Reparations for victims and reintegration of combatants are key provisions of Colombian law and of the year-old peace agreement that ended a half century of war between the government and the country’s largest rebel group. The effect of the conflict and how the government is fulfilling its commitments was the focus of a discussion on October 31st at the U.S. Institute of Peace, co-hosted with the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Latin American Program. The latest event in USIP’s Colombia Peace Forum series featured key Colombian officials and award-winning photojournalist Jesús “Chucho” Abad Colorado.

The Colombian government has registered more than 8 million victims of the armed conflict, and the historic peace accord calls for measures to address vexing issues that, left unaddressed, could undermine a sustainable peace. The success or failure of accord implementation and reparations to victims will stand as an example for other violent conflicts worldwide. 

Abad Colorado has long documented the violence-- human, environmental, and otherwise. He presented and discussed some of his images, followed by a panel of leading officials involved in supporting implementation of the peace agreement: the director of Colombia’s Victims’ Unit and the director of the country’s Agency for Reincorporation and Normalization. 

Continue the conversation on Twitter with #ColombiaPeaceForum.

Agenda

8:30am - 9:00am -  Registration and coffee

9:00am - 9:05am - Welcoming Remarks: Carla Koppell, Vice President, Applied Conflict Transformation, U.S. Institute of Peace

9:05am - 10:15am - Colombia’s Recovery from War

  • Jesús “Chucho” Abad Colorado, Colombian Photojournalist

10:15am - 11:00am - Moderated Panel Discussion

  • Yolanda Pinto, Director, Unidad de Víctimas
  • Camilo Rojas Alvarez, International Cooperation Advisor, Agencia para la Reincorporación y la Normalización
  • Cynthia Arnson, Director, Woodrow Wilson Center Latin American Program

11:00am - Audience Question and Answer

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