1964
2010
2012
2016
Precedents
With the precedent of the confrontation between liberal and conservative guerrillas of the “La Violencia” era in Colombia, the armed confrontation between the Colombian State and the FARC-EP dates back to the 1960s with the formation of the guerrilla group in 1964, and the evolution and deployment of its guerrilla structures in different regions of the country during the following decades.
Law 35 of 1982, which decrees an amnesty and issues provisions aimed at re-establishing and preserving peace, is enacted.
The FARC-EP guerrillas and the national government sign the first ceasefire agreement, known as the “Uribe Accord” (Los Acuerdos de La Uribe). Peace negotiations formally begin between the insurgent movement and President Belisario Betancur’s government.
The National Verification Commission is created, which aims to ensure the fulfillment of the Uribe Accord. The Commission’s members included Horacio Serpa, Álvaro Leyva Durán, and Fernando Cepeda Ulloa, among others.
In La Uribe, Meta, the FARC-EP announces the creation of the Patriotic Union (UP, for its Spanish acronym). This political party is part of a process of political, economic, and social organization that the FARC-EP had been carrying out since November 1984.
The Patriotic Union (UP, for its Spanish acronym) participates in congressional elections for the first time. Five senators, nine House representatives, 20 departmental representatives, and 353 councilpersons are elected.
John Agudelo Ríos submits his resignation to the Peace, Dialogue, and Verification Commission. Days later, the other members resign, dissolving the Commission and ending negotiations.
The FARC-EP ambushes National Army members at the Quebrada Riecito in the Puerto Rico municipality, Caquetá. 26 soldiers are killed, and an additional 44 are wounded. This event breaks the ceasefire between the national government and the insurgent movement, concluding this period of negotiations.
The joint negotiating table between the national government and the Simón Bolívar Guerrilla Coordinating Body (CGSB, for its Spanish acronym) is formed. The CGSB is made up of the FARC-EP, the ELN, and the EPL’s remaining members.
On May 15, 16, and 17, delegates from the Simón Bolívar Guerrilla Coordinating Body and the national government meet in Cravo Norte, Arauca. A first consensus is reached regarding the negotiation agenda, and they agree to continue dialogues in Caracas, Venezuela.
Negotiating tables are set up in Caracas, Venezuela, to end the armed conflict between the Simón Bolívar Guerrilla Coordinating Body and the national government.
A new round of negotiations between the Simón Bolívar Guerrilla Coordinating Body and the national government begins in Tlaxcala, Mexico. The parties reach first agreements and publish a joint communiqué on March 13, calling all segments of society to join the dialogue.
As a result of former minister Argelino Durán’s death in captivity, peace talks between the national government and the Simón Bolívar Guerrilla Coordinating Body are suspended. Although the parties considered resuming talks in October of that same year, this did not ultimately happen, officially concluding this period of negotiations.
President-elect Andrés Pastrana meets with the FARC-EP’s commander-in-chief, Manuel Marulanda Vélez (“Tirofijo”).
The negotiating table between the national government and the FARC-EP is installed, with President Andrés Pastrana present. Manuel Marulanda Vélez (“Tirofijo”), FARC-EP commander-in-chief, does not attend the ceremony. Negotiations move forward in the midst of armed confrontation.
In the midst of a crisis, followed by various acts of violence in the country, President Andrés Pastrana and Manuel Marulanda Vélez (“Tirofijo”) meet. They reach the Los Pozos Agreement.
Negotiators from the national government and the FARC-EP sign the San Francisco de la Sombra Agreement. In it, the parties commit to studying the possibility of a ceasefire and call on different segments of society to contribute proposals to the peace process.
The FARC-EP rejects the new conditions established by the national government and leaves the dialogue table.
The FARC-EP hijacks the HK 3951 plane, which was covering the Neiva–Bogotá route. They force it to land on a road in El Hobo, Huila, and kidnap then-senator Jorge Eduardo Géchem Turbay. With this event, the peace talks break down.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Peace, under instructions from the Office of the President, requests aid and good offices from the United Nations Secretary-General in pursuit of a humanitarian agreement with the FARC-EP guerrillas.
Monsignor Luis Augusto Castro and Father Darío Echeverry hold a meeting with Raúl Reyes to explore the possibility of a humanitarian agreement. Another meeting is held on December 27 of that same year.
As a gesture of goodwill, the national government unilaterally releases Rodrigo Granda and another 150 imprisoned guerrillas to achieve a humanitarian agreement.
