CPTnet
10 July 2009
CHICAGO/TORONTO: Christian Peacemaker Teams announces delegations Autumn 2009-2010



COLOMBIA: 22 September-5 October 2009 (APPLY NOW!!); 26 January 26-8 February, 12-25 May, 14-27 July and 15-28 September 2010.  National delegations (for Colombians): 12-19 December 2009; 7 March-3 April and 4-11 December 2010.**

In Colombia, an insurgency-counterinsurgency war has left over 200,000 people dead since 1964 and displaced over three million others from their homes.  CPT's Colombia delegations will meet with church, human rights, and social justice organizers in Bogotá and in Barrancabermeja, the industrial city in the Magdalena Medio region where CPT's full-time team has been based since 2001.  In addition, delegates will spend several days in the countryside where communities have faced  attack and threats by various armed groups.  The specific communities will vary for each delegation as indicated.  (Focus for 2010 delegations to be announced.)

22 September-5 October 2009, Tiquisio: Tiquisio is located at the foot of the northern tip of the Sierra de San Lucas—the mountain range in which most of the artisanal gold mines in south Bolívar are located.  After massive displacements, many residents have returned and have made great progress in community formation and development.  The heavy military presence in the area has threatened the community process.  Recently the Pastoral Team in Tiquisio displaced because of paramilitary death threats, but Father Rafael, the local Catholic priest, has since returned despite the threats.  Delegates will meet with grassroots organizations and learn about the struggles of building and maintaining community in the midst of armed conflict in which neither state nor illegal armed actors respect the community's neutrality and autonomy.

Fundraising expectation is $2200 US/ $2575 Cdn, which includes roundtrip airfare from a designated U.S. or Canadian city.*


IRAQ (KURDISH NORTH): 7-21 November 2009 (APPLY BY 20 SEPTEMBER 2009.)

The Kurds of northern Iraq faced discrimination, terror, and death under the regime of Saddam Hussein.  As the security situation deteriorated in southern and central Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, thousands of displaced persons fled to the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG)-controlled area in the north.  Recently, northern border villages have suffered military attacks by Turkey and Iran.  CPT's April delegation will be based in the KRG city of Suleimaniya.

Delegates will meet with representatives of non-governmental organizations and human rights groups, displaced persons, government officials, and others.  They will gain perspective on the challenges facing people in northern Iraq and the impact there of violence in other areas of Iraq and along the border.  The delegation will participate in the work of CPT's longer-term project of building bridges between different Iraqi factions and reporting human rights abuses.  CPT has had a presence in Iraq since October 2002, first in Baghdad and since November 2006 in the Kurdish north.

Fundraising expectation is $3500 (US or Cdn), which includes roundtrip airfare from a designated U.S. or Canadian city.*


ABORIGINAL JUSTICE DELEGATION TO Asubpeeschoseewagong First Nation (Grassy Narrows, Ontario): 14-23 August and 9-18 October 2009.

In 1999, the Ontario government granted a twenty-year license to Abitibi Consolidated allowing them to clear-cut Asubpeeschoseewagong traditional lands.  Grassy Narrows community members started blockading Abitibi logging contractors in November 2002 with CPT accompaniment through that winter.  The blockade met with partial success; nevertheless, nearly 50% of Asubpeeschoseewagong territory has been clear-cut, destroying traditional hunting, trapping, and food and medicine-gathering activities.

In May of 2008, Grassy Narrows First Nation signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ontario government to negotiate an eventual long-term agreement for the management of the forest.  On 3 June 2008, the recently merged company Abitibi-Bowater announced that it would withdraw from logging the territory.  No long-term agreement has yet been signed; the threat of corporate clear-cut logging continues; and the Canadian authorities criminalize First Nations members for their pursuing livelihoods in their traditional territory.

Kenora (pop.16,000) is a regional centre for thirteen Anishinaabe communities.  Situated on the shore of Lake of the Woods, Kenora's economy is sustained by summer tourism and resource extraction.  Non-aboriginal and aboriginal residents and visitors feel alienated from each other, with aboriginal residents and visitors frequently experiencing racially-based mistreatment.

The delegation will spend time on traditional Asubpeeschoseewagong territory, document the effects of clear-cutting, and learn about Anishinaabe struggles for justice.  In Kenora, the delegation will meet with aboriginal and non-aboriginal community leaders who are working to improve relations between non-aboriginal and aboriginal residents.  Delegation members will develop an analysis of colonialism, participate in undoing racism training, and plan a public witness/direct action focused on Aboriginal sovereignty issues.  Participants should be prepared for simple housing or camping under rustic conditions, and for periods outside in unpredictable weather.

Fundraising expectation: $500 Canadian/ $425 US. Delegates make and pay for their own travel arrangements to Winnipeg, Manitoba or to Kenora, Ontario.


PALESTINE/ISRAEL:  6-19 October and 17-30 November 2009; 5-18 January, 6-19 April (Reformed Church), 18-31 May, 20 July-2 August, 5-18 October and 16-29 November 2010.

Conflict in Palestine/Israel has recently taken center stage in the media.  Despite recent elections in Israel, involvement of the Quartet on the Middle East, and overtures from the Obama administration, the situation for many Palestinians living in the West Bank remains grave.  Road closures, home invasions, checkpoints, and the presence of militant Israeli settlers in Palestinian villages continue to threaten Palestinian human rights.

Israel's separation barrier (much of it built on confiscated Palestinian land) not only separates Palestinian communities from each other, but also acts as a barrier between ordinary Israelis and Palestinians seeking to come together for peace.  CPT delegation members will gain a perspective on how these issues affect daily life in the region.

Delegates will meet with Palestinian and Israeli human rights representatives and peace workers in Jerusalem and Bethlehem.  They will visit Palestinian families whose home and livelihoods are threatened by expanding Israeli settlements.  They will travel to the city of Al Khalil (Hebron) and the village of At-Tuwani in the South Hebron Hills and experience firsthand CPT's work alongside Israeli and Palestinian partners.  They will challenge the structural violence of the Occupation through nonviolent public witness.

CPT has had a continuous presence in the West Bank since 1995.

Fundraising expectation is $2750 US/ $3200 Cdn, which includes roundtrip airfare from a designated U.S. or Canadian city.*

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FOR ALL DELEGATIONS:

CPT is a faith-based group that seeks participants who are interested in human rights work, committed to nonviolence and to undoing racism, and willing to participate in team worship and reflection. Delegates should have plans to share about the trip upon return to their home communities and congregations.  Round-trip airfare from a designated U.S. or Canadian city (except as indicated above), all on-ground travel, two to three meals a day, simple accommodations, and honorariums and delegation fees are covered.

CPT has limited funds available to assist applicants who could not otherwise participate. CPT is committed to undoing racism and will give preference for funding support to applicants from communities disadvantaged by racism.

For more information or to apply, contact CPT, PO Box 6508, Chicago, IL 60680; phone 773-277-0253; fax 773-277-0291; e-mail delegations [at] cpt [dot] org, or see CPT's website at: http://cpt.org/participate/delegation.

*Those planning to join the delegation from countries other than the U.S. or Canada, contact the CPT office for more information on travel and fundraising expectations.

**For more information on Colombian national delegations, contact CPT Colomba, ecapcolombia [at] edatel [dot] net [dot] co.