Sandra Martinez

Been born and raised in a country with an armed conflict like Colombia, motivated me to become a change agent and help the most vulnerable groups to claim their rights and promote a culture of peace not only in my country, but in any part of the world. After completing my studies in Political Science and my master’s in international Affairs I moved to Guatemala and worked for two years with a Swedish civil society organization focusing on the protection of human rights defenders, including indigenous communities and women groups. Nowadays, as a Human Rights Officer in UNMISS (United Nations Mission in South Sudan) I work to promote human rights, to protect civilians and to build durable peace in the world’s newest country. The intrinsic relation between human rights and peace brought me to the Summer Peacebuilding Program. I strongly believe that to be able to find lasting solutions to conflicts human rights must be guaranteed, and in order to safeguard human rights, conflicts must be kept at bay.