Ambassador Juan Esteban Aguirre: Prioritizing Human Rights in the Peace Process

In this special episode of the Lawyering Peace podcast, we are honored to host Ambassador Juan Esteban Aguirre, who brings a wealth of experience from his distinguished career as Paraguay's Minister of Foreign Affairs and as the Vice President of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Aguirre has also served as Paraguay's Ambassador to the United States, Canada, and Brazil, and as Head of Mission to the United Nations Office in Geneva.

Ambassador Aguirre delves into the critical role that human rights protections play in building and sustaining durable peace. Drawing from his experience in various conflict zones, he highlights how acknowledging human rights violations during conflict during the peace processes, is foundational to achieving lasting peace. Through the lens of the Colombian conflict, Aguirre discusses the challenges in balancing the immediate need to end violence with the necessity of embedding human rights into peace negotiations.

He emphasizes that for peace to be sustainable, it must be built on the ground, starting with the empowerment of local communities. Aguirre argues that human rights should not only be a component of peace agreements but also a core principle guiding the entire peacebuilding process. He shares insights on how the United Nations Human Rights Council's mechanisms, such as fact-finding missions and commissions of inquiry, can provide crucial information that ensures accountability and justice are part of the peace process.

Ambassador Aguirre also calls for a shift from a reactive to a more preventive approach in addressing human rights abuses, advocating for greater collaboration and information-sharing among human rights bodies to promote more comprehensive and effective peacebuilding strategies.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the intersection of human rights and peace processes, as it provides actionable insights and recommendations for integrating human rights into the heart of peacebuilding efforts.