Colombia is going through a crucial period of its political life. The peace process that is currently being conducted by the government and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) and the one that is formally starting between the government and the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) are having and will continue to have a deep social and political impact on Colombia.
While ambitious and comprehensive plans for political change are underway in the country, internationally the Colombian peace process is viewed with great expectation. The possible end to the longest armed conflict in the Americas through concerted efforts, political will and the use of significant innovative methods offer important inspiration for the international community’s engagement in peace processes.
This seminar will present an overview of the Colombian peace negotiations, with a focus on the most innovative aspects of the process with FARC and the first steps of the peace process with ELN. It will also identify the key challenges that national and international actors, including the European Union, will face in the post-conflict period.
This event will bring together experts, practitioners, diplomats and EU officials and will be held in Spanish and English. Interpretation in both languages will be available during the meeting.
Objectives
The overall objectives of the meeting are to:
- Better inform EU policy-makers regarding the local and regional aspects of the Colombian peace negotiations;
- Bring together Colombian, European and international actors supporting the Colombian peace negotiations, including civil society experts, to share concerns, lessons learned, and increase coordination ahead of the post-conflict phase;
- Generate policy recommendations that the EU and the international community can support across the region in order to promote an effective implementation of future agreements that addresses conflict prevention and peacebuilding needs.
To register, please contact Colin Cogitore (ccogitore@eplo.org)