Our colleagues at Pax Christi International have announced the recipients of this year’s Pax Christi International Peace Award: the Haiti Justice and Peace Commission (JILAP) and Sr. Gladys Montesinos, a Carmelite missionary who supports the Tsimanes, an Indigenous community in the Bolivian Amazon.
See the press release below for further details:
Pax Christi International is pleased to announce that the Haiti Justice and Peace Commission (JILAP) and Sister Gladys Montesinos, a Peruvian Carmelite missionary dedicated to the Tsimanes, an Indigenous Community in the Bolivian Amazonian, are the recipients of the 2024 Peace Award.
The award ceremony will take place in Cali, Colombia, on October 25, 2024, during the COP 16 on Biodiversity. This event will honour the remarkable contributions of JILAP and Sister Gladys Montesinos to peace and justice, celebrating their relentless efforts and profound impact on their communities.
The Haiti Justice and Peace Commission (JILAP)
JILAP is a social pastoral organization of the Catholic Church in Haiti, committed to promoting human dignity and rights. Created as an informal group in the 1970s, influenced by the Second Vatican Council, JILAP established a permanent secretariat in 1986. Over the decades, it has expanded its reach across all dioceses in Haiti, operating in both Creole and French.
JILAP’s impactful work includes the observation of human rights violations, civil training, peacebuilding through nonviolent conflict transformation, and victim support. It addresses crucial issues such as ecology, gender equality, and the promotion of peace. JILAP is also a founding member of the Concertation pour les Droits Humains in Haiti and actively participates in initiatives like ‘Collectif mines’ and ECC (Together Against Corruption).
The organization tirelessly advocates for reforms in Haiti’s justice and prison systems and regularly challenges the government and political leaders to reduce armed gang violence, striving to enhance the rule of law in Haiti. Currently, it is present in 320 localities across the country with committed local groups. As the most significant civil society organization in Haiti, JILAP has been a longstanding associate member of Pax Christi International, actively participating in Pax Christi International’s Regional Program on Restorative Justice and Active Nonviolence.
The Pax Christi Board of Directors acknowledges JILAP’s immense contributions to peace and nonviolent conflict transformation in Haiti. Their efforts in supporting humanitarian aid and promoting dialogue for peace and uncorrupted rule of law are crucial for Haiti’s future based on reconciliation and just peace.
Sister Gladys Montesinos
Sister Gladys Montesinos has devoted over six years to supporting various Indigenous populations in the Bolivian Amazon. Since 2018, she has focused entirely on the Tsimanes indigenous peoples in theBeni department of Bolivia, spanning regions such as San Borja, San Ignacio de Moxos, Rurrenabaque, and Santa Ana de Yacuma.
The Tsiman community, residing in small villages of 20 to 30 families, faces systematic rights violations, including lack of territorial recognition, discrimination, and dispossession by private associations and businesses. Sister Gladys, seeking to accompany them in their struggles, requested permission from her religious congregation to live and learn from the Tsimanes, sharing their experiences, hopes, and needs.
Her unwavering commitment has unfortunately exposed her to threats against her safety from those seeking to exploit the Tsiman territory. Despite these challenges, Sister Gladys remains steadfast in her mission to support and advocate for the rights and justice of the Tsimanes people.
The Pax Christi Board of Directors recognizes Sister Gladys’ dedication and courage in defending the Tsiman Indigenous community’s rights to land and culture. Supported by Caritas Bolivia and her congregation, her work exemplifies Pope Francis’ call for ecological conversion and the role of the Church in accompanying, protecting and preventing communities whose rights have been violated. This award honours the struggles of Indigenous peoples in Latin America and the Caribbean, highlighting the interconnection between their ancestral beliefs in caring for creation and their relationship with Mother Earth, or Pacha Mama.
Established in 1988, the Pax Christi International Peace Award is funded by the Cardinal Bernardus Alfrink Peace Fund and honours contemporary individuals and organisations who make a stand for peace, justice and nonviolence in different parts of the world.
For more information, please contact: Martha Inés Romero, Secretary General, Pax Christi International, m.romero@paxchristi.net.
Congratulations to each of you for your courageous and creative witness to act of nonviolence in response to the overwhelming and destructive violence in which you practice your mission and commitments. I applaud the recognition granted to by Pax Christi.