In a statement released on April 24th, more than 200 civil society organizations and citizens’ voices called on the international community to make a commitment to democratic reinstitutionalization in Venezuela, promoting coordinated multilateral action for peace, human rights and justice.
The Summit on Venezuela, held in Colombia, is part of these efforts that must be promoted to foster dialogues and agreements that allow for a peaceful and democratic solution to the crisis in Venezuela, with respect for human rights at the center, said Beatriz Borges, executive director of the Center for Justice and Peace (Cepaz), in an interview granted to France 24.
Due to the multidimensional crisis that the country is going through, it is necessary that these agreements “have as their objective to guarantee and respect human rights. This human rights approach is precisely what will allow this conference and any agreement or conversation on Venezuela to have a future”.
Borges recalled that in Venezuela there are still those responsible for serious crimes against the population that have not been investigated or punished, and it has been evidenced that there is no real will to undertake such investigation. He considers that it is necessary to address the structural causes of the crisis and respond to the recommendations made by international organizations on these issues, as a route to establish justice.
“It is essential to prevent serious human rights violations from being covered by a cloak of impunity and from causing greater escalation and harm to the population,” the statement said. For Borges, this guarantee of protection and investigation of serious human rights violations is central.
Therefore, the Venezuelan crisis needs international solidarity and a regional leadership, not in the short term, nor with specific initiatives, but in the long term, to resolve the crisis, which is of long standing, has different dimensions and requires genuine efforts to initiate a true peace process. This process must include civil society organizations as fundamental actors in the construction and transformation of the conflict, also understanding elections as a main key in this redemocratization process. This is the only way to see true indicators of change and transformation in Venezuela.
Peace for Venezuela
Peace for Venezuela is a campaign that aims to break down the information bias surrounding the Venezuelan crisis within the international community and promote a stronger and more constructive role for the United Nations.