The Unit’s Director stated the work in favor of victims would not stop on issues such as reparations and compensation, returns and relocations and other entity tasks.

After informing to the international community how the Peace with Legality Policy moves forward with the victims, Ramon Rodriguez, the Unit for Integral Attention and Reparation to the Victims’ Director, assured that: “The Government has worked tirelessly and in an articulated manner for the victims, and I clarify that in 2021 this task will not stop.”

According to Rodriguez, it is expected that within the framework of the Return and Relocation Plans in 2021, 2,500 families will benefit from small business units (productive projects) and, in the same manner: “435 projects will be applied for support to the community return.”

This year, the entity estimates it will also work on the development of the social fabric strengthening strategy with 57 returned or relocated communities.

Regarding Collective Reparation this year, the Director said: “We will work so 31 groups can be administratively repaired, fully implementing measures they requested in their reparation plan. This aims to the compensation of 20 Ethnic Collective Reparation Subjects; with these resources, the Subjects will be able to recover or strengthen their collective project.”

Rodriguez also mentioned this year it is sought that "318 Collective Subjects agree to apply the community rehabilitation measure."

Another goal for 2021 deals with individual repair. It is expected "127,574 victims to be individually compensated, 22,017 victims to access the individual rehabilitation measure and 120,000 victims to obtain satisfaction and guarantees of non-repetition measures."

Victims are the discussion center

In his speech at the Peace with Legality Seminar, the President Ivan Duque assured that “the victims are at the center of this discussion. Historically, they are the ones who have been lacerated and victimized by the barbarism of the responsible ones for crimes against humanity.”

“We have achieved individual compensation for more than 200.000 victims throughout the national territory and we can say that more than 750.000 victims overcame the situation of vulnerability in our Government. There is still a long way to go, of course, but we are on a path of achievements and action through these principles, and in these territories, that speaks for itself,” the Colombian President announced.

The president said that it is necessary for the victims "to have access to goods and services. That is why the defined route through the integral reparation system also has a differentiating concept, so they can access education, housing, health and other series of social benefits. This shows there is continuity, that to serve this population there is application of the measures contained in the National Development Plan.”

(End/DFM/COG/RAM)