CAPAZ at the forum: prospects for negotiation with the ELN
On April 25th, we attended the forum “Perspectives on Negotiation with the ELN” at the Jockey Club Auditorium at Universidad del Rosario. The forum was organised in collaboration with the Hanns Seidel Stiftung and the Dialogue Centre of the university.
The opening remarks were given by Claudia Dulce, Director of Extension and Alumni at Universidad del Rosario, Demian Regehr, Regional Representative for Colombia and Venezuela of the Hanns Seidel Stiftung, and Indira Murillo, Deputy Director of the CAPAZ Institute.
The first panel focused on exploring different historical perspectives on the negotiations between the ELN and the national government. The panel included the participation of Horacio Guerrero, a member of the government’s delegation in the talks with the ELN; Juan Esteban Ugarriza, a professor at the Universidad del Rosario and former advisor to the negotiating team in the peace process with the ELN; and Sebastián Guerra, a researcher at the U.S. Institute of Peace and former advisor to the negotiating team in the peace process with the ELN. The panel was moderated by Gloria Castrillón from Colombia+20, who posed questions to the panellists regarding the differences between the negotiation agendas of the previous government under Juan Manuel Santos and the current one. The discussion also touched upon the implications and limitations of the ceasefire, as well as the challenges posed by ongoing violence in certain regions.
The second panel, titled “Participation of Civil Society in the Dialogue Table”, featured the participation of Esperanza Hernández Delgado, a professor at the Universidad de La Salle; Carlos Medina Gallego from the Centre for Thought and Monitoring of the Peace Dialogue at the Universidad Nacional; and Juan Carlos de León, a professor at the Universidad del Rosario. Rafael Quishpe from the CAPAZ Institute served as the moderator for the panel. The discussions in this panel centred around the role and impact of civil society’s participation in the negotiation table, as well as the potential limitations and implications that may arise from it.
Thank you to all the speakers who joined us and contributed important discussions to this topic as we continue working towards peace in Colombia.
Relive the entire event at this link