Reflections on the online seminar “Crises in the rule of law: how to deal with them”
In the complex and diverse landscape of rule of law crises, the conversation must expand beyond institutions and embrace the crucial role of individuals and communities in finding solutions to the challenges affecting society as a whole. Equally, respect for human rights must be present at all times when facing a crisis. This approach was at the core of the online seminar held yesterday 9 April entitled “Crises in the rule of law: how to deal with them”, where participants of the project “VOCES – Civil society voices for a more sustainable democracy: a dialogue between Europe and Latin America” presented their contributions and discussed the issues at stake.
The first to speak were Julia Ros Cuellar and Harlan Koff with a joint contribution entitled “Fragility and anti-fragility for citizens in times of crisis”. Both shed light on how the concepts of fragility and anti-fragility are almost always limited to institutions, without considering the role of civil society in contributing to good governance. Both underlined the need to rethink these concepts, as demonstrated by the case of coffee rust in Veracruz, Mexico. In this problem, various groups of people from civil society came together in initiatives to alleviate the crisis, demonstrating that the resilience of a state does not depend solely on its institutions, but also on the active participation of civil society.
The second speaker was Mauricio Alejandro Coronel Carrión who presented his contribution “Migration crisis in Venezuela” and highlighted the importance of human rights in the midst of the migration crisis in Venezuela. He addressed the complexities of the migration boom in Venezuela and the need to develop solutions that respect the fundamental rights of migrants. He emphasised the existence of the right to migrate and freedom of movement, and outlined possible measures to address this humanitarian crisis and guarantee the human rights of these people at all times.
Finally, Celia Regina Rossi closed the seminar by presenting her contribution “Acampa Network for Peace and the Right to Refuge, a transnational movement for informed citizenship”. She shared the history of the Acampa Network and how it was born with the aim of becoming a common space where humanitarian organisations work to defend human rights and promote integration, equality and the fight against xenophobia. Acampa organises interventions that promote reflection, awareness-raising and transformation at local, national and transnational levels, showing how collective action can be a powerful force in the search for solutions to crises.
Ultimately, this seminar reminds us that we must rethink our approach to the different crises that states face, as only through a collaborative and committed approach can we effectively address current challenges and work towards resilient states that are able to deal with crises while respecting people’s human rights.
A recording of the seminar is available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MhrnsRrhcU
Contribution of Julia Ros Cuéllar y Harlan Koff Fragility and anti-fragility for citizens in times of crisis”: https://fibgar.es/voces/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Harlan-y-julia-DEFINITIVO.pdf
Contribution of Mauricio Coronel Carrión “Migration crisis in Venezuela”: https://fibgar.es/voces/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mauricio-Coronel-DEFINITIVO.pdf
Contribution of Celia Regina Rossi “Acampa Network for Peace and the Right to Refuge, a transnational movement for informed citizenship”: https://fibgar.es/voces/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Celia-Regina-DEFINITIVO.pdf
Carmen Coleto Martínez, Junior Project Manager.
