Guatemala suffered an armed conflict for more than 30 years (1960 – 1996). The conflict takes place in the context of the cold war and the profound inequalities caused by a country practically smothered by corrupt governments compliant to the wishes of U.S. commitments like the United Fruit Company.
In 1986, with the Esquípulas Accord, the peace process began in the region, which in the words of Sandra Moran "was really to pacify the region to promote free trade agreements." Despite this, there is no denying of the deep popular desire to overcome conflicts and build a peace with justice. |
From 1994 to 2000 the Women's Sector dedicated its strength and energy to positioning women's proposals within the Civil Society Assembly and the negotiating tables for the peace accords. As well as to resisting, together with the other sectors, the pressures to get the agreements signed quickly and without any social content.
During this first stage the organization was able to build its strength, position the women’s agenda for peace, concretize the monitoring aspect of the National Women’s Forum Peace Accords, initiate processes of political education, create the Presidential Secretariat for Women and the public policy on equal opportunities, was part of the coordination committee of the Beijing space, the network for non-violence and other issue-based convenings. |
APSM celebrated 27 years of existence by reviewing its strategic planning for the next 5 years, aligning its political positions with reality and with the particular agendas of the Alliance organizations. When we asked María Dolores about the future, she replied, "I see a difficult, uncertain future, but the future has always been like this. That is why we draw strength from the slogan that has always guided us "The future does not arrive, it is built", as a way of understanding ourselves as subjects and not falling into despair, but continuing to dream of a more dignified society and to put our bodies, our desires and complicities into it so that our present contributes to achieving it."
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¡Resistimos para vivir, marchamos para transformar!
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