Bogota,
11 May 2023
: An international
delegation of La Via
Campesina (LVC), the
international peasant
movement accompanying
the implementation
process of the Peace
Agreement in Colombia
expresses its
satisfaction and hope,
and praises the
political will of the
current Colombian
government to
implement the
agreement.
Following a
visit to the Sumapaz
Campesino Reserve
Zone (ZRC),
the visiting delegates
held a public forum
and also met with
Colombian government
officials and other
members of civil
society to take stock
of the implementation
of the peace
agreement. Although
many of the accord’s
commitments have yet
to be fulfilled, La
Via Campesina’s
solidarity mission
welcomed the Colombian
government’s
commitment to
recognize peasants as
political subjects and
to harmonize policies
derived from the peace
accord with the United
Nations Declaration on
the Rights of Peasants
and Other People
Working in Rural Areas
(UNDROP).
The movement
also issued a
public statement
on May 9,
recognizing the
importance of agrarian
justice measures to
ensure the transition
and expressing our
full support for the
creation of an
Agrarian Court in
Colombia.
Nury Martinez,
ICC LVC, FENSUAGRO,
Colombia, who hosted
the visiting
delegation, stated,
“Colombia is a
diverse country. It
needs a development
plan that recognizes
this diversity. The
congressional labor
reforms are a step in
the right direction.
The pension system for
rural workers proposed
in one of these
reforms is something
we welcome and value.
The recognition of
peasants as subjects
with political rights,
their protection as a
constitutional right
and the harmonization
of all institutions
and agencies at the
regional level are
central to this peace
process. The Executive
Orders should also be
modified to prevent
companies from taking
advantage of legal
loopholes to take more
land from the people”.
Federico
Pacheco, ICC, LVC and
SOC SAT Spain,
reiterated LVC’s
commitment to the
process noting that:
“Agrarian reform is
central to the
struggles of La Via
Campesina. As LVC, we
are very optimistic
about the new
government’s
commitment to
implement the peace
agreement, including
comprehensive agrarian
reform.”
Zainal Arifin
Fuad, ICC LVC, Serikat
Petani Indonesia, drew
parallels with land
reform plans in his
country. “In
Indonesia, SPI is also
fighting for agrarian
reform, through the
creation of
agricultural villages
and food sovereignty
zones, to offer an
alternative to
neoliberalism and
achieve food
sovereignty. We are
working closely with
the Indonesian
government to
implement this reform
and also to harmonize
the laws with the UN
Declaration on the
Rights of Peasants. It
is good to see that
the Colombian
government is also
taking these steps,
and they are going in
the right direction.”
La Via
Campesina’s delegation
reaffirms its
commitment to the
implementation of the
Agreement and the
construction of Peace
in Colombia, and will
continue to develop
its work as an
international
accompaniment in order
to contribute to the
development of
Agrarian Reform in
Colombia.
