Supporting peace in Colombia

Context

In 2004, Colombia asked the Organization of American States (OAS) to support it in monitoring and implementing peace in the country. To this end, the OAS created The Mission to Support the Peace Process in Colombia (MAPP).

Initially, this international mission promoted peace by monitoring the implementation of peace laws and demobilisation efforts. Since 2010, the mission has also helped implement the Victims and Land Restitution Law, and, since 2016, the peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). In 2023, the Colombian Government requested additional support to help monitor and implement the new peace negotiations with the guerrilla group the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional) and other armed actors.

Objective

MAPP/OAS has more financial resources to work for victim protection. It also makes an important contribution towards ensuring that violent conflicts are addressed, and that the peace agreement is monitored and implemented regionally.

Approach

To facilitate the work of MAPP/OAS, the international community contributes resources to a fund. In 2022, Germany, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Sweden and the United States participated.

In the current phase, the project is focusing on supporting further activities of the Peace Support Mission. These include:

• Improving security, for example through the presence of MAPP/OAS in certain regions
• Expanding participation, dialogue and social mobilisation of all stakeholders
• Generating  processes and strategies to secure peace
• Enabling victims to gain access to the truth and raising awareness
• Promoting justice and restitution
• Searching for missing persons
• Supporting guarantees of non-recurrence of crimes committed

Last update: August 2023