RPR Peace Mail 29 October - 04 November
Weekly Update on the implementation of the Peace Accord. This week's Peace Mail covers: an assessment of the support for the Peace agreement by incoming local governments; the Government Cabinet’s visits to the PDETs; the National Participation Working Group for victims of the armed conflict; the new “Social Plan” headed by the High Commissioner for Peace to respond to violence in Cauca; and the renewal of the OHCHR´s mandate in Colombia.
Download Peace Mail / 29 October-04 November 2019
Peace Accord and elections – optimism in the cities, doubts in rural areas: Candidates supportive of the Peace Agreement were elected in at least six of Colombia’s main cities. Yet, in the rural areas of the departments most affected by the armed conflict, the panorama is more complex: although Cauca’s elected governor openly stands in favor of peace, other governors such as the one of Antioquia, Caquetá, and Nariño were supported by multiparty coalitions which have not taken a clear stance on the matter, or that have been critical of the Accords. Although the main responsibility for the implementation of the Accords lies with the National government, there are preoccupations about the local service offers to reintegrated combatants and about guarantees to their security.[1]
Government Cabinet visits each and every one of the 16 PDETs: From 1st November, the ministerial Cabinet of President Duque, accompanied by diplomats and representatives of the international community, will visit each and every one of the 16 PDETs. These territories disproportionately affected by the armed conflict were prioritized, and special development plans are being implemented in order to improve the living conditions of 6,6 million Colombians. Actions in the PDETs aim to improve roads, infrastructures, energy distribution and connectivity, and to promote sports, education and reconciliation.[2]
Victims of the armed conflict summoned to National Participation Working Group : 368 representatives of victims from the whole country will meet in Paipa (Boyacá) on 7 November, to officially launch the National Working Group for Victims’ Participation. The purpose of this working group (established under the Law 1448 of 2011) is to extend the duration of the Victims’ Law, to impulse the reform of the Protocol on Participation, to promote coordination with the Integral System of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Non-Repetition, and to monitor the implementation of the Peace Accord, including the functioning of the Development Plans with a Territorial Focus (PDET) and the educational and socioeconomic stabilizations offers. These victims’ participation and representation spaces are part of an interactive approach for them to engage in the construction, implementation and control of public policy for victims.[3]
High Commissioner for Peace to head “Social Plan” in violence-torn Cauca: On 4 November, the Government held a Security Council in Popayán, the second of the week, to respond to the sharp increase in violence in the department. President, Iván Duque, announced a series of interinstitutional socio-economic measures to complement the military strategy proposed the week before. In addition to the 2,500 soldiers deployed to the area, the President pledged a “Social Plan” in order to support 200,000 families, accompany 9,000 young people through educational trainings, and promote 300 business initiatives to encourage the return of families displaced by the armed conflict. The High Commissioner for Peace, Miguel Ceballos, will lead the implementation of this Plan. Again, the President claimed that the increase in violence was the product of growing drug-trafficking activities in the department.[4]
OHCHR’s mandate in Colombia renewed amid Colombian reservations: The 7 month-long negotiations for the renewal of the OHCHR’s mandate finally culminated in an agreement. 259 Colombian organizations and 67 international organizations pulled their weight in favor of a renewal. Present in the country for more than 23 years, the OHCHR´s mandate was broadened. It will now: 1) include a Human Rights chapter in its annual report on the implementation of the Peace Accords; 2) accompany victims; 3) monitor FARC combatants’ guarantees, and; 4) monitor the application of the sanctions imposed by the JEP. The government’s efforts to limit the mandate of the OHCHR failed, although it did succeed in cleansing the text from the terms “armed conflict” and “international humanitarian law”, and in imposing that the High Commissioner’s declarations require Geneva’s approval. Analysts say these changes are of semantic nature and will not have any practical implications. The agency’s work in Colombia has become indispensable, amid the power vacuum created by the FARC withdrawal from areas where the government’s reach is limited. [5]