WOLA: Advocacy for Human Rights in the Americas
Event

The Colombian Peace Process: The Ethnic Chapter and the Prospects for Success

Tuesday, 25 July 2017
1666 Connecticut Ave N.W. Suite 400, Washington D.C.

AP Photo/Fernando Vergara

An Update from the Ethnic Commission

Featuring:

Marino Cordoba,
Association for Internally Displaced Afro-Colombians (AFRODES) and International Coordinator for the Afro-Colombian Peace Council (CONPA)

Diana Martinez,
“Kambiri” Network of Afro-Colombian Women

Rodolfo Adan Vega Luquez,
National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC)

Luis Eduardo Calambas,
Movimiento de Autoridades Tradicionales Indígenas
de Colombia – Gobierno Mayor

Comments by:

Darryl Chappell,
WOLA Board Member

Moderated By:
Gimena Sanchez-Garzoli,
Senior Associate for the Andes, WOLA

Tuesday, July 25, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
1666 Connecticut Ave N.W., Suite 400
Washington D.C.
20009

This event will be held in Spanish and English with simultaneous translation available. 
                           A livestream will be available at www.wola.org.

After half a century of conflict, Colombia appears to be inching closer to peace. This presents a historic opportunity for the construction of a new, post-conflict, democratic Colombia that addresses the wrongs of the past and charts a new course toward equality, justice, and prosperity. In the epicenter of this process is the Ethnic Commission for Peace, whose role in guaranteeing the proper implementation of the Ethnic Chapter of the peace accords will be vital in addressing the underlying economic and social issues that fuel violence.

However, despite progress in the accords’ implementation, making sure that ethnic minorities are fully integrated into a post-conflict Colombia poses a major challenge. Illegal armed groups continue to target social leaders, and as recent protests in Choco and Buenaventura have demonstrated, repression is—more often than not—a first response to the demands of marginalized communities.

Join WOLA for a discussion with members of the Ethnic Commission on the current status of the peace process. We will assess the prospects for a lasting peace now that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have disarmed, the status of legislative procedures following the recent Constitutional Court decision on the implementation of the accords, and the security threats faced by minority community leaders in Colombia.