The United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) collaborated with Peru’s Ministry of Defense to conduct the second Human Rights Initiative (HRI).
The United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense of Peru, conducted the second Human Rights Initiative (HRI) Strategic Process Assessment Seminar (SPAS) with the goal of prioritizing respect for human rights among all personnel in the Peruvian Armed Forces.
SOUTHCOM’s Human Rights Office sponsored the conference and officials from the Peruvian Ministry of Defense helped organize it. Titled “Evaluation of the Strategic Process,” the meeting was conducted to help strengthen the Peruvian Armed Forces’ analysis of both its human rights programs and its adherence to SOUTHCOM’s HRI.
From 1997-2002, Peru participated in the hemisphere-wide conferences to draft the HRI Consensus Document, and officially joined the HRI in 2010. Peru promised to implement the initiative within its Armed Forces.
The HRI SPAS is a follow-up to the February 24-26, 2012 Human Rights conference in Lima. It focused on analyzing the Peruvian Military’s obligations to protect human rights. Brigadier General Julio Salazar Encinas, director general of Education and Doctrine for Peru’s Ministry of Defense, inaugurated and participated in the event.
Also in attendance, was Colonel Hebert Viviano Carpio, director of the Peruvian Armed Forces’ International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Center (CDIH-DH), which partners with SOUTHCOM in Peru; representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Women, the Office of the Ombudsman, non-governmental organizations and representatives from academia.
Seven women comprised of Military and civilians, also participated in the event. SOUTHCOM’s Human Rights Office had requested including female officials in the event in order to highlight support for the National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security. It advocates: “advancement of women’s inclusion in peace negotiations, peace-building activities, conflict prevention, and decision-making institutions. It also seeks to protect women from gender-based violence and ensure equal access to relief and recovery assistance, and in areas of conflict and insecurity,” according to the U.S. Department of State’s implementation plan.
More than 30 service members from Peru’s Army, Navy, and Air Force participated in the strategic process of evaluation, according to a SOUTHCOM press release.
Focusing on four principles
The Military officials and civilians at the gathering organized themselves into working groups to focus on four principle areas of the HRI: doctrine, education and training, internal control systems, and cooperation with civilian authorities.
Each group then reviewed the 2010 objectives to evaluate whether they had been achieved and/or to review the development of new plans of action.
According to the CDHI-DH web site, “they presented the human rights programs operated by the Peruvian Armed Forces that are already being carried out. In addition, they found it necessary to draft new action plans to implement the programs.”
In addition to the four areas of HRI, attendees also discussed the employment and use of the Armed Forces as well as the National Human Rights Plan that Peru is adopting and will be implementing from 2014 to 2016.
Colombia and Guatemala, whose military forces also participate in HRI, sent high-ranking officers to support their Peruvian counterparts, sharing their lessons learned on building effective human rights programs, according to information from SOUTHCOM’s Human Rights Office (SC-HRO).
SOUTHCOM supports human rights throughout the region
The SC-HRO founded the Human Rights Initiative in 1997. Since, it has served as a facilitating body and sponsored hundreds of seminars, conferences, and other events to support Western Hemisphere countries including Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay, as well as the Central American Armed Forces Conference (CFAC). CFAC has formally committed to implement HRI in its Armed Forces, and establish human rights and international humanitarian law in its democratic societies.
In addition to providing facilitation and support, the initiative fosters the development of a substantial institutional culture of respect for human rights among the leaders of Western democratic societies and their forces.
For their part, “The Peruvian Armed Forces promote continual application of International Humanitarian Law in operational strategic planning and operational force tactical plans when operational actions are required of the Armed Forces,” said retired Peruvian Navy Rear Admiral Fernando Palomino Milla.
To help the Armed Forces adhere to International Humanitarian Law, the CDHI-DH was formed in 2002 and is responsible for instructing, planning, directing, and supervising activities related to complementary training in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, to guarantee full compliance by Armed Forces. The CDHI-DH has provided training to more than 10,000 members of Peru’s Armed Forces and neighboring countries.
In addition to working with the Military, the CDHI-DH has provided training to members of the National Police and civilian professionals from various Peruvian government agencies.
The Peruvian Armed Forces are dedicated to protecting human rights while confronting the Shining Path and drug traffickers working together in the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers Valley (VRAEM). To this end, they are developing “Military operations approved by the state, and in strict observance and unlimited respect for human rights,” said Rear Adm. Palomino Milla.
