The Peace Process in Colombia

The Peace Process in Colombia: Challenges, Opportunities and Strategies for the Protection of Human Rights The U.S. Institute of Peace hosted a forum on human rights in Colombia. This session was held in coordination with the Latin America Working Group Education Fund and Peace Brigades International. For more information about this event, visit: http://www.usip.org/events/the-peace-process-in-colombia This event is part of a series of conversations known as the Colombia Peace Forum (CFP). The CPF, established following the launch of Colombia's peace process, brings together government, non-governmental, and diplomatic sectors to discuss themes related to peace and the internal armed conflict in Colombia, as well as related U.S. foreign policy issues. The program brought together Colombian human rights advocates who are in Washington, D.C. for the meetings of the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights at the Organization of American States. We asked our colleagues to reflect on the peace process and the challenges and opportunities it presents for human rights and those who advocate for them. This event featured the following panelists: Liliana Avila Inter-Church Commission of Justice and Peace/ Comisión Intereclesial de Justicia y Paz Franklin Castañeda Political Prisoners' Solidarity Committee/ Comité de Solidaridad con los Presos Políticos (CSPP) Alejandro Malambo Colombian Commission of Jurists/ Comisión Colombiana de Juristas Luz Marina Monzón To Begin Again/ Reiniciar Jomary Ortegón José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers' Collective Corporation/ Corporación Colectivo de Abogados José Alvear Restrepo (CCAJAR) George Lopez, Welcoming Remarks Vice President, Academy for Conflict Management and Peacebuilding, U.S. Institute of Peace Virginia M. Bouvier, Moderator Senior Program Officer, Special Initiatives on Latin America, U.S. Institute of Peace