With the International Committee of the Red Cross’s support and the Venezuelan government’s mediation, kidnapped individuals Gloria Polanco, Jorge Géchem, Luis Eladio Pérez, and Orlando Beltrán are released.
The National Army carries out “Operation Jaque,” freeing 15 kidnapped individuals. Former presidential candidate Íngrid Betancourt and United States contractors Keith Stansell and Marc Gonsalves are among those freed.
Exploratory Phase
The Exploratory phase of the talks between the Colombian Government and the FARC-EP took place between September 2010 and August 2012. It all began with an exchange of letters and communications – through third party delegates – and ended with the General Agreement to End the Armed Conflict and Build a Stable and Lasting Peace, which guided the course and rules of the talks during the public stage.
Juan Manuel Santos takes office as President of Colombia.
Letter to Henry Acosta from Pablo Catatumbo. Conclusions regarding the President of the Republic’s proposal to hold a first meeting between government and FARC-EP delegates.
Letter to Henry Acosta from Pablo Catatumbo. Response regarding Mauricio Jaramillo’s future presence and guidelines for the first preparatory meeting, including a proposal for Ricardo Téllez to attend on behalf of the FARC-EP.
The FARC-EP designates Mauricio Jaramillo and Timoleón Jiménez as part of their delegation for the exploratory meeting.
The Victims and Land Restitution Law (Law 1448 of 2011) is enacted.
Alfonso Cano, FARC-EP commander, is killed in Operation Odiseo.
Meeting between Hugo Chávez, president of Venezuela, and Timoleón Jiménez, commander-in-chief of the FARC-EP.
The first exploratory meeting between representatives of the government and the FARC-EP is held in Havana, Cuba.
The Legal Framework for Peace (Legislative Act 01 of 2012) is enacted.
Signing of the General Agreement to End the Armed Conflict and Build a Stable and Lasting Peace.
Public address from President Juan Manuel Santos on the General Agreement to End the Armed Conflict and Build a Stable and Lasting Peace.
Statement from Timoleón Jiménez, commander-in-chief of the FARC-EP, on the General Agreement to End the Armed Conflict.
Conversations Phase
On October 18, 2012, the Negotiations Table was installed, thus initiating the public phase of the process to be carried out in Havana, with the objective of reaching agreements on the six points of the agenda. On August 24, 2016, a first Final Agreement was reached, which was signed in Cartagena a month later.
Statement from President Juan Manuel Santos on appointing a government team for peace negotiations.
Appointment of the government’s delegation to the Negotiation Table: plenipotentiaries and alternate negotiators (Resolution 339 of 2012).
Recognition of FARC-EP members as representatives at the Negotiation Table (Resolution 350 of 2012).
Installation of the Negotiation Table in Oslo, Norway.
The parties reach an agreement to launch the website www.mesadeconversaciones.com.co and agree on the format for citizen participation via physical means.
The Citizen Participation Forum on Comprehensive Agrarian Development Policy, point 1 on the negotiation agenda, is held.
The Forum on Political Participation is held on point 2 of the negotiation agenda.
The parties reach an agreement on point 1: Towards a New Colombian Countryside: Comprehensive Rural Reform.
A public hearing convened by the Constitutional Court on the Legal Framework for Peace is held.
The National Forum on the Solution to the Illicit Drugs Problem is held on point 4 of the negotiation agenda.
The Regional Forum on the Solution to the Illicit Drugs Problem is held in San José del Guaviare, Guaviare, on point 4 of the negotiation agenda.
The National Summit of Women and Peace is held in Bogotá.
The parties reach an agreement on point 2 of the agenda: Political Participation: A Democratic Opportunity to Build Peace.
María Paulina Riveros and Nigeria Rentería are appointed as plenipotentiaries of the government delegation at the Negotiation Table (Resolution 321 of 2013).
The FARC-EP proposes including a commission on the historical truth of the Colombian internal conflict.
The parties reach an agreement on point 4 of the negotiation agenda: Solution to the Illicit Drugs Problem.
Public statement by the parties on the guiding principles for discussing point 5, Victims, and the establishment of the Gender Subcommittee.
The agreement for creating the Technical Subcommittee for Ending the Conflict (STFC, in Spanish) is announced.
Second round of the presidential elections. Juan Manuel Santos is re-elected as president.
The Regional Victims Forum in Villavicencio is held.
The Regional Victims Forum in Barrancabermeja is held.
The Regional Victims Forum in Barranquilla is held.
The National Victims Forum is held in Cali.
The first group of victims meets with the delegations at the Negotiation Table.
The delegations of the government and the FARC-EP set up the Historical Commission on the Conflict and its Victims.
