HIGHLIGHTS
The RC/HC Fabrizio Hochschild speaks about turning hope into action and action into sustainable peace.
Three years of peace talks progress and challenges ahead.
2016 humanitarian planning process
UN Women speaks about International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
From a year of hope to a year of action
Fabrizio Hochschild, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Colombia
On 15 December historic announcements were made in Havana. The Colombian Government and the FARC-EP reached final agreement on arguably the hardest issue on the peace agenda: justice and the rights of victims. With an agreement that some experts are describing as the most progressive to come out of a peace process, the Havana talks have delivered on their commitment to put victims at the center. No other agreement in the world has put so much focus on victims or made such comprehensive commitments to satisfy their rights.
This agreement crowns what has been a year of great hope for the country. Ground-breaking progress in Havana has been accompanied by steep conflict de-escalation in Colombia, especially since July 20 when the FARC-EP entered their current unilateral ceasefire. The number of new displaced people in mass events has dropped approximately by a third since the start of peace talks, as has the number of massacres.
In this increasingly hopeful context, the international humanitarian community in Colombia has continued to deliver assistance to victims of the armed conflict, natural disasters and other humanitarian emergencies. In September this year, unexpected shifts in Venezuelan border and immigration policy led to the sudden crossing of 22,000 Colombians from Venezuela into Colombia, the majority with significant humanitarian needs. The international humanitarian community complemented and supported national response efforts to this crisis. The impact of El Niño also continued to be felt with close to 550,000 people affected by mainly floods, drought and wild fires. 2015 was thus an active year for Colombia’s Humanitarian Country Team (HCT). 2016, however, will call for a new focus in our action. Hope accumulated in 2015 will likely materialize into a final peace agreement in the first half of the coming year. In 2016, agreements in Havana will need to start being turned into realities in Colombia. This will require – to the extent that our national partners request it – the active support of the international humanitarian community.
To believe that peace is coming, citizens in conflict-affected regions will need to experience tangible improvements in their security conditions. If this does not happen, the peacebuilding process risks losing citizen support. Yet a peace agreement with the FARC-EP will not end all armed violence in Colombia. Other actors—such as the ELN, the EPL and groups that emerged following the demobilization of paramilitary forces—will continue to generate humanitarian needs. Their impact could even increase in some areas should they compete to take over illicit economies and territories previously controlled by the FARC-EP.
The presence of humanitarian organizations can mitigate the escalation of new violence and protect civilians in this delicate transition context. The experience and know-how of humanitarian actors can also facilitate the orderly and coordinated entrance of peacebuilding and development actors to conflict-affected regions, including that of the civilian State in those areas where its presence is currently weak. Finally, the field presence and access of the humanitarian community puts it in an ideal position to provide impartial and timely information regarding new protection risks; information which is vital in an immediate stabilization phase.
The signing of a peace agreement with the FARC-EP and prospects of doing likewise with the ELN represent the most effective means to substantially and sustainably reduce violence in Colombia and its humanitarian consequences. It is up to us all to ensure that this once-in-a-generation opportunity is not missed. At a time of multiple humanitarian crises and a record $20.1 billion global funding appeal, ensuring adequate attention to Colombia will not be easy. A decelerating economy in Colombia may also limit resource mobilization capacity. Colombia is a country where, contrary to others, the largest component of humanitarian response in nationally financed and delivered. Faced with these constraints, the HCT will have to creatively target its interventions, focusing on institutional capacity building and alliance building with national partners. A concerted effort to shift from assistance to durable solutions, especially for the country’s large IDP population, will also be key.
The HCT is well positioned to contribute to peacebuilding in Colombia. Building on the access, trust and knowledge we have gained during decades of work with the country’s most vulnerable communities, it is now time to help turn hope to action and action into sustainable peace. I thank all members of the HCT for their hard work in 2015 and look forward to together meeting the challenges of 2016.