Bolivia

Please provide us with your views on the state of peace in the country you will represent at the One Young World Summit.

My country, Bolivia, is characterized by its high-tension democracy. This means that strikes, hunger strikes, street protests, ultimatums, etc. are part of our daily life (especially for the ones who live in La Paz). As a result, the state of peace is not stable. We might not have an armed conflict; however there is a constant polyphony of social conflicts. The streets have become the scenario of different social actors and organizations, which pressure in order to defend their interests, demands and express their annoyance. The social conflicts tend to arise faster than before. Furthermore, the way they are managed isn´t conciliatory in the beginning, provoking resentment in some cases and making the process even more difficult.

How do you think your work and/or activism contribute to a sustainable peace? 

I previously worked for the Unit of Governance of the Municipal Government of La Paz, where I provided a technical insight for social conflicts prevention. I am trying to teach and demonstrate that resentment and selfishness don’t help nor improve our chances to build up a better society. Right now I’m working on a proposal: a system that aims to manage the demands of people with disabilities early, solving issues such as poor inter-institutional coordination, or insufficient work with social organizations. If this system works out the current problems, people with disabilities will have better assistance of their needs and a social conflict won’t arise soon. Furthermore, I will have learnt how this type of systems and mechanisms can be designed and applied for other problematic social sectors, and how the lobby needs to be done. This could diminish the number of social conflicts and lead us to a more peaceful society.