In the midst of authoritarian backsliding across Latin America, a conference shone a ray of hope, connecting hundreds of human rights advocates to develop a regional strategy to common challenges. From November 29-30, the Inaugural RegionaR Conference took place in Bogota, Colombia where human rights representatives from across the region, shared their experiences and strategies for defending human rights. This “invitation only” event brought together many human rights workers, including: Indigenous land defenders, LGBT+ organizations, feminist activists, Afro-Latino movement leaders, disability rights advocates, and more. GHRC Advocacy Director Corie Welch was also in attendance.
The RegionaR 2022 Regional Conference on Human Rights served as the inaugural event of the RegionaR Regional Forum on Human Rights Initiatives. The conference united representatives from civil society organizations all dedicated to the defense of human rights in Latin America with the purpose of providing space to analyze the common factors that threaten human rights, rule of law, and democracy in the region. For two packed days, over 150 human rights advocates participated in a series of lectures, panels, dialogue, and plenary sessions with the purpose of learning from each others’ experiences and developing regional strategies to combat threats against human rights more broadly.
Prior to the conference, participants were asked to submit questionnaires, which were compiled into the context analysis. Drawing from their responses, the major challenges facing the region were identified as: pillars of inequality–corporate capture of the State; weakening of the rule of law; aggravation of risks and negative impacts for the rural population and indigenous peoples; closure of civic space and political violence; gender based violence; and more. (Read the full list and analysis here.) Culminating in a call to action, the participants released a statement, inviting, “civil society to join efforts in the defense of human, collective and natural rights and fundamental freedoms from an intersectional, inclusive, full, effective and multicultural perspective.” It also called on governments, corporations, and international financing mechanisms to respect human rights and the environment.
Reflecting on her experience, Advocacy Director Corie Welch shared that she came away from the conference feeling uplifted and hopeful for the future of human rights work. “It’s been a tough year to work on human rights in Guatemala, but learning about the commonalities between the struggles of other countries and communities was energizing.” She continued, “Being able to hear the experiences from other defenders and share space with them was helpful in thinking about GHRC’s advocacy strategy. I felt inspired knowing that even in the face of major challenges across the region, we are united in the fight to protect human rights.” In the face of a regional trend backwards in human rights, the coalition was formed, “convinced that there are opportunities to build a new reality.”