Welcome 2019!
Concepción, Antioquia. Photo: Claudia Maya
Dear friends of CAPAZ:
The year 2018 was fundamental to Colombia’s peace process. The parliamentary and presidential elections brought forth intense debates on the country’s future and that of the peace process. We witnessed important advances in terms of the implementation of the Final Agreement such as the establishment of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace and the Truth, Coexistence, and Non-Repetition Commission, but we also saw that great obstacles have to be overcome in our task of peacebuilding. The lack of safety for human rights defenders and social leaders, and news about massacres and forced displacement are a bloody reminder that peace has, unfortunately, not yet reached the country’s every corner. At the CAPAZ Institute, we are convinced that academia, together with different social and political actors has a lot to offer to successful peacebuilding. To support this work, we have created spaces of debate and critical reflection with a number of civil society partners in different parts of the country to present and discuss the research advances, and the different proposals through which we can strengthen peacebuilding. In the hope that you all enjoyed your holidays and that 2019 is a more peaceful year with many spaces of contribution to reconciliation and peacebuilding, I wish you all a prosperous new year.
Prof. Dr. Stefan Peters
CAPAZ Institute Academic Director