Zarai Maza Emerges as a Hemispheric Leader in Human Rights and Social Strategy.
With a presence across three continents, over 400 scholarships awarded, and a growing diplomatic agenda, Maza is redefining the role of civil society in the defense of fundamental rights.
Miami, FL - June 17, 2025 - In a global context marked by democratic fragility, forced displacement, and the erosion of fundamental freedoms, Zarai Maza has emerged as one of the most influential voices in the Western Hemisphere. Her work blends grassroots action, institutional development, and strategic presence in multilateral spaces, positioning her as a leader capable of connecting civil society with centers of political decision-making.
In March of this year, she was invited to speak at the Hall of the Americas at the Organization of American States (OAS), where she shared the panel with Secretary General Dr. Luis Almagro and other prominent guests during the Hispanic Voices for Human Rights Summit, organized by AMAVEX in collaboration with the OAS. Her speech, titled 'Migrating as a Professional: The Emotional Challenge of Starting Over', served as a powerful call to recognize the contribution of displaced professionals to the development of host countries.
Former OAS Secretary General Dr. Luis Almagro Honored at the Hispanic Voices for Human Rights Summit — AMAVEX Presents Award for His Legacy in Defending Human Rights, with Zarai Maza Among Distinguished Participants.
In July 2024, she was a panelist and co-sponsor of the Human Rights Summit at the United Nations Headquarters, invited by United for Human Rights. During the Human Rights in Action panel, she discussed the challenges of turning human rights into tangible realities and presented measurable results from her international campaigns. She also proposed a strategic collaboration model between governments and civil society for the coming decade.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/aV2km-dJ6ro
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/aV2km-dJ6ro
As the founder and executive director of the Guardians of Human Rights Foundation, Maza has built an active network across more than 15 countries in the Americas, Asia, and Europe, leading programs focused on human rights education, youth leadership, women's empowerment, and the prevention of violence and drug abuse. Under her leadership, the foundation has awarded more than 400 institutional scholarships in partnership with U.S. universities, helping migrants and refugees access master's and bachelor's degree programs.
Through its programs and campaigns, the foundation has reached more than 4.4 million people globally, mobilized over 5,620 human rights advocates, and maintains an active presence on three continents.
Maza's journey has taken her from forums in India and Japan to multilateral platforms, local governments, and universities throughout the Americas and Europe. Her work has been recognized by the White House, the United States Congress, and multiple municipalities that have issued official proclamations in support of her awareness and education campaigns.
Maza leads not only through action, but also through vision. Her 2025–2030 agenda includes the launch of an International Youth Leadership Network, the establishment of Regional Human Rights Centers in Latin America and Asia, and the formal recognition of her foundation as a consultative actor before multilateral bodies.
Born in Venezuela and forced into exile in 2017, she has transformed her personal story into a platform for global action.
She no longer speaks solely as a witness to exile, but as a builder of solutions to the greatest human rights challenges of our time.
About Zarai Maza:
Zarai Maza is an international speaker, university professor, strategist, and the founder and executive director of the Guardians of Human Rights Foundation. She is widely recognized as one of the most prominent voices in the hemisphere on human rights. Maza has represented civil society in high-level forums such as the United Nations and the Organization of American States, and her work has been honored by the White House, the U.S. Congress, and local governments across the Americas and Europe. Her leadership has driven impactful programs in community empowerment, human rights education, youth leadership, violence prevention, and access to higher education for migrants and refugees. She is currently advancing a global agenda focused on empowering youth, fostering international cooperation, and defending fundamental rights in an increasingly complex world.(Press Release by Reinaldo Vandres - PR Director)
Media Contact
Company Name: Guardians of Human Rights Foundation
Contact Person: Reinaldo Vandres - PR Director
Email: Send Email
Phone: +1 (727)-367-6895
City: Miami
State: Florida
Country: United States
Website: https://www.gohumanrights.com/
Source: Aknanda Productions PR & Branding Content Services
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Politico
01-08-2025
- Politico
Troubled OAS pitches a new Haiti intervention
