Within the framework of the “Construir sobre lo YA construido” event, the Unit for the Victims Director led the panel “Achievements in the Peace with Legality Implementation with the International Community support”.

Advisor for Stabilization and Consolidation, Emilio Archila, the event “Construir sobre lo YA construido” was held, which aimed to share with the international community achievements carried out to fulfill commitments for the implementation of the Peace with Legality policy.

The Unit for the Victims Director, Ramon Rodriguez Andrade, led the panel “Achievements in the Peace with Legality Implementation with the International Community support”.

The question: “What was the greatest progress achieved so far in relation to the victims’ component of the Agreement?” was one of the leading issues of this event, which was attended by Mireia Villar Forner, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System and ambassadors John Petter Opdahl, from Norway; Joaquin María de Aristegui, from Spain, and Eric Mayoraz, from Switzerland.

Rodriguez Andrade highlighted that since Law 1448 of 2011, the Unit for the Victims recognizes victims as the center of its work, guaranteeing assistance, care and integral reparation in the territory, with a participatory, differential and reparation approach; all this in the search for their rights restoration, stabilization and reconciliation. There are about 9 million 200 thousand victims, and this work has required articulation with allies such as international cooperation.

During these 10 years of the Victims' Law implementation, and these three years of the Peace with Legality Policy, the Unit’s Director stressed the importance of international cooperation support. "This has allowed us to move forward regarding many processes technical strengthening."

In the framework of the 5-year commemoration of the Agreement for the termination of the conflict between the Government and the FARC, Ramon Rodriguez announced the main achievements gained by the Unit for the Victims.

These three years execution of President Ivan Duque’s Peace with Legality Policy has allowed the comprehensive reparation fulfillment. Life projects of thousands of victims have been transformed thanks to the management and commitment of the Government through the Unit for the Victims.

Donor support

SWITZERLAND-SDC

Support activities provided by the Swiss Government delegation through SDC deal with the conflict victims’ humanitarian situation, and in this sense, it provides humanitarian aid, promotes peace and human rights, and supports sustainable economic and inclusive development. In 2021, working meetings were held where the Unit for the Victims presented achievements and challenges of the Victims Public Policy.

NORWAY

Through the United Nations Multi-Donor Fund, the Norwegian Government seeks to support the stabilization of territories sheltered by the Development Programs with Territorial Approach (PDET), as well as the reincorporation process for ex-combatants, and the victims’ integral reparation, guaranteeing truth, justice, reparation and non-repetition. As the main humanitarian actor in the country and within the framework of the Victims Public Policy implementation, the Unit creates bilateral spaces with Norway to make visible the achievements and challenges of this policy.

UN

The Unit for the Victims has worked jointly with agencies such as UNDP, IOM, UNHCR, FAO, OCHA, ECHO and the WFP through projects and international cooperation agreements. More recently, the entity has been working with the United Nations Multi-Donor Fund (MPTF) within the framework of the Peace Agreement implementation, as well as providing complementary support in the execution of the Victims Public Policy on issues such as collective reparation, returns and relocations, income generation and differential and gender focus of Pillar 8 in the PDET areas.

UNDP

Since 2011, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has worked together with the Unit implementing different projects of attention and reparation to victims throughout Colombia, seeking to rebuild the social fabric of the communities, strengthening gender equity, improving education, health, psychosocial care, sports and cultural services, and encouraging participation and social inclusion.

FAO

Currently, the project "Territorial transformation, resilience and sustainability" is being developed, which focus on the production of short-cycle crops to meet the immediate needs of families, as well as bread and small livestock production systems that help to improve the communities cash flow, the reestablishment of income-generating systems and the articulated work between institutions and communities.

IOM

Through the Institutional Strengthening Program for Victims, IOM has supported the Unit in the Victims Law appliance in its different components. Since 2011, it has supported the creation of the Single Victims Registry and the VIVANTO platform. Throughout these ten years, it has been an ally formulating and implementing the Guarantee Program for women and leaders, in the creation of victims’ participation mechanisms, and supporting psychosocial strategies, socioeconomic stabilization and differential approach.

OCHA

Currently, the Unit for the Victims is preparing work actions defined with OCHA in the framework of the ECHO Project, "Improve preparedness and response to emergencies in Colombia". This is being developed between April 2021- Sept 2022, and its main objective is to strengthen the local authorities, counterparts, communities and grassroots organizations abilities to prepare for and respond to emergencies, all this considering the convergence of humanitarian impacts that take place in the country.

UNHCR

The Unit for the Victims and UNHCR signed a Letter of Understanding to strengthen mechanisms for registering and managing information, returns and relocations, prevention and emergencies attention, and care for victims abroad. All this through technical cooperation schemes and monetary support for the work the Unit for the Victims carries out for the conflict victims’ integral care and reparation in Colombia.

(End/DFM/CMC/COG/RAM)