Register
Register

February

25
2009

9:30 am EST - 11:00 am EST

Past Event

Internal Displacement and Peacebuilding in Colombia

  • Wednesday, February 25, 2009

    9:30 am - 11:00 am EST

The Brookings Institution
Saul/Zilkha Rooms

1775 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC
20036

The Colombian government has implemented political reconciliation and stabilization measures in recent years, yet internal displacement continues to be a major problem with estimates of the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) ranging from 2.6 to 4.3 million people. The relationship between internal displacement and peacebuilding is an important but complex one. Until IDPs find solutions to their displacement, it will be difficult to establish sustainable peace and security. At the same time, the lack of security makes the search for durable solutions for IDPs problematic. Issues around transitional justice and land are central to both peacebuilding and to resolving internal displacement.

On February 25, the Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement hosted the launch of a new report on internal displacement and peacebuilding in Colombia, written by Roberto Vidal of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota. After his presentation, panelists commented on the report and displacement in Colombia from a variety of perspectives.

Agenda

  • February 25
    • Introduction

      ATG
      Ambassador Thomas Greminger Head of Political Division IV, Human Security, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
    • Moderator

      Elizabeth Ferris
      Elizabeth Ferris Former Brookings Expert, Research Professor, Institute for the Study of International Migration - Georgetown University
    • Panelists

      VG
      Veronica Gomez Senior Human Rights Specialist, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
      GS
      Gimena Sanchez Senior Associate for Colombia and Haiti, Washington Office on Latin America
      RCVL
      Roberto Carlos Vidal López Consultant