The social contract and the peace agreement in Colombia

The social contract and the peace agreement in Colombia

Instituto CAPAZ was invited to attend the workshop on the results for the “The social contract and the peace agreement in Colombia” study held on the 14th of September 2017, and led by professor Angelika Rettberg from Universidad de Los Andes. The event was organised by Friedrich Ebert Foundation (Colombia) (FESCOL), within the framework of the “Establishing a resilient social contract in the context of the post-conflict” project, sponsored by FESCOL, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the New School International Affairs Program in the US. The project compares 12 countries affected by violent conflict and identifies the factors that lead to the establishment of a resilient social contract in different post-conflict contexts.

Institutions such as Fundación Carvajal, the Human Rights and Peace Observatory of the Popular Training Institute (IPC), Marburg University (Germany) and Revista Semana also took part in the discussion.

The document presented by Professor Rettberg looks into how the peace agreements and their implementation challenge the “social contract” established in Colombian society in order to ensure its establishment and, as such, achieve sustainable peace. The analysis is based on three elements pertaining to the conflict that seem to enjoy consensus in the academic sector and throughout society in general: the fundamental aspects of a conflict through the spheres of the social contract, the performance and inclusiveness of the institutions and State legitimacy, and social cohesion.

More information about the project is available at: http://www.undp.org/content/dam/norway/undp-ogc/documents/Social%20contract%20for%20sustainable%20peace%20-%20Summary%20narrative%20for%20partners%20-%204.27.2017.pdf