With help from Jacob Wendler, Sam Skove, Connor O'Brien, Felicia Schwartz, Daniel Lippman Subscribe here | Email Eric FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY: The head of the Washington-based Organization of American States — a grouping of 35 Latin American and Caribbean countries focused on regional development — has a plan to mobilize its members to end the chaos in Haiti. The organization's Secretary General ALBERT RAMDIN called for a $1.4 billion OAS-led and European Union-backed intervention in Haiti starting next month in a closed-door speech to OAS representatives Tuesday. In the speech — which NatSec Daily got a transcript of — Ramdin outlined a plan to defeat the gangs sowing chaos in Haiti's cities, allow unimpeded humanitarian aid to the country's 1.3 million displaced people and restore order to pave the way to national elections. That will include the creation of six European Union-funded 'forward operating bases' tasked to resolve the 'dire' security situation in and around the capital Port-Au-Prince. In his speech Ramdin thanked the EU for 'providing the resources' for that initiative but did not say what commitments he had received from the EU. Neither the OAS nor the EU responded to requests for comment. Haiti — the poorest country in the Western hemisphere — has been tormented by violent gangs since the assassination of President JOVENEL MOÏSE in 2021 led to a collapse of the country's government. A Kenyan-led U.N.-backed multinational security force deployed to the island in 2024 has failed to restore order. And U.N. Security Council members Russia and China have nixed U.S. efforts to send U.N. peacekeepers. Ramdin said that of the $1.4 billion that the OAS requires for the plan, a total of $900 million will fund 'humanitarian response' in Haiti. If OAS members approve his proposal 'by early September, we can start the process of execution' of the plan. Ramdin's pitch for OAS intervention in Haiti comes as the organization is in the Trump administration's crosshairs. The U.S. has historically funded about 50 percent of the OAS' annual budget. The Trump administration has withheld that money during a 180- day review of U.S. support for multilateral organizations that concludes Saturday. So far OAS has not impressed the Trump administration with its actions in Haiti. Secretary of State MARCO RUBIO criticized the OAS in May for failing to 'provide a force' to stabilize Haiti. Then in June, Deputy Secretary of State CHRISTOPHER LANDAU piled on. 'If the OAS is unwilling or unable to play a constructive role in Haiti, then we must seriously ask ourselves why the OAS exists,' he said in a speech at the group's General Assembly. But that ignores structural restraints on how the OAS operates. 'The OAS is not equipped, bureaucratically or legally, to organize a military force,' said FRANK MORA, who was U.S. ambassador to the grouping during the Biden administration. When asked if Ramdin's proposal was an implicit bid for continuing U.S. support for the OAS ahead of the administration's funding decision, Mora said 'I think you just nailed it.' The State Department didn't respond to a request for comment. Ramdin described his proposed OAS intervention as strictly temporary. 'Once the security environment improves, we will go into long-term security management, which means that we won't need troops anymore from outside,' Ramdin said. That may underestimate the challenges of confronting the violence in Haiti. 'It will take a sustained effort — a mini–Marshall Plan — that no country has been willing to support so far,' said LELAND LAZARUS, a former special assistant to the head of U.S. Southern Command. 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Today, we're featuring DREW THOMPSON, who served as the Pentagon's director for China, Taiwan and Mongolia from 2011 and 2018. Thompson is now a fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University. Singapore's weather year-round mirrors what we've endured here in the DMV the past few weeks. Think constant high heat and sweltering humidity that makes a drink — any drink! — the highlight of one's day. No surprise that Drew's go-to libation is an icy cold beer. But not one from some soulless corporate manufacturer. Drew's brew comes from his own home-blending of water, hops and yeast that produces a pint that can strip the stripes off the local Tiger Beer brand. 'After I left the Department of Defense and moved to Singapore in 2018, I learned how to make home-brewed beer and have been making my own beer ever since. It's a great discussion starter when I bring a few bottles to a friend's house and introduce the latest batch.' 乾杯 ! 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Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Yahoo
How Dept. of Education abolition could affect Ohio
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The United States Supreme Court ruled Monday that the Trump administration can continue its process of dismantling the U.S. Department of Education by laying off more than 1,000 workers. Some may now be wondering how these cuts could impact central Ohio, with both sides of the debate having different answers. Westerville's Antonio's Pizzeria to close after 'irreconcilable differences' with landlord Republican strategist Bob Clegg has been following the president's decisions on the federal education department. He said getting rid of the department would give local school districts more power over their curriculum and funding. 'We have so much bureaucracy that nothing gets done because you have to jump through so many hoops,' Clegg said. 'Taking the federal government out of our education system just means we have less hoops to have to jump through.' Ohio Education Association (OEA) Vice President Jeff Wensing said the education department administers federal grant programs that provide funding for career tech programs, after-school care, and help students with disabilities or from low-income families. Wensing said these cuts also come at a time when Ohio's budget is allocating a decades-low percentage to public education funding. How a typo could mean Ohio's state tree isn't the buckeye 'From our point of view, we are underfunded by the state. This potentially will cut our federal funding as well,' Wensing said. 'Cutting back educational opportunities and resources for our students, that's just not a good thing.' Clegg said getting rid of the Department of Education (DOE) would not abolish federal funding; instead, the money would go to the states or to another government agency. In the 50 years since the department was established, Clegg said the impact on local school districts has been minimal. He said schools should not be afraid of the dismantling of the department. 