Community Councils of Chocó and Bolívar agreed with the State on prevention, protection and attention plans. The Unit for Victims accompanied the community councils in these days, in which a tribute was also paid to Afro women for their leadership work within the communities and organizations.
Between July 24 and 28, a series of conferences on consultation and protocolization of specific prevention, protection and care plans were held in Bogotá between the Community Councils of Chocó and Bolívar and the Colombian State. These actions are part of compliance with order 3 of Auto 005 of 2009 and order 4 of Auto 073 of 2014, issued by the Constitutional Court.
The Unit for Victims, as guarantor of the adequate development of these consultations, took into account the socioeconomic and specific characterization of the territories. This was carried out by the Directorate of Affairs for Black, Afro-Colombian, Raizales and Palenquera Communities of the Ministry of the Interior, which has requested the accompaniment of the Ombudsman’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office, to guarantee compliance with the agreements reached between the communities and State.
“Our presence here is to listen and, if necessary, ask for explanations from the institutions that cannot comply with the measures presented by the communities,” said ethnic prosecutor Jefferson Mena.
During these days, which coincided with the commemoration of the International Day of Afro-Latin, Afro-Caribbean and Diaspora Women, the Unit for Victims paid tribute to the women leaders of the Community Councils of San Francisco de Ichó, Sivirú and San Agustín de Terrón in the department of Chocó, as well as the representatives of the Community Council of Ma-mahati del Níspero de Angola, in María La Baja, department of Bolívar.
The representatives of the communities expressed their gratitude for the recognition of the leaders and for the opportunity to negotiate directly with the State, respecting the cultural and organizational particularities of the different Afro-descendant peoples. In addition, they highlighted the importance of Auto 005 as a fundamental support to face the challenges generated by the armed conflict and move towards understanding and mutual respect.
Diana Garrido, from the Coordination of Black Communities of the Directorate of Ethnic Affairs of the Unit for Victims, highlighted that “the conferences not only seek to arrange special measures with State entities, but also, as the community councils themselves have requested, , constitute a cultural exchange between the different participating councils”.
In this sense, the delegate highlighted the importance of communities being able to include, among the prevention measures they request, spaces for inter-community strengthening to strengthen relations and enhance the strengths of the different community councils, for example, in the preparation of plans for environmental Protection.
Within the framework of this coordination exercise, recognitions were also given to the transformative power of the victims, highlighting their valuable work of resilience and improvement. Likewise, audiovisual material on Afro-Colombianity was presented to the communities, highlighting the actions that the Victims Unit has been carrying out within the framework of decrees and protocols aimed at strengthening State actions with an ethnic focus. The day ended with an artistic exhibition that reflected the uses and customs of the communities, giving voice and visibility to their culture and heritage.
The Victims Unit reaffirms its commitment to continue working on actions that contribute to overcoming the lags of the past, providing transformative reparation and allowing those who have suffered from the armed conflict to effectively access their rights.