Written answers
Wednesday, 14 February 2024
Department of An Taoiseach
Foreign Conflicts
Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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46. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the engagements and initiatives undertaken by his Department in support of the Colombian peace process, including those regarding land reform and inclusion of marginalised communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6923/24]
Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Since the signing of the Peace Agreement in 2016, Ireland has provided over €20 million to support peacebuilding and the promotion of human rights in Colombia.
Ireland funds the UN Multi Partner Trust Fund and the Organisation of American States Mission to Support the Peace Process. These partners support a broad range of initiatives designed to progress the implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement, including land reform and with a particular focus on marginalised communities. Ireland also supports the United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Colombia, which promotes human rights with an emphasis on the territorial, gender and ethnic dimensions.
Since October 2023, Ireland has acted as guarantor in the ongoing peace dialogues with the Estado Mayor Central (EMC). The guarantor role involves maintaining a continuous presence at the talks, promoting and protecting the dialogue process, supporting the parties to advance the process, and providing technical support and assistance.
In addition, Ireland supports various international and local organisations working in Colombia that have made a significant impact in conflict resolution, human rights and building resilient livelihoods of vulnerable communities. Ireland also engages with humanitarian organisations working on demining and in support of the Venezuelan migrant community located in Colombia.
Our Embassy in Bogota supports community peace building dialogues, including exchanges with and lesson-sharing from the Northern Ireland peace process. Ireland has also supported the Office of EU Special Envoy for the peace process in Colombia, led by Eamon Gilmore until the end of this month, and while an elected member on the United Nations Security Council, we advocated consistently for comprehensive implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement.
Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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47. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the allocation within his Department in support of the Colombian peace process in the years 2020 to date; the initiatives supported through these allocations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6924/24]
Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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For many years, Ireland has been actively engaged in supporting Colombia’s peace process through political support, advocacy, and by regularly engaging with relevant institutions, organisations and communities. These actions have served to consolidate Ireland’s long-standing reputation as an honest, trusted and credible interlocutor with all parties to the Agreement. Our key messages have included the need for comprehensive implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement; to ensure Colombian state presence across conflict-affected regions; the importance of including civil society and community actors in the peace process; the inclusion of women, ethnic communities and the centrality of victims; and an emphasis on support to the transitional justice institutions.
In 2024, support for the implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement will remain a central focus for Ireland. We will also support the Government’s efforts under the Total Peace initiative, notably in the context of our role as guarantor in the EMC talks. Our support will align with our policy of supporting furthest behind first, by seeking to support communities and groups most affected by conflict. Thematic priorities will include: dialogue and participation; human rights and gender equality; and strengthening civil society to promote peace.
The total annual allocations made to organisations in Colombia in the years 2020-2023 are as follows:
| 2020 (€ million) | 2021 (€ million) | 2022 (€ million) | 2023 (€ million) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.52m | 2.43m | 2.74m | 3.50m |
This funding was disbursed variously to the organisations and interventions set out below.
| Organisation | Description |
|---|---|
| UN Multi-partner Trust Fund (MPTF) for Colombia | The United Nations MPTF for Sustaining Peace in Colombia finances coordinated responses that guarantee stabilization through the design and implementation of people and peace-centred agreements, frameworks, and programmes. |
| UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Colombia | The OHCHR, in addition to a technical assistance and monitoring mandate, works to strengthen capacity in relation to the promotion and protection of human rights with both the State and civil society in Colombia. |
| Lesson Sharing Programme | The Lesson Sharing Programme aims to facilitate the exchange of lessons from the experience of peacebuilding and reconciliation on the island of Ireland and in Colombia. |
| MAPP OEA | The Organisation of American States’ Missions to Support the Peace Process (MAPP) seeks to provide verification and advisory support to Colombia during the process of demobilization and reintegration of illegal armed groups, and to support peace efforts undertaken by Colombian institutions and communities. |
| International Crisis Group | The International Crisis Group is an independent organisation working to prevent wars and shape policies that will build a more peaceful world. |
| Institute for Integrated Transitions | The Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT) is an international non-governmental organisation dedicated to helping fragile and conflict-affected states achieve more effective negotiations and transitions out of war, crisis or authoritarianism. |
| Berghof Foundation | The Berghof Foundation works to accompany Colombian actors in developing and implementing conflict transformation and peace efforts on different levels. |
| EU Trust Fund for Colombia | The EU Trust Fund for Colombia sought to support the implementation of the 2016 peace agreement in early post-conflict stabilisation and recovery, with a view to securing a stable and lasting peace. |
| Christian Aid Ireland | Christian Aid works with local civil society partners and communities in these countries to tackle violence, build peace and protect human rights. |
| Misean Cara | Funding to missionary partners for a range of developmental activities. |
| International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) | The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) seeks to uphold human rights by supporting and protecting civil society space |
| GOAL | In Colombia, GOAL’s principal focus is on building resilient livelihoods of vulnerable communities. This will include work on fisheries in communities in coastal marines. They will also work on market systems in urban, informal settlements which are destinations for Venezuelan migrant populations. |
| In-Country Micro-Project Scheme | The In-Country Micro Projects Scheme (ICMPS) supports local non-governmental organisations to carry out small-scale development projects. |
| Halo Trust | HALO Trust operates demining activities in Colombia. |
| Rapid Response Initiative | Ireland’s Rapid Response Initiative deploys highly-skilled personnel and sending emergency supplies to a disaster zone in the immediate aftermath of a crisis. |
| Instituto de Estudios Interculturales | Instituto de Estudios Culturales facilitates dialogue processes amongst local community stakeholders in Colombia. |
| Fundacion Instituto De Ciencia Politica | Funding to develop and implement a comprehensive communication strategy for a research report on illegal recruitment and use of children and adolescents by the FARC-EP in the Colombian armed conflict. |
| UN Women – National Action Plan on UNSCR1325 | Support to UN Women Colombia’s role in formulating a National Action Plan on Resolution 1325 of the United Nations Security Council. |
| UN University Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR) | Support to a research project on managing exits from armed conflict |
Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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50. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the Government’s view on the current status of the Colombian peace process; the immediate and longer term challenges and the proposed initiatives Ireland will take to assist overcome those challenges. [6927/24]
Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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During my recent visit to Colombia on 10-11 January 2024, I had the opportunity to discuss the peace process in meetings with Defence Minister Iván Velásquez, Vice Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Francisco Coy and Elizabeth Taylor Jay, and representatives of the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace (OACP).
In these meetings, we discussed the significant progress that has been made in the implementation of Colombia’s 2016 Peace Agreement and the Total Peace initiative, as well as the various obstacles that remain in both the short-term and long-term. These achievements and challenges are also clearly set out in the UN Secretary General’s most recent report on the UN Verification Mission in Colombia. Challenges include structural issues such as poverty, inequality and issues around land distribution, as well as the presence of armed actors and illicit economies in some parts of the country. The persistently high rates of violence against former combatants and human rights defenders around the country are also concerning.
International support to the Colombian peace process remains paramount, and I was pleased to communicate to my interlocutors that in 2024, Ireland’s direct funding in support of peacebuilding in Colombia is increasing to over €5 million. This funding will contribute to initiatives that will advance peacebuilding and equality in the country, inter alia in the areas of dialogue and participation, human rights and gender equality, capacity building, the strengthening of institutions, and strategic peacebuilding initiatives.
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