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In Washington, 18-20 April, the delegation had the chance to engage in conversations at the US State Department and the White House, and to meet with members of the US Senate and Congress.
In an interview for WCC news during their stay in New York City, on 21-22 April, Marino Córdoba Berrio, from the National Association for Displaced Afro-Colombians, said that the visits offered the group an opportunity to expose the situation of what is happening in Colombia from a point of view that is more connected to the reality of the communities in rural areas.
“Our communities are in a situation that is extremely complex. And we need the international solidarity so that this changes. While this government is about to finish its term, it continues to cause a lot of negative consequences in our communities,” he said.
Berrio reported that human civil society organizations have been failing to report to the government the reality from the communities affected by violence and displacement. “We usually have no response from the part of the government authorities to be able to really work together and resolve problems jointly,” he said. “Therefore, the solidarity and accompaniment of international partners has been so important in our work. They have been in the communities with us and have seen firsthand the difficult situation we live in.”
Granted by Diakonia and Act Church of Sweden, the National Human Rights Award in Colombia is a distinction that seeks to recognize, highlight, and exalt the work of men, women, initiatives, organizations, and non-governmental organizations that defend human rights in Colombia. It seeks to back their legitimate work and their contributions to democracy and peacebuilding.
It has reached over 25 of the country’s departments through a public call for nominations and is one of the most important awards on the defense of human rights. Each year, that reach extends to more individuals and organizations with limited protection measures who are stigmatized due to their work.
Daniela Stefania Rodríguez, from the Transitional Justice section of the Committee for Solidarity with Political Prisoners, was also part of the delegation.
“We have met with permanent missions of different countries, and in those spaces we have brought a voice different of what is currently being heard about the situation in Colombia: the peace agreement has not been implemented in an effective manner,” she said.
“What we insist is that there must be more participation of the civil society in the peace process, so that we have a more diverse point of view about what is happening and make the decisions made by the government more democratic and inclusive. And for that, the pressure and monitoring from the international community is essential,” added Rodríguez.
The delegation also included Leyner Palacios Asprilla, Afro-Colombian victims’ leader and truth commissioner, Colombia's Commission for the Clarification of Truth, Coexistence and Non-Repetition, and Mario Baicue Escue, Kiwe Thegnas/Indigenous guard of Toribio, Tacueyo and San Francisco of the Nasa Life Project.
They were hosted by the Ecumenical Office to the United Nations, a focal point of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and ACT Alliance work to the UN in New York, and accompanied by staff members from Diakonia, Act Church of Sweden, and the Washington Office on Latin America.
Learn more about the work of the Ecumenical Office to the United Nations
