Global Peace Festival Latin America 2010

The 2010 Global Peace Festival and Global Peace Leadership Conference in Ascuncion, Paraguay, brought thousands together to reaffirm the broad-based commitment of the Paraguayan government and civil society to peace building in Latin America. The Ministry of Education closed Asuncion schools for the day to encourage students to attend the Festival, and later signed an agreement for the Global Peace Foundation-Paraguay to provide character education curricula for schools throughout the country. GPFF- Paraguay also partnered with the town of Itaugua and the environmental group A Todo Pulmon to build a park specifically for the blind, a first for Paraguay. The park is designed with curving paths, curbs, and minor obstacles to help the blind learn to navigate the outdoors with the use of a cane. The town officially named the park “Plaza Fundacion Paz Global,” or “Global Peace Foundation Park.”

At the Global Peace Leadership Conference, “Opportunities, Difficulties and Challenges for Latin America in this Era,” three former presidents, Luis Lacalle of Uruguay (1990-95), Marco Cerezo of Guatemala (1986-91), and Jorge Quiroga of Bolivia (2001-02) spoke about the struggle to establish democracy in the face of military dictatorships. The former presidents also addressed security in the region, the environment and a culture of sustainability, how media and communications influence the idea of citizenship; and the role of the private sector in economic development, and suggested lessons that might be learnt to help the future development of Latin America.

The continuing threats to democracy from income inequality, the vast and destabilizing drug economy, and the new authoritarianism of the so-called ‘Bolivarian revolution’ were also emphasized. The conference was organized by IDPPS, a Paraguayan think tank set up by the Global Peace Foundation of Paraguay. The conference concluded with the adoption of the Asuncion Declaration by unanimous consent, which calls for the unity of South America beyond differences of race, religion, class, and nationality, guided by the ideal of ‘One Family under God.’

• Global Peace Leadership Conference, Paraguay - photo gallery
• GPF Latin America - photo gallery of service projects