Every September 21, the whole world joins to commemorate the International Day of Peace, where we are invited to reflect on the changes we are experiencing and the actions we are generating to resolve conflicts in our societies.

From Fundación Colunga we want to take advantage of this instance to inspire a culture of peace, highlighting lessons left by national and international leaders of civil society.

Sister Nelly León: Prevent violence in society

Sister Nelly León is President of the Woman Foundation Get up, an organization dedicated to delivering dignity to women serving time in prisons. In a talk organized by the Pastoral of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and Pastoral Duoc UC, referred to the importance of respecting social justice to achieve peace in our society, noting that "Behind every crime that is imputed to a person, there is a life story of much pain and abandonment." Therefore, it emphasizes that the key to achieving a more peaceful society is prevent violence and respect rights, situation for which we are all responsible:

“We have to be builders of a fair, balanced society and where we can all have the same rights. I assure you that, if we recognize the same rights for all, we will also have the same duties. ”

Edwin María John: Sociocracy to guarantee participation

The United Nations spokesperson, Edwin María John, was visiting our country invited by the Colunga Foundation and América Solidaria. During his stay he delved into an innovative way to build a better world: the Sociocracy, a form of dynamic management in civil society organizations, where power and decision-making arises from the foundations of society, as he has experienced organizing Children's Parliaments in neighborhoods and villages of India and different parts of the world:

"It's the only possible way if we want to take everyone seriously, give everyone a voice and a space for participation.".

For him, no nation would be more powerful than another if each had the same size of representation. In this way, wars at the borders would be avoided: "And if there is no war, all those expenses can be diverted to science and education."

Alfredo Zamudio: Dialogue as a transformative tool

Alfredo Zamudio is an international consultant and Director of Nansen Center for Peace and Dialogue in Norway, an entity specialized in the development of negotiation and mediation of conflicts in territorial spaces.

During his time in Chile, he participated in a seminar organized by Fundación Colunga, where he gave intensive training to leaders of civil society, the public, private and academia.

His method to overcome conflict situations in countries such as Bosnia, Serbia, Kosovo and Afghanistan, among others, has been to implement the dialogue as a transformative tool:

“Peace is not only the absence of conflict, but it is also human collaboration. The human being wants to live without conflict, but there are many motivating factors that press to opt for violence as the only language to transform what lies ahead. Peace is about finding another language, another form, another structure. It is not about not solving, but doing it differently. ”

Various voices that inspire us to continue working, day by day, to improve our forms of communication and generate a culture of collaboration, respect and inclusion.