Nobel Prize for Colombian President Highlights Resolve for Peace
The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2016 to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos reflects the recognition that achieving peace is a process that is never easy or simple and requires courage, determination, persistence and commitment over time. The U.S. Institute of Peace congratulates President Santos—and the Colombian people—on this award and on the difficult but continuing efforts to end a war that, over more than 50 years, has left more than 220,000 dead and close to 8 million victims, including more than 6 million people forcibly displaced.
Colombian voters rejected the government’s peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) in an Oct. 2 referendum, but they did so by a narrow margin, with low turnout. Supporters of both the “yes” votes and the “no” votes have since gone to the streets to call for both sides to maintain their ceasefire and continue negotiations toward an acceptable agreement. President Santos and FARC leader Rodrigo Londoño have made clear that they plan to do just that. Former President Alvaro Uribe, one of the key opponents of the deal, also has acknowledged the widespread calls for peace by sitting down with President Santos to discuss ways to overcome the differences in their two camps.
“The Nobel Peace Prize validates President Santos’s political courage and determination in pursuing peace, which is more important now than ever in the face of a plebiscite lost by razor thin margins,” USIP President Nancy Lindborg said.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee’s selection for the prize comes at a critical point in Colombia’s peace process, notes USIP Senior Advisor for Peace Processes Virginia M. “Ginny” Bouvier.
“The prize will be an important source of political support for the President,” she said. “It may help keep the peace process on track and therefore help move Colombia past a period of dangerous uncertainty.”
The award also acknowledges the role that President Santos has given to victims of the war during the peace negotiations in Havana. Victims and victims groups have been some of the strongest advocates for the peace process. Although the central argument of opponents was that the accord wouldn’t punish the FARC adequately and wouldn’t give victims the justice they deserved, the strongest support in the referendum for the peace agreement came in those parts of the country most harshly affected by violent conflict.
“The peace prize will provide encouragement for the disappointed multitude of people who have worked so hard for peace in that country,” Bouvier said.
For more than a decade, USIP has helped prepare the ground for a political solution to Colombia’s conflict, particularly with an eye toward post-conflict reconciliation. The Institute’s research and policy discussions stimulate fresh thinking on how to foster peace, while small grants and technical support prepare Colombians for mediation, conflict resolution and strategic planning. Significantly, the Institute helped establish and is supporting a national network of women mediators from 12 departments in Colombia who can mediate disputes, including those between ex-combatants and victims, between ethnic and religious groups, or between victims and the state. These initiatives build peace from the ground up. The World Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Colombian government and others have extended and expanded projects initiated with USIP support, including one that uses cultural programs and training for young people, teachers and families to prevent youth recruitment by armed groups.
Resources related to USIP’s work on Colombia:
Q&A: Colombians Narrowly Reject Peace Deal:
Colombia Peace Forum: Seeking Truth on the `Disappeared’ (Video)
