Thousands of teachers and students took to the streets of several of Colombia's major cities Sept. 7 "in defense of public education." The demonstrations aimed to reject a proposal by the government of President Juan Manuel Santos to reform higher education. In the capital Bogotá, some 7,000 protesters took to the streets, while in Medellín some 1,000 teachers and students were protesting. The government of President Santos proposed reforms to Law 30, stating that the reforms will increase financial resources for universities to open spaces for additional students, improve the salaries of professors, and be more competitive in research.

The Peruvian NGO Cusichaca Andina recently won a grant from the World Bank to promote the revival of ancient Andean crops, including quinoa, amaranth, and indigenous varieties of potatoes and squashes. The indigenous crops, in danger of disappearing due to the increasing dominance of corporate hybrids, are thought to be more resilient and better adapted to the harsh local environment—making them potentially strategic in adapting to the challenges of global climate change. Public Radio International's The World reported Sept. 7: "[C]limate change is hitting the high Andes hard. Temperature and precipitation swings are becoming more extreme, the glaciers are shrinking fast, and a tough place to farm is becoming even tougher. So to help them deal with an uncertain future, residents are looking back in time—to before the arrival of Europeans."

Some 1,200 workers at the Cerro Verde copper mine in Peru's southern Arequipa region began a 48-hour strike on Sept. 7, demanding higher pay and threatening to launch an indefinite strike in one week if an agreement isn't reached with the company, owned by the multinational Freeport-McMoRan. While Cerro Verde insisted that production would not be affected, global copper prices rose on the news—although some analysts cited other factors, such as growing Chinese demand. (Dow Jones, Sept. 8; Dow Jones, El Comercio, Reuters, Sept. 7)

Cars and buses were taken off the streets of Bolivia as the country held its first "National Day of the Pedestrian" on Sunday Sept. 4. All motor vehicles, including public transport, were banned for the day in cities across the country, as the streets were given over to youth festivals and sporting events. Said La Paz Mayor Luis Revilla: "We are enjoying this day in homage to the environment, but also and above all in homage to pedestrians. The city is not only for vehicles, but also for people."

An NGO has released a report condemning Colombia’s human rights record as part of a series of articles analysing the relationship between anti-terrorism policies and human rights since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) report notes how shortly after September 11, the US financial aid from Plan Colombia, which had previously been earmarked for fighting drug trafficking, was also used to combat terrorism. At the same time the FARC, the ELN and paramilitary groups were added to the US list of terrorist organizations.

The Bolivian Supreme Court of Justice on Aug. 30 convicted seven officials—five military officers and two former cabinet ministers—of committing genocide. The military officials received sentences of 10–15 years while the former cabinet ministers received three-year sentences for complicity in the crime. The convicted leaders are not permitted an appeal. One commander of the army, Juan Veliz Herrera, pleaded innocence, and suggested he was being persecuted for having different political views than the current government. Trials for the genocide began in 2009, when the court began proceedings against former president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada (in absentia) for the deaths of 63 protesters in the "Black October" incidents of 2003. He faces 30 years in prison if convicted. A further 17 former government officials face genocide charges related to "Black October."

Fears of a renewed global recession, coupled with concerns about public debt in Europe, forced down Latin American markets on Aug. 18. The most important market in the region, Brazil's BM&FBOVESPA (Bolsa de Valores, Mercadorias & Futuros de São Paulo), fell 3.52 % for the day, while in Argentina the MERVAL index plunged 4.11%. In Mexico City the Bolsa Mexicana de Valores (BMV) was down 2.36%; the IGBC index in Colombia fell by 3.15% and Chile's IPSA by 1.89%.

The government of Peru's newly elected President Ollanta Humala announced this week that it is suspending the US-backed coca eradication program in the Upper Huallaga Valley, the only ongoing eradication campaign in the country. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Peru has surpassed Colombia as the world's top coca producer, although Colombia maintains a slight lead in cocaine production.