For decades, Colombia has been afflicted by internal armed conflict between state actors, guerrilla groups and paramilitary units. This conflict is caused by overlapping political, socioeconomic, ecological and criminal factors and the Colombian Government has not yet been able to assert itself against illegal actors. In parts of the country, the safety of the population cannot be safeguarded, state structures are weak, and efforts to establish social justice and rule of law are being hindered.

The human rights situation has deteriorated with the growing intensity of the conflict. Every day, people leave their homes and flee to the big cities. Violence is widely accepted as a means of conflict resolution in people’s daily lives. Kidnappings and crimes associated with drug production and trafficking also contribute to this culture of violence. Together, these elements set the Colombian conflict apart from unrest in other Latin American countries. The lack of trust between the state and civil society is the direct result and defining deficit of this overall situation.

GIZ-assisted measures address this deficit. The measures pursued within this priority area seek to promote state and civil society actors in a complementary manner and to strengthen their interaction in efforts to develop and implement common visions of peace. These measures focus on:

• Decentralising and strengthening the state’s presence
• Developing constitutional structures and establishing an equitable and efficient justice system
• Assisting civil society institutions and organisations in peacefully resolving conflict and in communicating conflict resolution methods
• Supporting state institutions in their efforts to plan, coordinate and implement national programmes for promoting the rights of displaced women.

The four largest measures currently underway in this priority area are:

• Peace-building by promoting cooperation between government and civil society (CERCAPAZ)
  The aim of this programme launched in 2007 is to address the structural causes of conflict. It promotes peace initiatives undertaken by state and civil society actors and strengthens the expertise and structures needed for civil conflict resolution.
• Strengthening the rule of law (FortalEsDer)
  Among other objectives, the project (which started in 2004) addresses shortcomings in the administration of justice and the backlog of cases in the civil courts. The goal is to enhance the efficiency of selected judicial and state control organs in executing their mandate.
• Supporting the peace process in Colombia within the context of the Justice and Peace Law (ProFis)
  Based on the nation’s Justice and Peace Law (ley de justicia y paz) enacted in 2005, the+ Government of Colombia seeks to prosecute illegal groups such as the paramilitary for crimes they have committed. GIZ has been supporting this process since 2008 by advising the Office of the Public Prosecutor as well as the judges of the Supreme Court on the legal implementation of the Justice and Peace Law.
• Strengthening women’s rights to prevent violence (ProDeMujer)
  Owing to the many years of armed conflict, internally displaced women are at particular risk of becoming victims of physical, sexual and domestic violence. Women who actively campaign for the rights of women and internally displaced persons are especially at risk. The project supports the Colombian national programme ‘Promotion of the Participation of Displaced Women and Prevention of Violence against Women’s Rights Activists’. It carries out model measures, in order to promote the successful implementation of other special programmes at regional level.