"My work motivates indigenous people, people with disabilities and youth to gain full consciousness of their rights and to organize themselves by creating networks that will help them fight together to improve their situation."
As a UN Volunteer with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Guatemala, Ramiro Barriga, from Bolivia, is serving within the section working on discrimination and economic, social and cultural rights.
He provides technical assistance and helps coordinate governmental institutions, civil society and non-governmental organizations to set up strategies for the promotion and protection of human rights. He is specifically working with a team dedicated to analysing how indigenous people are treated, especially with regards to land rights' issues arising with conflicts linked to the exploitation of natural resources.
"My contribution as a UN Volunteer is helping people to understand their rights, and to demand that their rights be heard and promoted by those who are in charge of implementing them," Ramiro explains.
My work motivates indigenous people, people with disabilities and youth to gain full consciousness of their rights and to organize themselves by creating networks that will help them fight together to improve their situation.
-- Ramiro Barriga, UNV Human Rights Officer
He also helps to promote human rights through the dissemination of information, and supports capacity-building programmes and strategic dialogue between different actors to foster changes in the political, legal and administrative structures of the country.
He worked on the project "Hip-Hop for Guatemala", which brought together young people from marginalized areas of Guatemala City to address human rights issues. The project was a mix of workshops addressing issues such as the prevention of violence, criminalization and stigma towards youth, gender-based violence, armed conflict and human rights.
The result of this activity was a competition in which participants expressed their ideas through art, reported human rights violations, promoted human rights and talked about their daily realities. National and international artists also took part in the initiative, encouraging youth to participate in constructive dialogue. It ended with a dance and graffiti exhibition illustrating the themes discussed.
"This experience has made me realize the transformational power of volunteerism," Ramiro concludes. "Regardless of nationality or origin, united by the trust and willingness to fight for a common cause, we only need to join a few hands in order to contribute to change."
Bio: Ramiro Barriga, from Bolivia, is a UNV Human Rights Officer with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Guatemala. Ramiro provides technical assistance and helps coordinate governmental institutions, civil society and non-governmental organizations to set up strategies for the promotion and protection of human rights. He also helps people to understand their rights, and to demand that their rights be heard and promoted.