Sustaining the Peace-Building Process in Colombia

After more than 50 years of war and several attempts to reinforce peace in Colombia, the government and the FARC finally concluded a peace agreement in 2016. Although this peace agreement has been widely considered as a major step towards sustainable peace, the results are somewhat ambivalent. Despite positive developments, such as the disarmament and re-integration of the majority of FARC, the ongoing violent activities of the ELN and other paramilitary groups, the presence of armed non-state actors and the rising number of assassinations of human rights activists, indigenous people and politicians has caused deep concern among society and government officials. Lastly, recent announcements of some FARC members to return to fighting might further endanger the peace process.

Currently, Colombia’s political leadership is under scrutiny of local and international observers. The incumbent Colombian President Ivan Duque who took office in 2018 has been confronted with criticism as he has publicly questioned cornerstones of the peace agreement, such as the Colombian Integrated System of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Non-Repetition with its special jurisdiction. Furthermore, his critics have voiced their concern about the President’s lack of dedication to labelling peace as such as a key objective.

On the occasion of a visit of Colombian members of Congress and peace activists, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung would like to present its recent study “Paz Glocal. On the perceptions of peace in several regions and nationally in Colombia”. The study has been conducted by the German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA). Our guests will contrast and reflect the findings and relate these with their own perceptions and expectations of the peace process. In addition, they will address the current situation in Colombia and would be delighted to discuss the role of the EU in the peace-building process.

Our guests are:

• Ivan Cepeda Castro (Polo Democrático Alternativo), Senator, human rights defender and victims’ representative, co-initiator of Defendamos la Paz
• Juan Fernando Cristo, former interior minister and co-initiator of Defendamos la Paz
• Victoria Sandino (FARC), Senator, former member of the FARC negotiating team for the peace agreement (tbc)
• Feliciano Valencia (Movimiento Alternativo Indigena Social), Senator, indigenous leader of the Nasa community and former member of the Indigenous Regional Council of Cauca
• Sabine Kurtenbach, Acting Director of the GIGA Institute of Latin American Studies

The discussion will be moderated by Kristina Birke, Director Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Colombia.

English-Spanish interpretation will be provided

Contact: Daniela.Iller(at)fes-europe.eu