Description of impact
This case study maximises the impact of the School, Territory and Post-Conflict (STPC) Project funded by UKRI and the Colombian Ministry of Science (2018-2022). The main insight of the process was the development of the concept Pluriverse of Peace, which embraces de idea that there are different ways to build peace within diverse territories. The research project identified four axes of peacebuilding: cultural identity revitalization, peacebuilding as rural (coffee-smallholder-livelihoods) place-making, women’s peacebuilding, and environmental peacebuilding and since then we have been developing a series of impact activities to help strengthen ang give visibility to these local peace building strategies.1. We have developed a multiscale methodology that has been fruitful helping to develop community action plans that have been included within the new municipal Development Plans.
In particular, the Rioblanco Municipal Development Plan titled “Together We Will Make It Reality 2024-2027”, included four (4) of the actions designed by the community organizations within Program 8 of the Plan: “Rioblanco program with social inclusion weaving Peace, and the Women strategy and Rural Youth, Builders and Transformers of Peace”. A part of the text included in the Territorial Development reads as follows:
“Create strategies for the promotion of living memories through popular schools, using pedagogical practices that contribute to the strengthening of communities of rural women and youth, from a territorial and differential perspective” (p.288)
The Chaparral Territorial Development Plan “Advances and Transformations 2024 – 2027”, incorporated three (3) of the actions designed by the community organizations within Program 8 “Social and Productive Inclusion for the Population in Situations of Vulnerability”, and the strategy “Implement strategies to strengthen enterprises aimed at generating the conditions for collective productive units of young people, women, LGTBIQ+, peace signatories, Afro-Colombian and indigenous populations and people with disabilities”. Also, some strategies were included within Program 10 “Promotion and effective access to cultural and artistic processes”.
2. To impact in the national public policy institutions, in 2024 representatives of the two municipalities travelled with representatives of community organizations to Bogota to take part in a series of additional lobbying activities to strengthen the links between community strategies/proposals and national authorities. This helped to strengthen even further the links between the community organizations and representatives from the local governments to give continuation to the agreed strategies. The Rio Blanco Municipality has already included in their budget for peacebuilding for the next 5 years a line for supporting community cultural revitalization initiatives. Asomeht (one of the community organizations) is requesting funds for the conformation of a “Popular School for Peace Weaving” for Rio Blanco and this local initiative is now up and running.
Who is affected
Participants of this impact case study have included community organizations from the Rio Blanco and Chaparral municipalities, representatives of local governments (municipalities), academics and institutions from the social sector that worked together in a multilevel process.Narrative
We have been working since 2018 on creating bridges with policy makers at the regional and national level to strengthen these different bottom up peace building strategies and also to give visibility to the concept of Pluriverse of Peace as a counter narrative to liberal peace building in Colombia.| Impact status | Open |
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