The Victims Unit recognized achievements, difficulties and challenges, in a session of the Follow-up Commission to Law 1448 of the House of Representatives.

Antioquia is the department with the largest number of population affected by the armed conflict. Likewise, "it is the most benefited by the measures of the Unit for the Comprehensive Care and Reparation of Victims with an investment of 2.96 trillion pesos, out of a national total of 11.6 trillion".

This was reported by Wilson Córdoba Mena, director of the entity in this region, during the session of the Monitoring Committee of the House of Representatives at the end of the nine years of implementation of the Law on Victims and Restitution of Lands.

This conference was dedicated on June 10 to analyze the achievements, difficulties and challenges of its implementation in Antioquia, where 1.455.777 victims are registered, of which 1.316.278 victims are subject to reparation.

Before the representatives of the tables of effective participation of the municipal and regional victims, mayors and congressmen, the territorial director acknowledged that "the Government is making a huge effort and there are many advances, but also budgetary limitations and there is still much to be done".

Among the achievements, he highlighted that "the 2.9 billion pesos allocated between 2012 and 2020 have enabled the delivery of more than 273.000 individual reparation indemnities, humanitarian aid and emergencies, and progress with more than 20 collective reparation plans, social infrastructure projects and community and subsidiary support to territorial entities for emergency care”.

In this sense, he reported that in 32 targeted municipalities with plans for the return and relocation of the displaced population, among these 13 prioritized with Development Programs with a Territorial Focus (PDET), more than 1.500 endowments have been delivered to undertake or strengthen productive units that improve their economic conditions to overcome vulnerability and strengthen their roots in the territory.

He also indicated that “in the 22 months of the current Government, care and repair measures were advanced with 206,000 million COP only in compensation and humanitarian aid to victims with deprivation and vulnerability”.

Voices of the victims

Menderson Mosquera, coordinator of the Table for Effective Participation of the Victims of Antioquia, stated that "there is progress in reparation", but reiterated the call to "further strengthen the coordination between the national, departmental government and the territorial entities that have joint responsibility in the implementation of the Victims Law”.

The leader said that "support is required to the municipal tables of participation of victims to guarantee their incidence in public policies and their social inclusion in a differentiated way and with a budget in the development plans of the mayoralties".

Likewise, he reiterated the need to articulate more "the contingency plans between the national government, the mayors and the territorial entities during the current coronavirus pandemic, to attend to the needs of this vulnerable population".

When asked by the representatives of victims and congressmen about the care during the health emergency, the director of the Victims Unit in Antioquia replied: “we are anticipating the delivery of more than 10,000 indemnities and humanitarian aid for 19,000 million budgeted for April , May and June, in coordination with the Interior and the municipalities".

Likewise, he clarified that "we have limitations because we work within the framework of a Law and we have resolution 1049, which prioritizes resources for people over 74, with disabilities or dilapidated diseases".

As challenges, the representatives of the victims raised the extension of Law 1448 with adjustments and greater attention from the municipalities to improve the access of the population affected by the armed conflict to housing, health, education, employment and entrepreneurship.

(End/JCM/LMY)