Context
The Colombian peace process can be considered an emblematic example of how dialogue and negotiations can contribute to resolving even long-lasting violent conflicts.
The peace process in Colombia faces major challenges, aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic: The complex implementation of the Agreement is progressing steadily but slowly, not least due to the lack of a solid political consensus.
Those institutions, created under the peace agreement, continue to fight for recognition and adequate funding. At the same time, new and old armed groups are seeking to gain control over lucrative illicit economies (coca production, gold mining). As a result, violence against local peace activists and human rights defenders is on the rise.
In 2004, Colombia asked the Organization of American States (OAS) to provide assistance for the country’s peace process. This request led to the establishment of the OAS Mission to Support the Peace Process in Colombia (Spanish acronym MAPP/OEA). In the beginning, the aim of this international peacekeeping mission was to support Colombia’s justice and peace process. In 2010, the mandate was extended to include support for the land restitution process and implementation of the Victims and Land Restitution Law.
During its current mandate (2017-2022), the mission promotes peace construction in the region, supports the monitoring of peace policies („Justice and Peace Law ", „Victims and Land Restitution Law", etc.) and shall contribute to their development. The main objective of the mission is to obtain incidence on the design and implementation of peace policies, to provide concrete information for decision making by observation and analysis of territorial contexts and to contribute to the reinforcement of state capacities.
Objective
MAPP/OEA has more financial support for its victim protection work and is making an important contribution to the management of the violent conflict, especially regarding the monitoring and regional implementation of the peace agreement.
Approach
In order to facilitate the work of the MAPP/OAS, the international community contributes resources to a basket fund to implement all MAPP's planned activities. In 2020, in addition to Germany, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Spain, Sweden and the United States have contributed to this fund.
In the current mandate, its work focuses on the following peace issues: security, administration of justice, victims' access to the SIJRNR, participation, dialogue and social mobilization, and the impact of peace policies in the territories. Special emphasis is given to gender, ethnic and age differential approaches.
Impacts
MAPP is recognized as a strategic actor in the local, regional and national peace building process. Its contributions in terms of analysis and recommendations contribute to decision-making by the Colombian government and institutions.
The Mission's work in the current mandate (2017-2022) focuses on the following thematic blocks, in which substantial progress has already been made:
Developments and dynamics in the regions:
The mission aims to strengthen the decision-making processes of Colombian institutions in the areas where MAPP/OEA operates and thus improve the situation of civil society through improved knowledge of the prevailing social conflicts and the dynamics of illegal actors.
To this end, the mission prepared strategic analyses and maps regarding the activities of illegal actors in the regions and their impact on the local population (e.g. violent recruitment of minors, presence of anti-personnel mines).
Peacebuilding:
In this area, the mission was able to further strengthen the capacities of institutions and civil society to influence public peace policy and participate in decision-making processes. This mainly concerns areas such as the implementation of Law 1448/11 for victim and land restitution, collective compensation processes and processes of restoring collective land rights, the gender equality and women's rights agenda and territorial peacebuilding.
Transitional justice:
The focus of the mission's work is on strengthening institutional capacities for the implementation of transitional justice instruments, for example by providing strategic information and recommendations to the relevant institutions of the Integral System for Truth, Justice, Compensation and Non-Repetition.