Renforcer les capacités de la police nationale pour prévenir et gérer la violence

La plupart des conflits sociaux en Colombie deviennent violents en raison de l'absence de réponse de l'État aux revendications sociales dans des territoires fortement affectés par le conflit armé, de la présence de groupes criminels organisés, d'économies illicites et de conflits liés aux ressources naturelles. La police nationale a la responsabilité de préserver la sécurité, la coexistence pacifique et de limiter la violence provoquée par les conflits sociaux. Cependant, les méthodes non violentes sont encore insuffisantes pour prévenir et éviter l'escalade de la violence qui est pvoquée par les conflits sociaux.

En 2018, Interpeace et Alianza para la Paz.ont lancé le programme « Transformation des conflits et paix territoriale », pour aider à renforcer les capacités de la police nationale à prévenir et gérer la violence venant des conflits sociaux dans cinq municipalités. Grâce à des processus de recherche participative, celui-ci a établi un document de diagnostic et des conditions de dialogue dans les régions sélectionnées. Par ailleurs, l'initiative a mis à jour les procédures, normes, protocoles et contenus de formation programmatique liés aux conflits sociaux du point de vue des droits de l'homme et de la consolidation de la paix. Celles-ci rassemblaient : l'analyse du contenu des programmes de toutes les écoles, la mise à jour de la sélection de contenus pertinents et l'application d'une formation particulière pour les policiers sur la transformation des conflits et la paix territoriale.

Contribuer à prévenir les violences basées sur le genre

L'incidence élevée de la violence basée sur le genre parmi les populations rurales de Colombie et les multiples obstacles rencontrés par ces populations pour accéder aux services institutionnels de prévention et de soins ont été identifiés comme l'un des principaux problèmes affectant les filles, les femmes et la communauté LGBTI en Colombie.

En 2018, le programme a entamé un processus de renforcement des capacités institutionnelles pour prévenir les violences basées sur le genre. Plus de 170 policiers ont reçu un encadrement sur les perspectives de genre dans le cadre de processus de formation dans sept municipalités sélectionnées en Colombie. En outre, le programme a contribué à faciliter la coordination entre les institutions publiques et les organisations de la société civile pour développer des initiatives conjointes contre la violence basée sur le genre et a contribué à accroître la sensibilisation à celle-ci, grâce à des stratégies de communication développées aux niveaux national et local.

De plus, grâce à l'achat et au don de voitures, motos, tentes, meubles et centrales électriques, plusieurs commissariats de police de municipalités sélectionnées ont été équipés pour mieux intervenir et prévenir la violence contre les femmes et la communauté LGBTI.

Solidarity and support to the Colombian people

On Thursday, January 17, a car bomb exploded at a police academy in Bogotá, Colombia, killing 21 people and wounding more than 50. This is the deadliest attack in Bogotá, since the government signed a Peace Agreement with the FARC in 2016.

We express our solidarity with the authorities and the people of Colombia and extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims. In partnership with the organization Alianza Para la Paz, Interpeace has been working for over two years with the Colombian National Police, a key institution to build lasting and sustainable peace.

In these difficult moments, Interpeace reaffirms its commitment to continue supporting the efforts of the National Police and all Colombians on their path towards lasting peace.

Peacebuilding begins with open dialogue: Engaging Colombian communities to enable an inclusive approach

As part of the work carried out by Interpeace with the Police Unit for Peacebuilding – UNIPEP -, a visit was made to one of the Territorial Areas of Training and Reincorporation in Colombie, with the objective to talk with community members, and learn about the challenges they face in the implementation of the peace agreements.

Interpeace participated in the visit to "El Gallo" camp located in Córdoba, with representatives of the DNP (National Department of Planning), military forces, departmental government, UN Verification Mission and other authorities. The purpose of this visit was to bring together community leaders who are representatives of the various towns in the area, to discuss their needs and challenges in terms of security.

Through several dialogue sessions, the State authorities were able to define priorities and specific actions to be developed by their local representatives to enforce security measures in their communities, and continue working in the implementation of the peace agreements in the rural areas of Colombia.

"El Gallo" Camp in Colombia. Photo credit: Interpeace

A look back: Working with the National Police of Colombia to build peace  

After more than five decades of conflict, on November 24, 2016, an agreement was signed between the Colombian Government and the FARC-EP, which marked the beginning of a new era.