The next SPAS is scheduled to take place in March 2016.
The United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense of Peru, conducted the second Human Rights Initiative (HRI) Strategic Process Assessment Seminar (SPAS) with the goal of prioritizing respect for human rights among all personnel in the Peruvian Armed Forces.
SOUTHCOM’s Human Rights Office sponsored the conference and officials from the Peruvian Ministry of Defense helped organize it. Titled “Evaluation of the Strategic Process,” the meeting was conducted to help strengthen the Peruvian Armed Forces’ analysis of both its human rights programs and its adherence to SOUTHCOM’s HRI.
From 1997-2002, Peru participated in the hemisphere-wide conferences to draft the HRI Consensus Document, and officially joined the HRI in 2010. Peru promised to implement the initiative within its Armed Forces.
The HRI SPAS is a follow-up to the February 24-26, 2012 Human Rights conference in Lima. It focused on analyzing the Peruvian Military’s obligations to protect human rights. Brigadier General Julio Salazar Encinas, director general of Education and Doctrine for Peru’s Ministry of Defense, inaugurated and participated in the event.
Also in attendance, was Colonel Hebert Viviano Carpio, director of the Peruvian Armed Forces’ International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Center (CDIH-DH), which partners with SOUTHCOM in Peru; representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Women, the Office of the Ombudsman, non-governmental organizations and representatives from academia.
Seven women comprised of Military and civilians, also participated in the event. SOUTHCOM’s Human Rights Office had requested including female officials in the event in order to highlight support for the National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security. It advocates: “advancement of women’s inclusion in peace negotiations, peace-building activities, conflict prevention, and decision-making institutions. It also seeks to protect women from gender-based violence and ensure equal access to relief and recovery assistance, and in areas of conflict and insecurity,” according to the U.S. Department of State’s implementation plan.
More than 30 service members from Peru’s Army, Navy, and Air Force participated in the strategic process of evaluation, according to a SOUTHCOM press release.
Focusing on four principles
The Military officials and civilians at the gathering organized themselves into working groups to focus on four principle areas of the HRI: doctrine, education and training, internal control systems, and cooperation with civilian authorities.
Each group then reviewed the 2010 objectives to evaluate whether they had been achieved and/or to review the development of new plans of action.
According to the CDHI-DH web site, “they presented the human rights programs operated by the Peruvian Armed Forces that are already being carried out. In addition, they found it necessary to draft new action plans to implement the programs.”
In addition to the four areas of HRI, attendees also discussed the employment and use of the Armed Forces as well as the National Human Rights Plan that Peru is adopting and will be implementing from 2014 to 2016.
Colombia and Guatemala, whose military forces also participate in HRI, sent high-ranking officers to support their Peruvian counterparts, sharing their lessons learned on building effective human rights programs, according to information from SOUTHCOM’s Human Rights Office (SC-HRO).
SOUTHCOM supports human rights throughout the region
The SC-HRO founded the Human Rights Initiative in 1997. Since, it has served as a facilitating body and sponsored hundreds of seminars, conferences, and other events to support Western Hemisphere countries including Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay, as well as the Central American Armed Forces Conference (CFAC). CFAC has formally committed to implement HRI in its Armed Forces, and establish human rights and international humanitarian law in its democratic societies.
In addition to providing facilitation and support, the initiative fosters the development of a substantial institutional culture of respect for human rights among the leaders of Western democratic societies and their forces.
For their part, “The Peruvian Armed Forces promote continual application of International Humanitarian Law in operational strategic planning and operational force tactical plans when operational actions are required of the Armed Forces,” said retired Peruvian Navy Rear Admiral Fernando Palomino Milla.
To help the Armed Forces adhere to International Humanitarian Law, the CDHI-DH was formed in 2002 and is responsible for instructing, planning, directing, and supervising activities related to complementary training in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, to guarantee full compliance by Armed Forces. The CDHI-DH has provided training to more than 10,000 members of Peru’s Armed Forces and neighboring countries.
In addition to working with the Military, the CDHI-DH has provided training to members of the National Police and civilian professionals from various Peruvian government agencies.
The Peruvian Armed Forces are dedicated to protecting human rights while confronting the Shining Path and drug traffickers working together in the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers Valley (VRAEM). To this end, they are developing “Military operations approved by the state, and in strict observance and unlimited respect for human rights,” said Rear Adm. Palomino Milla.
The next SPAS is scheduled to take place in March 2016.