^{This photo by Unknown Author is licensed unders CC BY-SA-NC} 

A Peace Agreement will always be crucial in Colombia in the face of the violence that has left a large number of victims. As of March 31, 2024, more than 260,000 people have been killed, of which 81% were civilians; 8,630,545 people have been violently displaced and 36,000 have been kidnapped. The most affected populations have been children, women, indigenous people, Afro-descendants and peasants.

Colombia is the only country on the continent that still has illegal armed groups in the form of armies with political influence and power, which advocate, through the use of arms, structural social demands, including the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissidents of the FARC. Additionally, there is the presence of other actors such as the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) and the drug and illicit economies cartels.

SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE PEACE AGREEMENT

Demobilization of the FARC Guerrilla, Which Became a Political Party: 

According to the Truth Commission, 13,609 former combatants of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) demobilized after the signing of the Peace Agreement and handed over 8,894 weapons in a period of six months.

Progress in Satisfying Victims' Rights to Truth, Justice and Reparation:

The Comprehensive System of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Non-Repetition was created, one of the main mechanisms of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace-JEP, recognized by the International Criminal Court-ICC and the United Nations Security Council. The JEP has summoned former FARC-EP combatants, members of the Public Force, other State agents and third-party civilians to appear before the court.

The JEP reports important progress: - safeguarding the rights of 400,000 victims it has registered; - guarantees offered to those appearing before the court (public forces, FARC and civilians); - initiatives to clarify the truth of the events that occurred during the conflict. The JEP is about to issue its first sanctions regarding two relevant cases: - kidnappings committed by the FARC; - murders and forced disappearances committed by state agents, euphemistically called 'false positives'. (https://www.eltiempo.com/justicia/jep-colombia/el-corte-de-cuentas-de-la-jep) 

SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS ALTHOUGH INSUFFICIENT

Point 1. f the Agreement "Towards a new Colombian countryside: Comprehensive rural reform"

At point 1, it was agreed to distribute 3,000,000 hectares of land and formalize 700,000. To date only 300,000 hectares have been delivered, which is, however, an unprecedented reality in the country's recent history. 

Within the framework of the Ethnic Chapter of the Agreement, progress has been made in: -  the creation and expansion of collective territories (Indigenous reservations, collective territories of Afro-descendant communities, peasant reserve zones); the regulation of procedures for the sanitation and protection of territories of black communities, and in the implementation of projects for territorial transformation.  (https://www.presidencia.gov.co/prensa)

Point 2. Political participation: $ COP 7,000 million have been allocated to finance the participation bodies established by the Peace Agreement: Commission for Monitoring, Promotion and Verification of Implementation (CSIVI); The Special Instance for Women (IEM); The Special Instance for Attention to Ethnic Peoples (IEANPE) and Social Service for Peace was approved as an option to mandatory military service. 

Point 3. End of the conflict: 12,105 people registered in the reintegration system, of which 2,992 are signatories of the agreement. The Comprehensive Security System for the Exercise of Politics (SISEP) was implemented with a focus on Human Security; the Public Policy for the dismantling of criminal organizations was designed and approved; and the Strategic Plan for Security and Protection and the Comprehensive Protection Program for the signatories of the peace agreement, their families, and members of the Comunes party were implemented. However, the number of signatories killed and the displacement of their families has increased.

Point 4. Solution to the Problem of Illicit Drugs. 94% of the families of the National Comprehensive Program for the Substitution of Illicit Crops (PNIS) receive Immediate Food Assistance; 65,498 of them have comprehensive technical assistance, and 77,430 are advancing with self-sustainability and food security projects. 414 initiatives of the Comprehensive Substitution and Alternative Development Plans (PISDA) have an implementation route in 48 PNIS and PDET municipalities, which represents 50.6% compliance with what was agreed. 

Point 5. Agreement on Victims: Formulated 79 Comprehensive Collective Reparation Plans (PIRC), of which 45 are intended for ethnic collective reparation subjects, 28 for peasant communities and 6 for organizations. COP 3.1 billion allocated to compensate 305,165 victims.

Land restitution to victims: 5,604 applications have been processed individually, which corresponds to 88% of the applications received. Of these, 10,772 have been resolved, with 140,191 hectares restored, benefiting 31,640 people.

Point 6. Implementation, Verification and Endorsement with an ethnic focus: The political role of the Commission for Monitoring, Promotion and Verification of the Implementation of the Final Agreement (CSIVI) was reactivated and strengthened.

CHALLENGES FOR COMPLIANCE WITH THE PEACE AGREEMENT

^{This photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA}

Eight years after the signing of the Peace Agreement, Colombia faces the challenge of accelerating the execution of the commitments made, among others: 

A strong inter-institutional architecture is required to more effectively advance the implementation of the Agreement. 

Redistribution in the allocation of resources and specifically in relation to the “Works for Taxes Mechanism”, created to finance social projects in areas affected by the conflict. 361 projects were approved for a value of 2.5 billion pesos until June 2024, benefiting 124 municipalities, which represents 1% of the 26 departments that should benefit.

The deterioration of security is one of the most worrying points after the signing of the peace agreement: 64 massacres with 222 deaths; 1.691 social leaders and 435 peace signatories have been murdered and illegal armed groups with their illicit economies continue to sow death and violence in more and more territories.