After 28 days of demonstrations, the conditions for a national dialogue are yet to appear. Violence continues to be used by state forces against protesters in several cities across Colombia. At many of the assembly points, protesters have been attacked by armed actors, and the allegations against the police of sexual violence are alarming.
As Embrace Dialogue, we express our solidarity with the more than 1700 victims from the national strike that have taken place in Colombia since 28 April 2021. These demonstrations reflect the discontent and frustration of large sectors of Colombian society with the current government.
On 25 th March, the Rodeemos el Diálogo (ReD) team working for a negotiation between the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN), together with the University of Winchester’s Centre of Religion, Reconciliation and Peace (CRRP), held a public dialogue
Marc 16th / 2021 Over the first two months of 2021, security conditions and the enjoyment of human rights in the Pacific region of Colombia have deteriorated, as a number of organisations and communities have made clear. Our concern is shared by different processes, organisations and communities in the west of the country. The armed […]
On the 9th February, the Rodeemos el Diálogo team that is following an eventual negotiation between the Colombian government and the ELN held a public dialogue with Socorro Ramírez, emeritus professor in the Institute for International Relations and Political Studies at the National University of Colombia, and Luis Eduardo Celis, an analyst of the armed conflict, about the perspectives for peace with the National Liberation Army (ELN in Spanish). In view of this dialogue, and given that this year represents the 30th anniversary of the first attempt at negotiating with the ELN, that the critical humanitarian situation in the territories where the ELN is present, and that the pandemic aggravates this situation further still, we consider that a peace process is now more urgent than ever.
In the early days of February, Colombia witnessed an exchange of letters that is no less than a cry to save the country’s peace. The unprecedented aspect of this correspondence is that it has been carried on by the two people responsible for opening the door to the negotiations, and following the path during the four years necessary to reach the signing of the Agreement: Rodrigo Londoño of the FARC – now the ‘Comunes’ party – and former-President Juan Manuel Santos.
ReD is a community, a family full of dreamers, thinkers and learners from all walks of life who give freely of their time to see a change in their lifetime through a culture of dialogue. We look ahead to 2022 with the same lens of curiosity and determination that has brought us this far. The coming election might present a challenge or an opportunity for the peace process in Colombia. The new President and government might seek a new direction, support existing efforts or dismantle what has come before. Whatever the outcome, we have learnt not to stop in the face of adversity but to embrace what comes with honesty, generosity, solidarity, co-responsibility, self-criticism and respect.
Rodeemos el Diálogo (Embrace Dialogue) celebrates the appointment of Leyner Palacios as the new commissioner for the Colombian Truth Commission (CEV). His reputation as a social leader and defender of the rights of victims from el Chocó makes him ideal for the role. His profile encompasses all of the requirements established by the Commission for the appointment of a new commissioner. For the Commission, it is fundamental to include an individual with experience in defending human rights, that has been in proximity to social processes as well as the communities of the Pacific, and that has an understanding of the dynamics of the violence present in Colombia. Leyner meets all of these requirements.
Embrace Dialogue Pasto (Rodeemos el Diálogo Pasto – ReD Pasto) began in 2018. ReD Pasto decided to work with a regional peace focus to contribute to the implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement between the FARC and the Colombian government.
in February 2017 a group of students from the Universidad del Valle, Cali’s public university, decided to start an Embrace Dialogue (Rodeemos el Diálogo-ReD) chapter in their city. Ever since, they have worked especially on pedagogical projects, that seek to educate empowered, critical-thinking citizens, who can contribute to peacebuilding in Colombia.
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