Improving Durable Solutions and Peacebuilding Through Human Security Business Partnerships in Post-Peace Agreement Colombia

On 26 September 2016, following nearly four years of negotiations, the Colombian Government and the country’s largest guerrilla group (the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia or FARC), signed a peace agreement to end over fifty years of deep-rooted and violent internal conflict. However, while some areas have seen an end to the conflict, others have experienced increasing violence and displacement as armed groups have competed to take control over areas vacated by the FARC. The conflict and the presence of armed groups in these areas have impacted the capacity of national and local institutions to deliver basic services and justice to the population, as well as negatively affected local economic development and inhibited private sector growth.

The key objectives of the programme are to : (i) strengthen capacities of the selected communities to dialogue and engage with institutions and the private sector to meet community needs with respect to empowerment, community infrastructure and protection; (ii) develop and support initiatives that improve human security based on the mutual interest of the private sector, government institutions and communities, through the promotion of employment and innovative business solutions connected with local, national and international value chains and markets; (iii) enhance the capacity of local institutions to create enabling environments that promote engagement with the private sector and local communities, and which permit local institutions to implement public policies on durable solutions and peace consolidation; and (iv) promote public dialogue and strategic positioning on the Human Security Business Partnerships (HSBP) Framework in Colombia through sharing of experiences and lessons learned.

KEY MATERIALS
Programme Summary
Programme Website
Human Security Guide Logbook (“Bitácora”)
Field Guide Booklet on HSBP (available in Spanish and English)
Programme Summary Brochure

• Adopting an integrated, multi-sectoral, and comprehensive approach and giving a key role to the private sector is necessary to improve human security in post-conflict Colombia. By addressing the root causes of challenges in the current context and enhancing people’s ability to live free from fear, want and indignity, a focus on human security helps address vulnerabilities and bridges the transition from humanitarian assistance to longer-term peace and sustainable development.
• A national technical committee is formed comprising of government ministries and agencies for labor, agriculture, rural development, victim assistance and reparations, in partnership with communities, the UN system and the private sector.
• To be participatory and inclusive, a multi-level and multi-sectoral governance model is developed to ensure that priorities and activities are aligned between the needs and capacities of communities and the government at all levels.
• A web-based virtual platform further fosters strategic collaboration and connects public and private actors around business opportunities that yield social, economic and environmental benefits.