The role of ‘the local’ in Colombian peacebuilding: A qualitative assessment on how Colombian peacebuilding from 1991 until 2022 relates to the ‘local turn’ in peacebuilding
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2024-06-21
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en
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Despite numerous efforts of the Colombian government to establish sustainable peace, insecurity and violence remain widespread in present-day Colombia. After taking office, newly elected President Gustavo Petro adopted the Total Peace Law, positioning peace as a central policy of the state. However, achieving a state of total peace in the country still appears elusive. This thesis is centered around state-led local peacebuilding during the Colombian conflict. It employs a qualitative content analysis of state documents and NGO reports to explain how the conceptualization and implementation of local peacebuilding measures in the subsequent successful Colombian peace processes from 1991 to 2022 relate to the ‘local turn’ in peacebuilding and the historical context. This longitudinal study examines four key instruments of the Colombian peace processes, namely the Constitution of 1991, the Justice and Peace Law of 2005, the Peace Agreement with the FARC of 2016 and the Total Peace Law of 2022. The findings conclude, in accordance with the expectations stemming from local peacebuilding theory, that the conceptualizations of local peacebuilding measures largely and progressively align with the principles of the local turn. This points to a gap between local peacebuilding theory and practical implementation, caused by confusions in all layers of government, security concerns, complexities of earlier decentralization practices, low levels of community trust and participation, little political commitment and resource constraints.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen