The Cooperation department of the Elche City Council resumes this September the I Cycle of Colloquia for International Development Cooperation with a new session, this year in collaboration with the Red Cross, focusing on International Humanitarian Law and Peace Education.
The councilor for the area, Celia Lastra, highlighted that from September 3rd to 10th, the Congress Center will host the exhibition “The Limits of War”, which deals with Peace, International Humanitarian Law, and Conflicts. Additionally, on September 10th, starting at 6:00 PM, a talk-colloquium will take place in the center's auditorium, where specialized speakers will share their knowledge and experiences.
The president of the Local Assembly of the Red Cross Elche, Antonio Ramón Guilabert, pointed out that the exhibition presents, through 21 panels, the 15 existing armed conflicts in the world. The objective is to show the causes and effects, forced displacements, deprivation of basic services, food crises, laws of war, and the protection of children, women, and minority groups.
This initiative aims to bring to citizens the important work carried out by social entities in the municipality in developing countries. Among the speakers are lawyer Alicia Bernabé, a member of the promoter network for international humanitarian law of the Spanish Red Cross; Ana Dols García, a lawyer with experience in missions with the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross; Roberto Llopis and Nuria Díaz, members of the International Emergency Response Team (ERUS); and Adelaida Plaza, a midwife who has just returned from Venezuela from a Spanish Red Cross field hospital.
Celia Lastra recalled that International Humanitarian Law establishes fundamental principles to protect people in situations of armed conflict, and that human dignity and people's rights must be respected and protected even in the most difficult contexts. She also emphasized that peace education promotes values such as respect, dialogue, coexistence, empathy, and peaceful conflict resolution, values that “we must foster from all areas of society and, especially, from public administrations”.
The councilor assured that it is “important to generate spaces for meeting and reflection like the one we present today,” initiatives that help to better understand international reality and reinforce commitment to solidarity, cooperation, and peace. She thanked the Red Cross for its involvement and the participation of the professionals, and confirmed that the Cooperation department “will continue promoting initiatives aimed at bringing the values of cooperation, solidarity, the defense of human rights, and the construction of a culture of peace to citizens.”