'If you do away with something that's not been all that effective, it's not going to really impact you in a negative way,' Clegg said. 'The local impact here in Ohio and locally will be that we'll have just less government regulation, less government rules that have to be implemented, which costs money.' Wensing and the OEA said there is not much trust between public educators and the state of Ohio, so potentially putting these federal dollars at risk is scary. Man arrested in weekend death of woman in northwest Columbus 'I think that a lot of things are up in the air, but what I do know — with less money from the state, less money from the federal government, it is not good for the students of Ohio,' Wensing said. 'It's not good for the communities of Ohio.' Right now, both Clegg and Wensing said there is still a lot of uncertainty as to what the immediate impacts will be in Ohio and across the country. Approximately 10% of public school funding comes from the DOE. The department has not been abolished at this point and this case is still working its way through the federal court system. With the Supreme Court's decision, nearly 1,400 employees who had already been on paid leave for months will now be fully laid off. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
The Hill
20-07-2025
- The Hill
The strategic importance of designating Tren de Aragua a terrorist organization
The Peruvian government's recent call for all members of the Organization of American States to declare the transnational criminal group Tren de Aragua a terrorist organization is a landmark action that will reverberate positively throughout the Western Hemisphere. The statement — supported by the U.S., Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador, Panama and Paraguay — requests that OAS member states consider designating Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization, or to adopt equivalent legal frameworks that allow for greater prosecution capacity, asset freezes and enforcement actions. Tren de Aragua, which began in a Venezuelan state prison around 2014, is today one of the most dangerous transnational criminal organizations in the Americas. The group has rapidly expanded its operations into neighboring countries and beyond, leaving a trail of violence, exploitation and suffering. It operates as a highly organized criminal corporation, using violence and a hierarchical structure to control illicit markets, and terrorist tactics to eliminate competition and instill fear. Tren de Aragua has sown chaos, undermined local governance and endangered the lives of countless citizens. Thriving on fear and financial gain, Tren de Aragua is estimated to have around 5,000 members, and its annual profits range between $10 million and $15 million. Their use of extreme violence, targeted assassinations and mass intimidation to maintain control and expand influence aligns with the modus operandi of terrorist organizations. Its expansion has been swift and violent, exploiting deficient law enforcement, corruption and large migrant flows. Many nations in the region have been affected by the influence of this criminal network, which has disrupted communities in vulnerable border areas. Its operations have rapidly expanded into cities, effectively transforming into a new form of urban terrorism. The expansion of Tren de Aragua represents a significant regional crisis. This gang engages in drug trafficking, extortion and hired killings. It utilizes terrorist tactics such as torture and public displays of violence to instill fear and maintain control. Members often disseminate graphic content on social media to intimidate both rivals and law enforcement agencies. In April, the U.S. filed charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act against 27 members and associates of Tren de Aragua for acts committed both in America and abroad. This case showcases the need to address this pervasive threat further through coordinated international action. The recent U.S. designation of Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization marks a crucial strategic step. First, by recognizing Tren de Aragua as a terrorist group, the U.S. gains a broader set of tools to dismantle the its financial infrastructure. Many criminal organizations rely on transnational banking systems and shadowy financial channels to launder money and fund their operations. Cutting off access to these resources will severely weaken Tren de Aragua. Second, this move also sets the stage for enhanced regional collaboration. By highlighting the threat the group poses on the global stage, the U.S. sends a powerful message of mutually beneficial collaboration with its Latin American partners. Increased intelligence sharing, joint operations and technical assistance will help dismantle this criminal network. Third, the U.S. designation underscores the importance of a safer region and a stronger partnership with the Americas. It is a signal that the U.S. is committed to addressing one of the primary root causes of insecurity and instability in Latin America and within the U.S. By taking a stand against Tren de Aragua, the U.S. affirms its role as a partner in building a safer, more stable region where democracy and economic opportunity can thrive. The call for a unified response to combat Tren de Aragua across borders is critical. Together with its allies, the U.S. can champion an 'Americas-First Foreign Policy,' as suggested by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and reaffirm shared values with countries throughout the region. This would complement other security and defense cooperation from the U.S. and make its presence and influence more important and tangible. No other global power can make a greater commitment to working in the region to ensure that groups like Tren de Aragua cannot operate with impunity.
