Meeting with the members of the Unit of Global Attention and Reparation to Victims, Territorial Office of Valle del Cauca – Cali

Territorial Directorate of Valle del Cauca, Unit of Attention and Global Reparation to the Victims of the Armed Conflict, Cali – Colombia.

Meeting between the President’s research team and the members of the Unit of Attention and Global Reparation to Victims:

• Carlos Buenaño, Specialized Professional of the Offer and Projects of the Unit of Attention and Global Reparation to the Victims, of the Territorial Direction of Valle del Cauca.
• Gersain Torres, Specialized Professional of Cooperation of the Unit of Attention and Global Reparation to the Victims, of the Territorial Direction of Valle del Cauca.

As Buenaño points out, “Often, in the execution of the task, we do not think so much about what is done in transitional justice as about the practical aspects involved.” In this way, a door is opened for mutual learning, where the Chair could collaborate by teaching officials the key theoretical concepts of these processes, and the Unit could contrast this with the reality, landing the theory.

After discussion with the participants of the meeting, the Chair was also able to identify that in the public policy of global reparation for victims, there is a trans-generational approach and vision. However, the fact that the environmental approach is not present is something that goes back to Law 1448, which in itself seeks recognition of the victims and the conflict, but leaves out the relationship with the environment.

As the Unit team points out, “repairing all victims in the midst of conflict is a very high goal.” Thus, various efforts are needed to achieve this, and national (all organizations) and international cooperation is essential.

Although this policy focuses on reparation for victims with a strong component of citizen participation in the processes, the Chair believes that the link between indigenous, rural and peasant communities and nature is close, and in times of transition, the integration of environmental issues into the Colombian process is essential.

In the coming months, it is planned to further develop the link with the Unit. The first step will be to sign a formal cooperation agreement with the Chair, in the context of peace, transitional justice and environmental issues, and then to pave the way for future exchanges between the two entities.