Our work in Colombia aims to support various ethnic and rural communities in Northern Cauca, Buenaventura, Montes de Maria and Putumayo, in their quest to claim their rights and seek accountability for violations they have endured. Given the active implementation phase of the transitional justice mechanisms that derive from the Colombian Peace Agreement, The Guernica Centre is promoting and supporting these communities to actively participate and claim the protection of their rights in the framework of the Truth Commission, the Special Jurisdiction for Peace and the Unit in charge of tracing missing and disappeared persons. The Guernica Centre has paired with the Institute of Intercultural Studies (IEI) of the Javeriana University of Cali to produce rich contextual and analytical reports that document criminal patterns and analyze the international responsibility of different actors for crimes prioritized by the ethnic communities we work with. Implementing the Guernica Approach, we work next to our partners and lend our international experience and expertise to these community-based efforts, thus creating a methodology for the effective participation of victims before the transitional mechanisms that places them at the centre and at the forefront of the accountability process. 

 

Additionally, The Guernica Centre is also involved in providing training and advisory services to Colombian authorities, including control and protection bodies (such as the Procuraduría General de la Nación), aimed at promoting the rule of law and protecting the rights of victims of crimes.