Decent work for reincorporation in Colombia

(Listen to the interview with Juan Fernando Lucio and María Paz from min 33)

In the Caracol Radio program “En Familia”, Judith Sarmiento spoke with Juan Fernando Lucio, director of PASO Colombia, and María Paz, a member of the La Montaña - Voluntad de Paz brand, and a participant in the Escuela Rural Alternativa (ERA) from Anori . The theme was decent work and economic development for reincorporation in Colombia. The program included other voices regarding the effects of the pandemic and other challenges facing Colombia in relation to the objective of sustainable development regarding decent work.

Juan Fernando explained that the Peace Agreement, which contemplates a collective and articulated economic reincorporation with the peasant communities, has been an important frame of reference for PASO's proposals regarding the generation of employment for people in the process of reincorporation. Hand in hand with the cooperatives of reincorporated, peasant organizations, the government, the international community, private companies and academic institutions, PASO has implemented a reincorporation model based on associative models, where the participants are owners of their own businesses and cooperate to create sustainable economies. In this regard, Lucio explained that "there are productive projects that are being consolidated with very good financial health, and they are in the field of fish farming, honey, coffee, among others (...) The communities have been strengthened in associations and now there is a better relationship between peasants and reincorporated in places where this type of model is applied”. He also made a general assessment of the achievements of a peace process in which the vast majority of signatories remain legal, and mentioned some difficulties to overcome such as access to land, housing and security problems.

María Paz, another guest on the program, shared the experience of La montana - Voluntad de paz , a brand that has three production lines ( Honey , Essences and Confections ) and the support of PASO Colombia. María explains that “the three productive units of La Montaña seek to generate sustainable economies based on caring for the environment and decent work for the reincorporated and people from the nearby community. The products are well received by consumers, and their quality and approach make people consume and recommend them”.

Although María stressed that they still have to overcome the challenge of making their productive projects known to more people, to allow the reincorporated to achieve a sustainable economy hand in hand with the communities, the radio program insisted that “despite the difficulty, we as Colombians want to open the door to that possibility of dreaming of a stable, possible and lasting peace”.