Promoting peace and victims’ rights in Colombia

Context

The Colombian peace process shows how decades of conflict can be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue. However, the 2016 peace agreement faces challenges. In recent years, new armed groups have emerged that are trying to control lucrative illegal economic sectors. This has led to an increase in violence against civil society actors, former combatants, activists and human rights defenders.

Through the peace agreement, transitional justice institutions are addressing injustices committed, returning expropriated land and convicting perpetrators. They ensure long-term peace in society and guarantee the rights of the conflict’s victims.

Objective

Victims’ rights are protected in processes of truth, justice and reparation and are implemented locally, regionally and nationally.

Approach

The project operates in five fields of activity:

1. Involving victims in truth, justice and reparation processes by facilitating access and providing psychosocial support.
2. Improving coordination between institutions by promoting joint consultation on the implementation of measures for truth, justice and reparation.
3. Facilitating dialogue between victims through the systematisation of intercultural and interethnic dialogue.
4. Promoting peace in municipal administrations by improving transparency and establishing dialogues between institutions and communities.
5. Increasing the expertise of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace by providing technical and organisational advice on repairing, in a gender-just manner, the harms that the conflict has caused within society.

Last update: February 2025