April 9, 2025 (Wednesday, 10:00 -11:00 JST)
About the Webinar
In Colombia, the challenges of ecological degradation are deeply influenced by the dynamics of armed conflict in diverse and complex ways. Nature is a direct victim of activities related to illegal armed groups, drug traffic, and extractivism and has been used as a tool of economic power and territorial control. However, amid the escalation of the war, initiatives for territorial defense and socio-ecological justice emerge, challenging geopolitical, extractivist, or purely conservationist interests. This webinar presents a general overview of the recognition of nature as a victim of war in Colombia, the challenges and advances of national initiatives, and some local examples of environmental peacebuilding.
About the Speakers
Vanesa Giraldo
Vanesa Giraldo is an assistant professor at Icesi University. She has a BA in Anthropology, an MA in public health awarded by the National University of Colombia, and a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Massachusetts. A specialist in armed conflict, environmental peace, feminism, and health anthropology. Vanesa is committed to education and research while working hand in hand with peasant organizations, indigenous communities, and survivors of armed conflict. She focuses on strengthening the capacities for learning grassroots knowledge and contributing to peacebuilding in different contexts.
Inge Valencia
Inge Valencia is an associate professor at Icesi University. She is an anthropologist who graduated from the National University of Colombia and holds a PhD in Anthropology at the School of Higher Studies in Social Sciences (EHESS) in Paris, France. Among her academic interests are multicultural recognition policies, the dynamics of drug trafficking, organized crime, and peacebuilding in Colombia and Latin America. Her current research projects aim to understand the dynamics of violence in the post-agreement context and the increased securitization processes. She has been a fellow of programs such as the Factory of Ideas of the Center for Afro-Oriental Studies in Brazil, Visiting Researcher of Ciesas-Mexico of the Drug Security and Democracy program of the Social Science Research Council – Open Society and of the International Development Research Center of Canada.
About the NERPS Webinar Series
The Network for Education and Research on Peace and Sustainability (NERPS) at Hiroshima University in Japan is hosting a series of webinars on the relationship between peace and sustainability in the context of environmental, socio-political, economic, and technological transformations. This series is situated within the urgent need to deal with the implications of global change, including the COVID-19 pandemic, for peace and sustainability. The webinar sessions serve as a platform for rethinking and updating the current discourse on peace and sustainability amidst these global challenges and transformations. Leading experts will discuss the role of resources, digital technologies, migration, governance, and education in peacebuilding, conflict mitigation, humanitarian aid, and capacity-building, among other components that contribute to the achievement of the Sustainability Development Goals, particularly that of Goal 16 on Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. Check out our previous webinars here.