COLOMBIA

DATES: May 26-June 8, July 14-27 and September 22-October 5, 2009. Each delegation will have a specific focus as indicated below.

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 been subject to attack and threats by various armed groups. The specific communities will vary for each delegation as indicated.

May 26-June 8: Garzal: Residents of this rural community along the Magdalena River have been living and working on the land, some for as long as four decades. Recently, a family of wealthy landowners with ties to the drug trade has used their political and economic influence to claim ownership of the land, despite the fact that they have not lived there for over 15 years, and, according to Colombian law, the farmers are entitled to the land after 10 years on a property. The farmers are now concerned that the wealthy landowners will use violence to remove them from their homes. Delegates will meet with the residents who, despite death-threats, are courageously resisting displacement from lands that are rightfully theirs.

July 14-27, 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 community process is threatened because of heavy military presence in the area. Recently the Pastoral Team in Tiquisio displaced because of paramilitary death threats, but 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.

September 22-October 5, Opón: Delegates will visit rural farming and fishing communities along the Opón River in the Magdalena Medio region, where armed groups continue to operate. Many farm families on the Opón river are now facing economic displacement as wealthy landowners buy up surrounding farms. Delegates will hear from displaced families living in Barrancabermeja, and meet with social organizations working for justice locally and nationally. The Opón river communities were a main focus of CPT Colombia accompaniment for several years beginning in 2001, when residents began to return home after being forced to displace due to increasing violence.

Fundraising expectation is $2000 US/ $2200 Cdn, which includes roundtrip airfare from a designated U.S. or Canadian city. Those planning to travel from other countries, contact the CPT office for more information.

FUNDRAISING EXPECTATION: US $2000 / $2200 Canadian, which includes round-trip airfare.

IRAQ (Kurdish North)

DATES: April 18-May 2. APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY MARCH 2.

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 since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, thousands of displaced persons have fled to the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) controlled area in the north. Recently, northern border villages have been the site of military attacks by Turkey and Iran.

CPT's delegation will be based in Suleimaniyah, in the KRG. Delgates will meet with representatives of non-governmental organizations and human rights groups, displaced persons, and government officials. They will gain a perspective on the challenges facing people in northern Iraq and the impact there of violence in other areas of Iraq and along the broder. The delegation will participate in the work of CPT's longer-term project of building bridges and human rights reporting.

CPT has had a presence in Iraq since October 2002, first in Baghdad and since November 2006 in the Kurdish north.

FUNDRAISING EXPECTATION: $3500 (US or Cdn),which includes round-trip airfare.

PALESTINE / ISRAEL

DATES: January 6-19 (FULL), March 17-30 (FULL), May 19-June 1, July 21-August 3, October 6-19, November 17-30, 2009.

As our governments talk about a "Middle East Peace Process," Israelis and Palestinians continue to suffer losses from violent incidents. Expanding Israeli settlements threaten Palestinian land and homes. Israeli military imposed road closures, checkpoints, and home invasions affect the daily lives of Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation. 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. 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 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 Hebron since June 1995 and in At-Tuwani since September 2004.

FUNDRAISING EXPECTATION: $2500 US or Canadian, which includes round-trip airfare.

ABORIGINAL JUSTICE DELEGATION

to Algonquin Territory

DATES: to be announced.

CPT seeks participants for a delegation to the traditional territories of the Ardoch Algonquin and Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nations (about 80 km north of Kingston, ON) to support their nonviolent struggle to protect their unceded land from uranium exploration and mining by Frontenac Ventures Corporation (FVC).

An open-pit uranium mine would release toxic gases and leave millions of tonnes of radioactive tailings that would permanently pollute groundwater. The Ardoch Algonquin First Nation (AAFN) says, “Uranium mining will lead directly to our social, spiritual and cultural demise.” The Algonquins have called a moratorium on uranium exploration and are seeking a resolution to their historic land claims.

After securing the gate at the Robertsville Mine for 107 days throughout the summer of 2007, both First Nations participated in a mediation process with the federal and provincial governments and FVC. Talks broke down in February 2008 and subsequently an Ontario Superior Court judge issued a six month prison sentence to Ardoch leader Bob Lovelace and stiff fines to Algonquin leaders for their nonviolent resistance to a court injunction against their blockade. An appeal court decision in May released Lovelace and stayed the fines.

Both First Nations are continuing their efforts to bring Ontario to the negotiating table in a meaningful way. The Shabot Obaadjiwan has filed a suit against the provincial and federal governments to oblige them to consult.

Local “settler” (non-Algonquin) residents are supporting the campaign. Many municipalities, including Ottawa and Kingston, have joined the call for a moratorium.

The CPT Aboriginal Justice Delegation will meet with Algonquin leaders and settler and environmental activists; seek the perspectives of those who support uranium exploration; make visits to the historic blockade site; develop a analysis of colonialism; participate in undoing racism training; and organize a public witness in support of the Algonquin’s struggle for justice.

FUNDRAISING EXPECTATION: $275 (US or CDN). Delegates arrange their own transportation to Toronto or Kingston, Ontario.

U.S./MEXICO BORDERLANDS

DATES: to be announced.

In the wake of the U.S. Congress' inaction on comprehensive immigration reform, millions of immigrants contend with a broken system that takes advantage of their contribution to the economy, yet promotes the criminalization of immigration offenses. Meanwhile, mothers and fathers desperate to provide for their families continue to make the risky trek into the U.S. from Mexico. U.S. Border policies in recent years have forced migrants into increasingly dangerous and remote areas, causing more than 200 deaths annually in the Arizona desert.

Members of CPT's Borderlands delegation will monitor human rights, meet with representatives of human rights groups and government officials, and carry out a nonviolent public witness confronting unjust immigration policies. They will visit individuals on both sides of the border, including in Lomas de Poleo, Mexico, where residents of a farming community live virtually under siege as they await a court ruling verifying their ownership of the land. The delegation will be based in Tucson and Douglas, Arizona, and El Paso, Texas, and travel to the Mexican cities of Agua Prieta and Juarez. Delegation members arrange their own transportation to Tucson, Arizona.

FUNDRAISING EXPECTATION: $500 US or CDN, covers on-ground costs. Participants arrange their own transportation to Tucson, Arizona.