GFA Lessons Adopted By Colombia

Lessons learned in Northern Ireland through the Good Friday Agreement are being studied by the Colombian government, following the presentation of a new report.

The 'Derry Proposals for Colombian Peace' were formally presented to the Deputy Head of Mission of the Colombian Embassy in London at an international peace conference in L'Derry at the weekend.

The conference was hosted by the Rotary Club of Londonderry in partnership with INCORE, the University of Ulster’s international conflict research institute at Magee.

Juan Manuel Uribe accepted the report from Ariel Sanchez Meertens, a native of Colombia and former Research Fellow at INCORE.

In April, INCORE hosted a series of discussions with delegates from Colombia and the US, as well as policy makers and researchers from Northern Ireland.

INCORE Director, Professor Brandon Hamber said they examined how lessons learned from the Northern Ireland peace process could contribute to the Colombian peace efforts.

"While every peace process requires tailor-made and innovative negotiation formats, as well as implementation strategies, there are different levels of comparability with Northern Ireland," he said.

"The Northern Ireland experience had shown how an eventual political settlement must be progressively strengthened by additional agreements, policies and legislation.

"We are very proud at INCORE to be able to feed into other peace processes as this is central part of what INCORE has been doing for the last 20 years, transferring lessons across contexts and making a real contribution to peace."

The FARC, Colombia's largest guerrilla group, are currently involved in negotiations with the government in Havana, Cuba.

President Santos said he wants the peace talks to conclude this year.

Ariel Sanchez, who was on a Marie Curie Research Fellowship for Sustainable Peace Building at INCORE, said the 'Derry Proposals for Colombian Peace' document was an attempt to energise the international community.

"We need the international community to engage with the peace process and to generate debate among the Colombian Diaspora.

"The 18 proposals contained in the document reflect the growing momentum and political will that exists for a negotiated settlement.

"After numerous failed attempts, Colombians have the chance of ending one of the longest running armed conflicts in the world and with it, of joining the Philippines and their recently signed accord, inspired by the Belfast Good Friday Agreement into becoming the new global paradigms of peace."

(IT)