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Peace-building through economic development in post conflict Colombia

The Colombian flag waving over a building in Bogota The Colombian flag waving over a building in Bogota Photo by Flavia Carpo on Unsplash

03 January 2020

This article presents the objectives of an HSBP framework based project concerning human security and peace-building in post-conflict Colombia.

A peace agreement by the Government of Colombia and the former guerilla group FARC-EP (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) has opened the way to boost the national economy, development and private sector growth within Colombia. All have been substantially affected by the 50-year-long Colombian conflict and linked to high levels of poverty, inequality and a lack of social cohesion.

The 2-year (2019-2021) “Improving durable solutions and peace-building through Human Security Business Partnerships in post‐Peace Agreement Colombia” project, supported by the Human Business and Security Partnership Framework (HSBP), is headed by the Colombian Government with the support and guidance of PeaceStartup and the London School of Economics (LSE). The project aims to foster human security, as well as to enhance private sector participation in the most critically conflict affected regions, thus boosting their economic potential. The project was first launched in the departments of Nariño and Antioquila, and focused on promoting dialogue with the private sector, supporting initiatives that improve economic security, as well as empowering local institutions. Eventually, the results are to be shared with other departments, and a knowledge management system is to be developed. . Furthermore, it aims to encourage other relevant stakeholders to collaborate with each other in order to improve economic, environmental, personal and social security within the targeted areas.

With around 5,000 direct and 43,000 indirect beneficiaries, the project intends to build new economic opportunities, promote social cohesion and integration, as well as to generally help develop potent initiatives and encourage peace-building to support Colombia as it attempts to emerge from a long, devastating civil war.

 

To know more, please read:

https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Human%20security%20in%20post-peace%20agreement%20context%20-%20Private%20sector%20and%20peacebuilding%20in%20Colombia.pdf 

https://www.lse.ac.uk/ideas/media/news/un-project-colombi

 

Author: Charoula Papastefanaki; Editor: Maxime Grenier

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