Indigenous leaders are key actors in the peaceful and sustainable resolution of social conflict and the rebuilding of trust. Their ancestral knowledge, systems and practices are fundamental for the implementation of effective, alternative mechanisms of dialogue, mediation and negotiation.
As part of the PeaceCon 2024 conference, Creative has organized a virtual panel called “Rebuilding Social Cohesion and Trust in Guatemala Using Mayan Practices and Worldview,” which amplifies the voices of Indigenous leaders who share how they address drivers of violent conflict and implement locally led solutions to build social cohesion. The virtual session is on Sept. 12 from 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Three Indigenous authorities will offer their perspectives and their experiences rebuilding social cohesion and trust in rural Guatemala, using Indigenous practices and the Maya worldview. Please note the session is in Spanish and will feature simultaneous interpretation. You must register as a virtual attendee of PeaceCon 2024 to view the panel.
Facilitator: Florinda Púac, Creative Associates International
Speakers: Sebastiana Par, Associación Miriam; Rosa Elvira Patá Alvarez, National Movement of Midwives Nim Alaxik; Martin Toc, Former President, 48 Cantones, Guatemala
About PeaceCon 2024
PeaceCon is the premier global gathering designed to address contemporary challenges in peacebuilding and conflict resolution. Organized by the Alliance for Peacebuilding and the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), the 12th annual hybrid conference will focus on the theme “Status Quo No More: Building Peace in a Time of Rising Violent Conflict.”
From Sept. 10 to 12, 2024, PeaceCon 2024 will bring together senior officials, thought leaders, policymakers and practitioners from around the globe to explore and tackle the challenges facing the peacebuilding community. PeaceCon Day 1 will be hosted by USIP on Sept. 10, and Days 2 and 3 will be hosted by the Alliance for Peacebuilding on Sept. 11 and 12.
Amid a global rise in fragility and violence, including a deepening war in Ukraine and crisis in the Middle East, the peacebuilding community is navigating a dramatically evolving conflict landscape. New trends like artificial intelligence and environmental disruptions could cause large-scale shocks and violence.
Meanwhile, a general decline in social cohesion and trust is complicating the resolution of violent conflicts. The rise of a wide array of new actors — both state and nonstate — is bringing forth a multipolar world, and new global fault lines are emerging. Despite these new challenges and shifts, the peacebuilding community has an opportunity to leverage scalable, evidence-based and locally led solutions to prevent and reduce conflict drivers while helping to build more sustainable peace and resilience.
Charting a way forward for the peacebuilding community will require reframing peacebuilding in ways that are actionable, practical and results-oriented. It will require more effectively and urgently building champions among communities of policymakers, business leaders, bilateral and multilateral donors, the nonprofit sector and the broader public.