Installation of the Technical Subcommittee for Ending the Conflict.
The second group of victims meets with the delegations at the Negotiation Table.
The Negotiation Table publishes draft agreements reached on points 1, 2, and 4.
The third group of victims meets with the delegations at the Negotiation Table.
The fourth group of victims meets with the delegations at the Negotiation Table.
Within the framework of the Gender Subcommittee, the first delegation of women’s organizations visits Havana.
The fifth group of victims meets with the delegations at the Negotiation Table.
The FARC-EP declares an indefinite unilateral ceasefire and cessation of hostilities.
The FARC-EP asks for forgiveness from Bojayá victims.
The Negotiation Table meets with the members of the Historical Commission on the Conflict and its Victims.
Men and women representatives from organizations of women victims, small-scale farmers, indigenous people, Afro-descendant people, former combatants, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex persons, as well as human rights defenders and leaders, meet with the Gender Subcommittee to present their proposals.
Meeting of the delegations of the government and the FARC-EP with Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, at the Negotiation Table.
Installation of the Technical Subcommittee for Ending the Conflict.
The delegations of the government and the FARC-EP at the Negotiation Table reach an agreement on demining.
President Santos creates an Advisory Commission for Peace with representatives from the country’s different population segments.
The FARC-EP declares a suspension of the unilateral ceasefire.
María Ángela Holguín and Gonzalo Restrepo are appointed as plenipotentiaries of the government’s delegation to the Negotiation Table (Resolution 091 of 2015).
The delegations of the government and the FARC-EP reach an agreement on accelerating the work in Havana and de-escalating offensive actions in Colombia, and the creation of a legal group to discuss the point on justice is formalized, made up of three lawyers designated by the President and three lawyers designated by the FARC-EP.
The president orders the suspension of bombings against the FARC-EP.
The Negotiation Table meets with delegates of the United Nations Secretary-General, led by Jean Arnault, and of UNASUR’s Pro Tempore Presidency, Uruguay, led by José Bayardi.
Meeting of the group of jurists delegated by the Negotiation Table in Bogotá, which achieves a draft agreement on the point of justice.
First meeting in Havana between President Juan Manuel Santos and the FARC-EP’s commander-in-chief, Timoleón Jiménez; in which it is announced the Special Jurisdiction for Peace agreement.
An agreement is announced on immediate confidence-building measures to contribute to searching for, locating, identifying, and returning the remains of persons deemed as missing in the context of and due to the armed conflict, and the creation of the Special Unit for the Search for Persons Deemed as Missing.
Meeting of the group of jurists delegated by the President, with the representatives of FARC-EP in the Negotiation Table.
A group of businesspeople meets with the delegations of the government and the FARC-EP at the Negotiation Table and issues a statement expressing their support for the peace process.
Meeting of the justice group to consolidate the definitive version of the agreement on justice.
The National Land Agency, Rural Development Agency, and Territory Renewal Agency are created (Decrees 2363, 2364, and 2366 of 2015).
The parties reach an agreement on the entirety of point 5: Agreement on the Comprehensive System for Truth, Justice, Reparations, and Non-Recurrence.
The Technical Subcommittee for Ending the Conflict meets and prepares a draft of the agreement on the bilateral and definitive ceasefire and cessation of hostilities and the laying down of arms.
Meeting of the Technical Subcommittee for Ending the Conflict with Jean Arnault, delegate of the United Nations Secretary-General.
The delegations of the National Government and the FARC-EP meet with Cuban President Raúl Castro.
The delegations of the National Government and the FARC-EP announce the creation of a tripartite mechanism for monitoring and verifying the agreement on the bilateral and definitive ceasefire and cessation of hostilities and laying down of arms.
The Forum on the End of the Conflict and Implementation, Verification, and Endorsement is held on points 3 and 6.
The FARC-EP publicly renounces the recruitment of minors under the age of eighteen.
Representatives of organizations on the search for persons deemed as missing arrive in Havana.
Meeting of the government’s negotiating team with United States Secretary of State John Kerry.
The delegations of the National Government and the FARC-EP formally begin discussions on point 6, Implementation, Verification, and Endorsement.
The delegations of the National Government and the FARC-EP announce an agreement on releasing minors under fifteen years of age from FARC-EP camps.
Agreement to receive representatives of indigenous, Roma, Afro-Colombian, black, Palenquero, and Raizal communities.
The delegations of the National Government and the FARC-EP announce the implementation of the voluntary substitution agreement for illicit crops in the Briceño municipality, Antioquia.
