UN HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE FIELD
UN HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE FIELD
COLOMBIA
Population size1 Surface area1 Human Development Index2 NHRI (if applicable)3
49.46 million
142,000 km² 0.747 (89/188 in 2016)
Status A, 2017
Type of engagement
Country Office
Year established
1997
Field office(s)
Bogotá, Barrancabermeja, Barranquilla,
Cali, Cúcuta, Florencia, Medellín, Mocoa,
Neiva, Quibdó, Villavicencio; Apartadó,
Buenaventura, Montería, Tumaco (satellite
offices); Arauca, Amazonas (presences)
UN partnership framework
United Nations Development Assistance
Framework 2015-2019
Staff as of 31 December 2018
53
Total income
US$13,836,533
XB requirements 2018
US$ 13,052,00
Total XB expenditure
US$10,412,772
Personnel
Non-personnel
PSC†
68%
21%
11%
$7,023,172
$2,216,607
$1,172,993
Key OMP pillars in 2018
123
During the reporting period, OHCHR
supported the formulation process of the
National Action Plan on Human Rights,
which was led by the Presidential Council
on Human Rights. As a result, the process
was participatory, involved local level authorities and civil society organizations
and ensured the incorporation of a human
rights-based approach.
While most of the social dialogue processes that were undertaken by the previous
government were inactive in 2018, OHCHR
and the Office of the Procurator General
continued to monitor the social dialogue
in Cauca and Valle. In coordination with
other UN agencies, the Office facilitated
a dialogue between the Government and
peasant settlers in southeast Colombia to
address increasing deforestation while ensuring that the rights of settlers are being
recognized and respected by the State.
The Office also monitored student protests
in various locations across the country,
thereby contributing to reducing acts of
violence and excessive use of force and
encouraging compliance with due process.
† Please refer to Data sources and notes on p.191.
P6 – Victims, indigenous peoples and
women participate more fully in decisions
that concern them.
KEY PILLAR RESULTS:
Participation (P)
P1 – Relevant national, regional and local
institutions apply a human rights-based approach in public policies and programmes
that result from implementation of the
Peace Accords; they emphasize participation and accountability in particular.
work of public servants in charge of formulating development plans in three regions.
This enabled them to ensure that the first
stages of the process were undertaken in
a participatory manner and incorporated
international human rights standards.
OHCHR contributed to improving the level
of compliance of legislation and policy with
international human rights norms and standards through technical assistance, training
and monitoring activities.
In August, the Ministry of Interior adopted
the Protocol for the coordination of actions
to respect and guarantee peaceful protest,
which included OHCHR’s recommendation
to identify mechanisms that would guarantee the exercise of fundamental rights
related to social protest.
The Office’s Training for Actions strategy
with human rights defenders facilitated the
232 UN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2018
Spotlights:
Women
OHCHR supported and strengthened the
establishment of spaces for the meaningful
participation of rights-holders, especially
victims, ethnic groups, women and LGBTI
persons, in various public processes.
This was done by facilitating discussions,
providing technical assistance, issuing
recommendations, holding training workshops and undertaking monitoring.
OHCHR facilitated dialogue between
the System of Truth, Justice, Reparation
and Non-Repetition mechanisms and victims, the families of victims, human rights
organizations, social processes and ethnic
groups to discuss their expectations and
proposals for the design, structure and regionalization of the mechanisms while also
securing their active participation in these
mechanisms. Moreover, OHCHR provided
training on the scope and content of the
mechanisms as well as technical assistance
on creating the space for participation, intervention strategies, strategic litigation
and the preparation of reports as a means
to exercise victims’ rights before the comprehensive system and authorities of the
ordinary justice system. Furthermore,
the Office provided technical assistance
regarding coordination between the
special indigenous jurisdiction and the
special jurisdiction for peace. It also made
recommendations for the preparation of
documents to be submitted to governmental and jurisdictional authorities, including
Congress and the Constitutional Court.
As a result of OHCHR’s support, two AfroColombian communities have established
protocols for relations with third parties.
A total of 15 indigenous communities, including the Putumayo, the Pueblo Negro
di Cocomacia del Rio Atrato (Choco) and
the Afro-Colombians of the Renacer Negro
Community Council (Cauca) advanced
with the formulation of these protocols.
In addition, OHCHR supported the Ethnic
Peace Commission in preparing a 20182019 workplan to address the serious
human rights situation being faced by ethnic groups with the aim of increasing their
participation in 2019.
Moreover, OHCHR built the capacity of
five local-level networks of human rights
promoters to improve their participation
and dialogue with local and national public servants. This enabled the networks
to file legal actions and judicial remedies,
thereby providing greater opportunities to
participate and secure the realization of
their rights.
Peace and Security (PS)
PS4 – Transitional justice mechanisms increase accountability for conflict-related
violations of human rights and humanitarian law.
OHCHR contributed to increasing the
capacity of the transitional justice mechanisms to incorporate international human
rights standards into their design and operations and to address the challenges
deriving from the implementation of their
respective mandates.
In this regard, the Office provided technical inputs and ongoing support to
the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP)
Chamber for the Acknowledgement of
Truth and Responsibility. The objective
was to increase its analytical and methodological capacity to develop strategies to
prosecute serious human rights violations
constituting crimes under international
law. OHCHR also carried out advocacy activities and provided technical assistance
for the approval of the general regulations
and the development of selection and
prioritization criteria to strengthen the capacity of the JEP to effectively respond to
the demands and expectations of victims.
In 2018, the legal and interpretative
groundwork was laid for the substantive
and operative implementation of the
Commission for the Clarification of the
Truth, Coexistence and Non-Recurrence
(CEV). OHCHR contributed to this process
by providing technical assistance through
39 technical inputs, supporting field missions to build bridges between public
institutions and civil society and obtaining
updated information on the situation in
the regions. During the reporting period,
the Office supported the analytical and
methodological capacity of the CEV and
worked on specialized research initiatives
related to gross violations of human rights.
OHCHR supported the design and structuring phase of the Missing Persons
Search Unit and strengthened its capacity
to incorporate international human rights
standards into its presentations before
the Constitutional Court. The Office also
contributed to the greater use of analytical tools and methodologies to comply
with the State’s international obligations
with respect to the search for, location,
identification and dignified delivery of the
remains of those presumed missing.
Mechanisms (M)
M2 – The national human rights institution
(NHRI), civil society organizations, individuals, and UN agencies make substantive
contributions to the Treaty Bodies, special
procedures, and UPR submissions.
OHCHR worked with the NHRI, civil society organizations, individuals and the
UN Country Team (UNCT) to ensure that
substantive contributions were submitted
to the treaty bodies, special procedures
and the UPR.
The Office and the UNCT made seven
joint contributions, including one to the
UPR; three (two written and one oral) to
CEDAW; and two to mechanisms deriving
from Security Council resolutions 1820
and 1612.
On 10 May, Colombia underwent its third
UPR cycle, during which 86 delegations
made presentations. Colombia accepted
182 recommendations, of which 115 are
related to economic, social and cultural
rights and/or rights of women as well as
vulnerable populations, such as LGBTI
persons, children, indigenous peoples,
Afro-Colombian communities and persons
with disabilities.
In collaboration with UN Women, the
Office prepared a technical document
that the UNCT submitted to CEDAW in
UN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2018 233
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