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| The Americas Project | ||||||
The "Americas Project" is a joint undertaking of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Baker Institute at Rice University which recognizes the best and the brightest in leadership in the countries of the hemisphere, in a wide variety of fields. The main objectives of the "Americas Project" are to promote better understanding among the young leaders of the Americas, to increase and foster the exchange of ideas and information among these individuals and to provide the basis for a viable network among them. The individuals selected to participate in this project must be from an OAS member state between the ages of 25 to 40 and must demonstrate significant achievements in their careers, leadership qualities, and ability to have an impact on society. |
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| October 8-10, 2009 | ||||||
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| International Peace Day | ||||||
| CLARA ROJAS shares her account of struggle and survival in the Colombian jungle, where she was held captive by the FARC guerrilla for almost 6 years: a story of dignity, tenacity, and determination in the face of adversity.
Inter-American Peace Forum Monday, September 21, 2009 Hall of the Americas, OAS Washington, D.C.
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Clara Rojas
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| The Day After Peace Documentary Sreening | ||||||
| The Day After Peace charts the remarkable 10-year journey taken by award winning filmmaker Jeremy Gilley to establish a day of Peace on September 21st. During the course of his mission the camera follows Gilley as he galvanizes the countries of the world to recognize this as an official day of ceasefire and non-violence. After the official motion is unanimously adopted in the UN, Gilley turns his efforts to implementing the ideals of Peace Day around the world. Celebrity support from the likes of Angelina Jolie and Jonny Lee Miller and corporate support from Puma, Coca-Cola, Ben & Jerry’s and Ecover enhances the momentum. Jeremy’s persistence is rewarded when UNICEF, the World Health Organisation and local affected communities decide to try and use the Day to carry out a mass vaccination against Polio, in one of the toughest conflict areas in the world, Afghanistan. Jeremy asks Jude Law to accompany him to Afghanistan, to help persuade the government and insurgents to ratify Peace Day. The task seems impossible, but pure human spirit in a country exhausted with conflict, may just win through. | ||||||
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| Notas de Paz | ||||||
| A child who learns to play an instrument will never hold a weapon Notas de Paz is a youth symphonic orchestra made up of underprivileged children and youngsters from the poor neighborhood of Bellavista in the city of Cali, Colombia. Created in March, 2007 by initiative of the Scarpetta Foundation, the project aims at offering an alternative path to children who are daily exposed to the hardships of extreme poverty, violence, abuse and delinquency. Musical education is used as a strategy to foster discipline, team-spirit and tolerance as well as mutual and self-respect. Through the transforming power of music, Notas de Paz drives these children and youngsters away from violence and promotes a culture of peace in their marginalized communities. The strategy has proven to be successful as the violence indicators in the contemplated district have significantly lowered. See Full Program | Photo Gallery
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| Exhibit of Historic Photographs of Columbus Memorial Library | ||||||
| Throughout more than 60 years of existence, the OAS has strived to foster peace and prosperity in the Western Hemisphere. Preserved in the archives of the Columbus Memorial Library, the photographs that document some of the most significant moments in this quest for a peaceful hemispheric coexistence now come to light in a unique photographic exhibition. The Columbus Memorial Library houses the world's most complete collection of photographs, maps, commemorative stamps, archives, and records documenting the history of the Organization of American States and its predecessor agencies from 1889 to the present. The extensive collection of books and periodicals dates back to 1535. The library holds one of the richest repositories for material on the Inter-American system in the world. Today the Columbus Memorial Library is responsible for the Archives and Records Management Program of the OAS General Secretariat, and for preserving and indexing the OAS official documents, as well as carrying out the functions of a traditional library. The Columbus Memorial Library serves the staff of the OAS General Secretariat, Permanent Missions and Permanent Observer Missions to the OAS, Embassies and researchers throughout this hemisphere and the world. See Full Program
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| Display of Major Works of Permanent Collection of the Art Museum of the Americas | ||||||
| A selected group of major art works of the Permanent Collection of the Art Museum of the Americas will be on display at the OAS Main Building from September through December, 2009. These include an oil on canvas titled Testimonial del Tiempo by César Menendez, a Salvadoran artist whose exceptional paintings depict a surreal world that reflects death and tragedy, inspired by the struggles of the Central American people with ruling military dictatorships, as well as an important piece by Colombian artist Alejandro Obregon who at different times throughout his career produced works related to political violence in Colombia since 1948. Obregon’s Estudiante Muerto, awarded the national prize for Colombia at the 1956 Guggenheim International Exhibition, belongs to a group of paintings commemorating students and popular leaders who lost their lives during this period of social unrest. | ||||||
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| Art Exhibition Related to Peace Permanent Collection of the Art Museum of the Americas Tuesday, September 22, 2009 OAS Main Building Washington, D.C. |
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| Chalk4Peace | ||||||
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Repainting the planet the colors of peace Chalk4Peace is a global chalk art project which turns pavements into a blank canvas where young artists of all ages can create messages and images that materialize their visions of peace. Founded by John Aaron, a long time artist, educator and events coordinator, in 2003 in Arlington, Virginia, Chalk4Peace started as a Sunday sidewalk chalk project for children. It has since spread to four continents, thus becoming a global event to promote peace through art. The OAS Art Group has collaborated with Chalk4Peace since 2006 and is once again joining the initiative to celebrate the International Peace Day. See Full Program
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| Indigenous People and Peace-Building Experiences | ||||||
| The purpose of this seminar is to discuss and learn about unique conflict resolution and peace-building methods that are used by different indigenous peoples. In order to take advantage of the knowledge, practices, and experiences of the indigenous communities in this field, the Peace Fund has put together a comprehensive program where indigenous leaders will gather to share information and experiences on the different approaches and methodologies that are used by different groups as they confront challenges related to social exclusion, discrimination and injustice. This forum will be open to participation by civil society representatives, government officials, academics, and the media in order to enrich the dialogue on the issue of peace-building from an indigenous perspective. | ||||||
August 13-14, 2009 |
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Photo Gallery | Learn more |
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| Rural Tourism Course as an Income Generator | ||||||
Photo gallery For more information, please contact us peacefund@oas.org |
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| Democratization of Knowledge to Create a Culture of Peace | ||||||
| The seminar “Democratization of Knowledge to Create a Culture of Peace” was held in Montevideo, Uruguay on April 29 and 30, 2009 in the framework of the Inter-American Peace Forum. The purpose of the seminar was to discuss the main challenges and opportunities of connectivity and social inclusion in developing countries, and to learn from the experiences of the highly successful CEIBAL project (one laptop per child, Uruguay). Uruguay was the first country in the Hemisphere to take on the challenge of the one laptop per child initiative, through the CEIBAL project. In the words of Uruguayan President Tabaré Vásquez “The strategic objective is that all children have equal opportunities with respect to technological skills and knowledge.” The one laptop per child initiative goes beyond providing a computer to each child; it is a commitment to the future, an essential tool to reduce the digital gap, a policy of social inclusion and equity. During the opening ceremony, Minister Fernandez labeled the initiative a “Peace Revolution” because of its impact on building strong and democratic societies. The forum featured local and international experts and included presentations by the Minister of Education and Culture, María Simón; the President of LATU, Miguel Brechner; the OAS Representative in Uruguay, Ambassador John Biehl del Río, among many other renowned panelists and invited guests. Groups of children from different schools throughout the country also participated in the seminar and demonstrated how this tool has empowered them for a better future. | ||||||
April 29-30, 2009 |
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| Photo gallery | Learn more | ||||||








