Isabel Aguilar Umaña

Isabel’s life has been shaped by the troubles in Central America in the 1980s. She saw her own family divided and destroyed by ideological intolerance and violence. She decided to take positive action and become a peacebuilder.

Fifteen years later, Isabel is Interpeace’s Director of the Central American Youth Programme, working to generate public policies to prevent youth violence.

Isabel had time to talk to us about what energizes her and keeps her going.

Why did you decide to become a peacebuilder?

I grew up in an environment that was shaped by war. Family members were deeply affected by the violence that broke out across the region in the 1980s.

Through the eyes of a small girl, I experienced what it really means to be in a society divided by intolerance and brutal violence. So I started looking for peace even when I was very young.

Today, as an adult, the search for peace is my profession. I’ve been doing this now for 15 years.

What does peace mean to you?

Peace is not a signed piece of paper that sits on a shelf or in a museum. It is a process. Peace is something that is experienced. It is the ability of a society to manage and transform conflicts peacefully no matter how small and insignificant or large and impressive they may be.

But in peace there is always room for discussion and fruitful contradiction. Humans are the main characters; they consider each other and how they interact with their surroundings.Therefore putting people at the heart of peace is strategic.

True peace enables people to live with dignity and be treated as equals on every level. Only then can we say we live in real peace and people can seize the opportunities available to them.

Unfortunately, the peace we experience here in the region is a negative peace.

What is negative peace?

It’s the maintenance of the political, cultural, economic and social differences that create structural violence. While officially we do live in peace since the signing of the Peace Accords 15 years ago, our society remains extremely violent and has enormous rates of poverty and inequality.

I live in an environment where 18 people die due to violence every single day. The issues underlying the violence in our society are not being addressed. There is still a long way to go until we can say we truly live in peace. This is my motivation and what keeps me going.

You say inequality has caused a negative chain reaction…

Yes, one of our biggest problems is inequality. In Guatemala, my home country, 50% of children under 5 years suffer from malnutrition but at the same time Guatemala has the highest number of helicopters per capita in the world. This says it all for me.

But most importantly this inequality that we live in causes violence. People experience injustice that derives from inequality every day. They get humiliated and this causes frustration. In the end, they can turn to violence because it is often seen as the only way to make their voice heard.

The marginalized groups in our society – children and youth – suffer most from the violence that surrounds them. In the region, youth represent about 23.5 million people. That is a lot of vulnerable individuals. They have a right to have dreams and aspirations too.

And your role – you say it energizes you…

All my work is focused on youth. But also, everyone I work with is bursting with life, energy and enthusiasm. Against all odds, I see them suspending their prejudices to play their part in building peace. They help me keep my outlook fresh – I get new views and new ideas every day. Youth in the region are vibrant, they challenge me every day and their optimism is contagious.

I’m not sure if there are many other jobs that are so stimulating.