The need to unite voices in favor of the end of confrontations came to life during the Congress for Peace held over the weekend in Bogota and attended by hundreds of representatives of organizations, networks and platforms of civil society working to achieve a peaceful nation.

The event, which was convened by the Government delegation in talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN), was held with the aim of creating a platform to coordinate, lead and advocate for the development of all efforts to build peace. According to Senator Ivan Cepeda, member of the negotiating team, the Movement for Peace will be created through a consultation procedure in the coming months to be carried out by territories and sectors.

He was confident that, in a second national congress to be held next September, it could be formally constituted and starts working on different issues of relevance for the country.

According to him, the movement could contribute to the implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement, to the reactivation of the dialogue tables that are frozen or suspended, and also to the respect for the population, community leaders and former guerrillas who live in the areas where there are clashes between armed groups.

The government delegation in talks with the ELN ratified in a communiqué the need to build peace through dialogue and negotiation, both with the actors who allege a political struggle and with the violence motivated by the control of territories and illicit economies.

We assume that peace in Colombia will always continue to be built with the hands of the citizens and the broad diversity that we are, a guarantee that life will flourish and that we will be able to move forward in democracy and reconciliation, the delegation remarked.

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