In depth
Finding out more
From the wealth of information that can be found on the Internet about peacebuilding in Colombia, we have selected some of the most relevant websites, audiovisuals, journal articles and reports of NGOs and think tanks. (Materials produced by: Rachel Meyer).
Websites and blogs
Colombia Calls: Notes on a nation's struggle for peace and justice blog Opinion pieces by Virginia Bouvier of the United States Institute of Peace. (English, selected posts in Spanish)
Just the Facts Blog U.S. defence and security assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean with on-going coverage of the peace talks. (English, selected links in Spanish)
Oficina Internacional de Derechos Humanos Acción Colombia (OIDHACO). A network of international NGOs that assist and support human rights efforts in Colombia. (Spanish)
Consultoría para los Derechos Humanos y el Desplazamiento (CODHES). A Colombian NGO dedicated to working for human rights, especially displaced people and refugees. (Spanish)
Colectivo de Abogados José Alvear Restrepo (CCAJAR). Lawyers and human rights advocates against impunity who seek judicial and political responses to grave violations of human rights and historical memory in Colombia. (Spanish)
International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ). NGO specialized in justice in periods of transition. Their section on Colombia includes news, publications and research. (English and Spanish)
Comisión Colombiana de Juristas. Seeking to improve human rights in Colombia and contribute to international human rights and humanitarian law, their website provides documentation and legal analyses. (Spanish)
Iniciativa de las Mujeres Colobianas por la Paz (IMP) This initiative came out of the UN resolution requiring countries in conflict to pay special attention to the needs and rights of women and the role of women in conflict resolution. (Spanish) For more information about women and peace in Colombia, we also recommend the work of the Popular Women's Organization; Ruta Pacífica de Mujeres and Casa de la Mujer de Bogotá.
Organización Nacional Indígena de Colòmbia (ONIC). Reference for and information about indigenous peoples and their role within Colombia, including but not limited to peace and human rights. (Spanish)
Etnias de Colombia. An online magazine dedicated to current events, opinion pieces, seminars and upcoming demonstrations. We also recommend The Indigenous Peoples Proposal to the Colombian Government, 13 August 2012 (Spanish)
Movimiento de Víctimas de Crímenes de Estado en Colombia (MOVICE) works in a variety of areas including education, calls to action, visibility and other types of advocacy for people and organizations who have been the direct victims of crimes by the state. (Spanish)
Arco Iris A Colombian website with news covering the armed conflict, justice, peace, politics, security, territory and development, and land and victims. (Spanish)
The following websites have put together collections of links that we recommend: Latin American Working Group Blog (Links from a variety of perspectives including civil society, Colombian newspapers, international NGOs and more. English, selected Spanish sources); PBS: Learn More About Colombia (Background information on Colombia, the role of women in peace and paramilitary groups. English); Insight On Conflict (A great collection for general information and links to government and international organizations. English); Witness For Peace (Predominately US and Colombian sources related to policy analysis and peace organizations. English, selected Spanish sources); Centro de Investigacón y Educación Popular/Programa por la Paz (CINEP/PPP) (Offers data and analyses on human rights, political violence, development, social struggle, etc. Spanish); and Taula per la Pau i els Drets Humans a Colòmbia (Major international human rights organizations working in Colombia. Catalan and Spanish).
Documentaries and Panel Discussions
Comisión Intereclesial de Justicia y Paz A collection of short documentaries related to peace, human rights, memory and poverty in Colombia. (Spanish)
Impunity, What Kind of War for Colombia? A documentary based on an idea by Hollman Morris, directed by Juan José Lozano. It bears witness to the process of victims and paramilitary coming face to face in court hearings. It also looks at the economy, the role of politicians and military personnel in the paramilitary war. (Spanish with French or English subtitles)
The Colombian Peace Talks: Perspectives from Civil Society A panel discussion on the prospects, pitfalls and central themes of the peace talks hosted by the Washington Office on Latin America. (Spanish)
The War We Are Living A PBS documentary about Afro-Colombian women and their fight to protect their local communities from gold mining. (English)
Academic Articles and Reports by NGOs and Think Tanks
For a selection of academic articles related to Colombia, please see our Bibliographic Dossier, Issue 6 Summer 2012.
Amnesty International, Colombia: The Victims and Land Restitution Law, London, May 2012. A report that assesses shortcomings in the Land Restitution Law and its effects on victims of human rights violations. (Available in English and Spanish)
International Crisis Group, Colombia, peace at last? Latin America Report N°45, September 2012. A report that includes background on the peace talks and recommendations to the stakeholders. (English)
Meertens, D., Forced Displacement and Gender Justice in Colombia. Between Disproportional Effects of Violence and Historical Injustice, International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) and Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, July 2012. A report on the relationship between forced displacement and transitional justice from a gender perspective. (English)
Montealegre, D. M. et al., Verdad, Justicia y Reparación: una deuda pendiente con las mujeres víctimas de las violencias, November 2011. A report by a Colombian NGO on obstacles women face for truth, justice and reparations after passage of the 2005 Ley de Justicia y Paz (Justice and Peace Law). (Spanish)
Observatorio de Derechos Humanos y Derecho Humanitario, Desapariciones forzadas en Colombia. En búsqueda de la justicia. Mesa de trabajo sobre desaparición forzada de la Coordinación Colombia-Europa-Estados Unidos, May 2012. Analysis regarding forced disappearances in Colombia and the policy framework that favors impunity. (Spanish)
Thornton, C.; Gude, R., Towards Peace in Colombia: The economic obstacles to a Colombian Peace Process, Peace and Conflict Review, Volume 5, Issue 2, 2011. This article compares the current peace process to previous attempts and assesses the relationship between socio-economic grievances and the sustainability of peace. (English)
Vargas Meza, R., Drugs and the Peace Process in Colombia, Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Center, 19 November 2012. A policy brief that addresses the relationship between drug-trafficking interests and the peace process. (English)
United States Institute of Peace, Georgetown University, Universidad de los Andes, Centro de Investigación y Educación Popular, Lessons for Colombia's Peace Talks in Oslo and Havana, Bogota and Washington, October 2012. An assessment of the current context of peace talks based on USIP's long-term work in the region. (Available in English and Spanish)