In representation of the Secretary of Human Rights Horacio Pietragalla Corti, the ESMA Museum and Site of Memory’s executive director Alejandra Naftal and her work team presented in a virtual meeting the Museum’s candidacy to the Unesco World Heritage List. That same commission had already passed, in November 2019, a report of support statement for the candidacy that will be voted by Parliament in their next plenary session. In this occasion, parliament members from different countries got to know the project in depth, including its impact on the entire region.
«For us it’s very important to make this presentation, because we are convinced that the candidacy will be benecial not just for Argentina but for the entire region.
Being in the Unesco World Heritage List will mean an accomplishment and also a big support to the democratic strengthening of our countries and the construction of more equitable, just, and supportive societies», said Naftal, who extended Pietragalla Corti’s commitment to keep working on the path of Memory, Truth, and Justice.
On the other hand, Mauricio Cohen Salama, coordinator of the candidacy’s Work Plan provided details on the objective and the strategy of the project. “We submit that the Museum has two outstanding universal values. One is negative, and it’s related to State Terrorism based forced disappearance of people, method that is typical of both Argentina and the region. The other one is positive, and it’s connected to social consensus as a mean to obtain justice. These values involve not only this institution but also the other Spaces of Memory in Argentina, as well as other institutions in the region”, he noted.
Mayki Gorosito, Coordinator of International Relations for the candidacy, presented the main actions and lines of work and stressed the importance of «advocating the construction of citizenship» on an international scale. “Our goal is to establish, promote, and deepen the Museum’s international connections that can be sustainable in the long term and go beyond the results of the candidacy. In this sense, this presentation is very relevant because of the importance of Mercosur for our countries,” she stated.
In the end of the presentation, the head of the commission Gastón Harispe, ratied their support and the organism’s commitment to promote the candidacy, and highlighted that “the strength of the community and the people’s organization, who conduct a tireless work to sustain memory, is well-synthetized in this project”. The expressions of parliament member Mario Metaza, from the Frente de Todos caucus, were in the same line, as he stated: «Surely Unesco will consider this submission and deliver such a fundamental goal for our society».
Participants at the Meeting of the Commission on Citizenship and Human Rights included Argentine members Cecilia Brito and Jorge Vanossi, who joined Harispe and Metaza; Paraguayan members Ricardo Canese and Atilio Penayo; Bolivian member Benita Díaz; and Brazilian member Humberto Costa.
