Andrés Martínez is a program manager for Religion and Inclusive Societies at the U.S. Institute of Peace, where he leads the Religious and Psychosocial Support for Displaced Trauma Survivors project. This project seeks to facilitate more effective collaboration between religious actors and mental health professionals who offer support to conflict-affected communities — with a focus on displaced persons who have experienced traumatic stress.  

His areas of expertise include global mental health, nonviolent movements, and gender.  

Prior to joining USIP in April 2021, he was the Colombia country director at Creative Learning, where he managed local and international peacebuilding programs. Prior to that, Andrés was the program director at the International Peace & Security Institute in Washington, D.C., where he was responsible for the planning and implementation of peace education programs in areas such as mediation, negotiation, resilience, and conflict transformation. 

Andrés received his master’s in gender and peacebuilding from the United Nations Mandated University for Peace. He holds a graduate degree in conflict resolution and is a certified psychologist from Javeriana University.  

Publications By Andrés

The Myanmar Army’s War Against Mental Health and Psychosocial Support

The Myanmar Army’s War Against Mental Health and Psychosocial Support

Thursday, January 11, 2024

By: Carolina Buendia Sarmiento;  Billy Ford;  Yu Yu Htay;  Andrés Martínez

After nearly 75 years of sustained conflict, Myanmar’s population has suffered devastating and compounding intergenerational trauma. But rather than address that collective trauma, successive military governments have terrorized the country while also disinvesting from systems of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS).

Type: Analysis

Conflict Analysis & Prevention

How Religious Actors Can Help Address the Western Hemisphere’s Biggest Challenges

How Religious Actors Can Help Address the Western Hemisphere’s Biggest Challenges

Thursday, August 18, 2022

By: Andrés Martínez;  Melissa Nozell

On the sidelines of this year’s Summit of the Americas, the Interreligious Forum of the Americas brought together over 100 religious actors, faith-based organizations and governments to discuss how strategic engagement with religious and interreligious actors can help address the hemisphere’s most pertinent issues.

Type: Analysis

Peace ProcessesReligion

Why Religion-Based Support is Vital for Afghan Refugees

Why Religion-Based Support is Vital for Afghan Refugees

Tuesday, May 10, 2022

By: Andrés Martínez;  Carolina Buendia Sarmiento

The increasing violence and insecurity in Afghanistan could force over half a million more people to migrate from the country by the end of 2022, adding to the population of almost 2.6 million Afghan refugees worldwide. And for these millions of migrants, the plight of serious mental health challenges is a concern that we cannot afford to overlook.

Type: Blog

Religion

Peaceful Masculinities: Religion and Psychosocial Support Amid Forced Displacement

Peaceful Masculinities: Religion and Psychosocial Support Amid Forced Displacement

Wednesday, March 2, 2022

By: Negar Ashtari Abay, Ph.D.;  Andrés Martínez;  Carolina Buendia Sarmiento

The number of people displaced globally due to conflict and violence nearly doubled between 2010 and 2020 from 41 million to 78.5 million, the highest number on record. Forced displacement, within and across national borders, exposes persons to stressful events and trauma, making psychosocial support a critical part of successful integration in new communities and societies. Those forcibly displaced include women and girls, men and boys, and gender and sexual minorities.

Type: Analysis

GenderReligion

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