To define the role of the National Police of Colombia in the implementation of the Peace Agreements, the Police Unit for Peacebuilding – UNIPEP- facilitated the elaboration of the “Modèle de consolidation de la paix de la police nationale,,” where the responsibilities and actions of the institution are described on the basis of the six points of the Final Peace Agreement. Interpeace and partner organization Alianza para la Paz., have provided technical support in this process, with the support of the Swiss Embassy, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

This project entitled: "Strategic Peacebuilding Route for the National Police of Colombia" began with a participatory process of consultation within the institution, which resulted in the definition of the Model and its operational plan, which guarantees the contribution of the police to the implementation of the final peace agreement. The model seeks to develop capacities for peace building and peaceful conflict transformation, as well as the coordination of this type of actions with the defense sector and with other institutions of the State, responsible for the implementation of the agreements.

Peacebuilding Model of the Colombian National Police - A long-term commitment for peace

Signing the peace agreement in Colombia put an end to one of the world’s longest armed conflicts and marked the beginning of a process to build lasting and sustainable peace, which requires the involvement and commitment of all public institutions and society as a whole. The National Police of Colombia is a key institution in this peacebuilding process, due to its dual role to guarantee security and peaceful coexistence, and at the same time to help prevent violence.

On April 2016, the Colombian National Police created the Police Unit for Peacebuilding – UNIPEP –to contribute to the post-conflict scenario in the country. This visionary commitment took place long before the agreement was signed, in order to define its institutional responsibility towards the implementation of the Final Peace Agreement. From that moment on, a collaborative work began between UNIPEP, Interpeace's Regional Office for Latin America and partner organization Alianza para la Paz., with the support of the governments of Switzerland and the Netherlands. This alliance gave rise to the Modèle de consolidation de la paix de la police nationale,, launched on May 3, 2017.

Interpeace in Colombia

Building peace in Colombia, entails a significant challenge for the National Police to transform itself into an institution that guarantees the necessary conditions for the exercise of all rights and freedoms. From a peacebuilding perspective, signing an agreement that ends the conflict is only the first step in a long process to build lasting peace.

Therefore, in order to adjust to the new challenges derived from the post-conflict scenario, the National Police of Colombia have transitioned to fostering and enabling a peaceful transformation of conflicts, as part of its institutional policies. For this reason, supporting the Colombian National Police was strategically valuable for Interpeace and Alianza para la Paz.. Working with the Colombian National Police contributes to the non-recurrence of armed violence and reduces the emergence of new forms of violence and criminality.

Peacebuilding Model

The Peacebuilding Model is the result of a broad and participatory consultation process at all levels of the police, where the responsibilities and the commitments of the institution were identified based on the six points of the Final Peace Agreement. Through this systematization process, the guidelines that the Police should implement were established to ensure a compliance with their responsibilities towards the Final Peace Agreement and their contribution to building lasting peace. The Model has an Implementation plan that contains 26 projects, 22 actions and 12 recommendations, which will be deployed at the institutional level of the Police, the defense sector (military forces) and with other State institutions linked to the implementation of the Final Peace Agreement.

The Peacebuilding Model of the National Police lays the groundwork for a long-term transformation process aimed at adapting the institution to the new challenges posed by the post-conflict scenario. Therefore, once the Model has been institutionalized, Interpeace and Alianza para la Paz., will accompany UNIPEP in the challenge of monitoring and evaluating the effective implementation of the projects, actions and recommendations of this model. This also implies the technical support for the deployment in the defense and interinstitutional sectors, during the implementation of the Peacebuilding Model.

Launch of the Peacebuilding Model of the Colombian National Police. Bogotá, Colombia. Photo credit: Interpeace

Launch of the Peacebuilding Model

On Wednesday May 3, 2017, within the framework of the project "Strategic Peacebuilding Route for the Colombian National Police" implemented by Interpeace and Alianza para la Paz., UNIPEP gave a presentation of the work developed in its first year of management, which included the institutional presentation of the Peacebuilding Model of the Colombian National Police.

This event was chaired by Major General Jorge Hernando Nieto Rojas, Director of the National Police of Colombia, and was attended by different representatives and commissioners of Ministries, diplomats, public and private entities, among other guests.

Peacebuilding Model of the National Police of Colombia

On April 2016, the Colombian National Police created the Police Unit for Peacebuilding – UNIPEP –to contribute to the post-conflict scenario in the country. From that moment on, a collaborative work began between UNIPEP, Interpeace's Regional Office for Latin America and partner organization Alianza para la Paz., with the support of the governments of Switzerland and the Netherlands. This alliance gave rise to the Peacebuilding Model of the National Police, launched on May 3, 2017.