COLOMBIA: Colombian Social Movements and the International Community
November 11th, 2008
in:
CPTnet
11 November 2008
COLOMBIA: Colombian Social Movements and the International Community
by Julián Gutiérrez Castaño
The 18th and 19th of October, CPTers Sarah Shirk and Julián Gutiérrez Castaño went to Bolivar City in Bogota to participate in the 3rd Coalition Meeting of Colombian Social Movements and Organizations. Participants discussed many subjects, all connected to one objective: “Peace with integral, sustainable, and lasting social justice.”
To achieve this goal, the Coalition worked in one big group with the more than 500 participants from many different regions of the country; in small groups formed according to the interests of the participant organizations (aboriginal, Afrocolombian, rural, women issues, etc.); and in groups formed according to the regions in which the various organizations worked.
CPT participated in two groups— the Magdalena Medio regional group, because its work in Colombia is concentrated in this region—and in the international group, because CPT’s roots are in North America and it works in at least five countries.
In the International group, team members discussed how to connect the international solidarity with the Coalition. The Coalition needs to be stronger, in order to become a valid mouthpiece for the Colombian civil society confronting the Colombian Government and the international governments that have some influence in Colombia. To achieve this objective, the Coalition is planning round trips in Europe, Canada, the United States, and Latin America.
The international group also identified actions to strengthen the Coalition from outside Colombia. It has to create communication channels to share news and coordinate actions swiftly and efficiently. It needs to involve Colombian emigrants in Colombia’s current situation, preventing distance from transforming into indifference and disconnection with the Colombian problems.
Finally, the international group talked about the need to create monitoring mechanisms for international investments and their connection with human rights violations, as well as mechanisms to monitor Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) that operate in Colombia and research the real thrust of their humanitarian work.
Some people offered the idea of creating different teams inside the Coalition, such as a Lawyers team, a team to elaborate on human rights reports, etc. However, the internationals group argued that other organizations in Colombia are already doing this work. I will add that instead of creating teams that will work on the same subjects, the Coalition should create an internal structure that could include more social movements and organizations.
Supporting the Coalition means supporting social movements and human rights in Colombia. For example, supporting the Coalition means to be in solidarity with the strike of the sugar cane workers in Valle del Cauca department —most of them Afrocolombians—the indigenous march in Cauca department, and the miner mobilization in the South of Bolivar. Currently these groups are represented, respectively, in the Coalition by the Black Community Process, The Colombian National Indigenous Organization, and the Agrarian National Coordination.
11 November 2008
COLOMBIA: Colombian Social Movements and the International Community
by Julián Gutiérrez Castaño
The 18th and 19th of October, CPTers Sarah Shirk and Julián Gutiérrez Castaño went to Bolivar City in Bogota to participate in the 3rd Coalition Meeting of Colombian Social Movements and Organizations. Participants discussed many subjects, all connected to one objective: “Peace with integral, sustainable, and lasting social justice.”
To achieve this goal, the Coalition worked in one big group with the more than 500 participants from many different regions of the country; in small groups formed according to the interests of the participant organizations (aboriginal, Afrocolombian, rural, women issues, etc.); and in groups formed according to the regions in which the various organizations worked.
CPT participated in two groups— the Magdalena Medio regional group, because its work in Colombia is concentrated in this region—and in the international group, because CPT’s roots are in North America and it works in at least five countries.
In the International group, team members discussed how to connect the international solidarity with the Coalition. The Coalition needs to be stronger, in order to become a valid mouthpiece for the Colombian civil society confronting the Colombian Government and the international governments that have some influence in Colombia. To achieve this objective, the Coalition is planning round trips in Europe, Canada, the United States, and Latin America.
The international group also identified actions to strengthen the Coalition from outside Colombia. It has to create communication channels to share news and coordinate actions swiftly and efficiently. It needs to involve Colombian emigrants in Colombia’s current situation, preventing distance from transforming into indifference and disconnection with the Colombian problems.
Finally, the international group talked about the need to create monitoring mechanisms for international investments and their connection with human rights violations, as well as mechanisms to monitor Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) that operate in Colombia and research the real thrust of their humanitarian work.
Some people offered the idea of creating different teams inside the Coalition, such as a Lawyers team, a team to elaborate on human rights reports, etc. However, the internationals group argued that other organizations in Colombia are already doing this work. I will add that instead of creating teams that will work on the same subjects, the Coalition should create an internal structure that could include more social movements and organizations.
Supporting the Coalition means supporting social movements and human rights in Colombia. For example, supporting the Coalition means to be in solidarity with the strike of the sugar cane workers in Valle del Cauca department —most of them Afrocolombians—the indigenous march in Cauca department, and the miner mobilization in the South of Bolivar. Currently these groups are represented, respectively, in the Coalition by the Black Community Process, The Colombian National Indigenous Organization, and the Agrarian National Coordination.