The parties sign an agreement on the bilateral and definitive ceasefire and cessation of hostilities, security guarantees, and the fight against criminal organizations, signed by President Juan Manuel Santos and the FARC-EP’s commander-in-chief, Timoleón Jiménez.
Delegates from ethnic groups visit the Negotiation Table to include an ethnic approach in point 6.
The Framework Plan for Implementation (PMI, for its Spanish acronym) is formally established, with pillars, strategies, products, measurable goals, and indicators necessary for implementing the Final Agreement.
The legislative act covering the “fast track” process and special presidential powers for six months is issued to expedite the implementation of a Final Agreement (Legislative Act 01 of 2016).
The Constitutional Court approves the plebiscite as a mechanism to endorse the Peace Agreement with the FARC-EP.
The delegations of the National Government and the FARC-EP present the results of including a gender perspective in the agreements.
The parties reach an agreement on protocols for the ceasefire and laying down of arms, which accompany the agreement on these issues.
The parties reach an agreement on selection mechanisms for magistrates of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace.
Agreement reached. The delegations announce that they have reached a final, comprehensive, and definitive agreement.
The statutory law establishing the terms of the plebiscite for the Final Agreement’s endorsement is passed (Statutory Law 1806 of 2016).
President Juan Manuel Santos, by means of Decree 1386, orders a bilateral and definitive ceasefire and cessation of hostilities between the National Government and the FARC-EP.
President Juan Manuel Santos acknowledges the State’s responsibility in the case of the Patriotic Union (UP, in Spanish).
The FARC-EP holds its Tenth Conference, the organization’s highest decision-making body, in which it ratifies its support for the Final Agreement.
The FARC-EP acknowledges its responsibility in the La Chinita massacre in Apartadó, Antioquia.
The parties officially sign the Agreement to End the Armed Conflict and Build a Stable and Lasting Peace in Cartagena, Colombia.
The plebiscite is held as an endorsement mechanism so that Colombian society may vote in favor of or against the Final Agreement reached in Havana.
Renegotiation Phase
Following the Constitutional Court’s endorsement to establish a mechanism for citizen endorsement of what was agreed in Havana (Cuba), on October 2, 2016, the Plebiscite for peace was held. Colombians were asked: “Do you support the final agreement to end the conflict and build a stable and lasting peace?”. 6,431,376 citizens (50.21%) voted “No” and 6,377,482 (49.78%) “Yes”. In view of the disapproval of the Agreement, the Colombian government activated a Great National Dialogue with the purpose of collecting proposals for adjustments and clarifications from sectors that had voted in favor and against the Agreement. With these proposals, the government and FARC-EP sat down again in Havana to build a new agreement to be reached on November 12, 2016.
The National Civil Registry announces that “No” won with 6,431,376 votes (50.1%) of the total vote. “Yes” obtained 6,377,482 votes (49.78%). The difference was 53,894 votes.
President Santos acknowledges the plebiscite results and calls for a Great National Dialogue with different segments of society.
Meetings with spokespersons from the “Yes” and “No” sides begin, thus beginning the Great National Dialogue after the disapproval of the Final Agreement in the plebiscite.
The awarding of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize to President Juan Manuel Santos is announced.
Meeting of the Government Dialogue Commission during the Great National Dialogue with those promoting the “No” vote.
Meeting of President Juan Manuel Santos with government delegates for the Great National Dialogue.
Temporary Pre-Grouping Points are established (Resolution 282 of 2016) for placing FARC-EP members while the Great National Dialogue progresses.
Meeting of government delegates with “No” representatives during the Great National Dialogue.
Meeting of government delegates with “No” representatives during the Great National Dialogue.
The parties announce that they have reached a new Final Agreement in Havana.
The parties officially sign the new Final Agreement in the city of Bogotá.
The Council of State issues a favorable decision on the Final Agreement’s ratification by Congress (Decision No. 2323 of the Chamber of Civil Service and Consultation [Sala de Consulta y Servicio Civil]).
Implementation Phase
With the endorsement of the Final Agreement through the Congress of the Republic, the Implementation phase of the Agreement began on December 1, 2016. Among the first milestones of the implementation, the Commission for Monitoring, Promotion and Verification of Implementation (CSIVI) and the National Council for Reincorporation (CNR) were created as joint government and FARC-EP bodies to monitor the implementation process.
The parties officially announce the start of the Final Agreement’s implementation (D-Day) after its endorsement.
Creation of the Commission for Monitoring, Promoting, and Verifying the Implementation of the Final Agreement (CSIVI, in Spanish) (Decree 1995 of 2016).
