San Salvador, March 31, 2024. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) organizes a training program in playful methodologies for the defense of human rights and the culture of peace, in conjunction with the Office of the Procurator for the Defense of Human Rights (PDDH).

Through this institutional strengthening activity, training is provided to 25 educators and human rights promotion leaders from El Salvador. The program particularly promotes a culture of peace through art, which strengthens skills in oral storytelling, puppetry development and management, and other playful methodologies aimed at children.

“This program, carried out within the framework of the Women Guardians of Peace project, stands out especially for its gender approach, as it seeks to recognize the experiences of women victims of the armed conflict and, at the same time, provide tools to new generations to transform patterns of discrimination, promote memory, and culture of peace in the post-conflict period,” said Vida Gómez Asturias, project coordinator at UNODC, during the third day of the program held in March.

Upon completion of the program, participants will have new tools to promote violence prevention activities benefiting boys and girls throughout the country as part of the institution's human rights promotion functions. Additionally, replicas will be carried out in geographical areas that have memory sites linked to the armed conflict located in the departments of La Paz, Usulután, and San Vicente.

The project "Women Guardians of Peace" is financed by the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) of the United Nations Secretary-General and is implemented by UNODC, UNDP, and UN WOMEN.