Creation of the National Reincorporation Council (Decree 2027 of 2016).
FARC-EP members begin moving towards the local zones (zonas veredales) to begin the laying down of arms process.
The United Nations Mission begins its work to verify the FARC-EP’s process of laying down arms.
The CSIVI provides guidelines to launch the Special High-Level Forum with Ethnic Peoples (IEANPE, for its Spanish acronym) to monitor the Final Agreement’s implementation.
Legislative Act 01 of 2017 creates a title of transitory provisions to the Constitution to end the armed conflict and build a stable and lasting peace, in addition to issuing other provisions.
The Truth, Coexistence, and Non-Recurrence Commission is organized through Decree 588 of 2017.
The Special Unit for the Search for Persons Deemed as Missing in the context of and due to the armed conflict is organized through Decree 589 of 2017.
The CSIVI provides guidelines to launch the Special Forum for the Implementation of the Gender-Based Approach and its objectives.
The Development Programs with a Territorial Focus (PDETs, for their Spanish acronym) are created through Decree 893 of 2017.
The National Comprehensive Program for the Substitution of Crops Used for Illicit Purposes is established through Decree 896 of 2017.
Measures are adopted to facilitate implementing the comprehensive rural reform laid out in the Peace Agreement in terms of land, specifically the procedure for access and land titling and the Land Fund (Decree 902 of 2017).
The process of FARC-EP members individually laying down their arms begins.
The process of removing the containers of FARC-EP weapons in the local zones (zonas veredales) is finalized.
The process of disabling and destroying the weapons to build three agreed-upon monuments begins.
Former FARC combatants exercise their right to vote in Congressional elections for the first time.
The Political Opposition Statute is adopted through Law 1909 of 2018.
Opening of Case No. 2 in the Special Jurisdiction for Peace: “Territorial Situation in the Ricaurte, Tumaco, and Barbacoas Municipalities of Nariño”.
Opening of Case No. 3 in the Special Jurisdiction for Peace: “Deaths Illegitimately Presented as Casualties in Combat by State Agents”.
For the first time in Congress, members of the FARC political party occupy ten seats (5 in the House of Representatives and 5 in the Senate) for two legislative periods (8 years).
Opening of Case No. 4 in the Special Jurisdiction for Peace: “Territorial Situation in the Urabá Region”.
Opening of Case No. 5 in the Special Jurisdiction for Peace: “Territorial Situation in the Northern Cauca and Southern Valle de Cauca Regions”.
Opening of Case No. 6 in the Special Jurisdiction for Peace: “Victimization of Patriotic Union Members”.
Opening of Case No. 7 in the Special Jurisdiction for Peace “Recruitment and Use of Children in the Armed Conflict”.
The dissidence group of the FARC called Segunda Marquetalia is founded, led by Iván Márquez and Jesús Santrich, negotiators of the peace process, together with other FARC-EP commanders.
The Special Peace Jurisdiction excludes Jesús Santrich from the transitional justice system derived from the Peace Agreement after his voluntary act of abandoning the reincorporation process and his seat as a congressman.
The Reincorporation Route is created through Resolution 4309 of 2019.
Legislative Act 02 of 2021, creating 16 special peace seats in Congress for victims of the armed conflict, is passed after more than two years in Congress and a Constitutional Court review.
The fifth anniversary of the Peace Agreement’s signing is commemorated.
The National Registry Office (Registraduría) presents the official list of candidates registered to run for the Special Transitory Peace Voting Districts. A total of 398 registered candidates will compete for 16 seats in the House of Representatives.
The Constitutional Court declares an unconstitutional state of affairs regarding the security guarantees promised to individuals in the process of reincorporation under the Peace Agreement.
In the 2022 legislative elections, the election of the 16 seats of the Special Transitory Peace Electoral Districts for the House of Representatives is held. The National Registry Office (Registraduría) reports a vote of approximately 553.664 people out of 1.246.634 eligible voters.
The Truth Commission publicly releases, at the Jorge Eliecer Gaitán Theatre in Bogotá, its final report on what happened during Colombia’s armed conflict.
Opening of Case No. 10 in the Special Jurisdiction for Peace “Crimes not eligible for amnesty, committed by members of the ex Farc-EP, because of, or in direct or indirect connection with the Colombian armed conflict”.
The Special Jurisdiction for Peace and the UN Verification Mission in Colombia sign a protocol to formalize the Monitoring and Verification Mechanism for the implementation of JEP’s Special Sanctions
The Government reactivates the Commission for Monitoring, Promotion and Verifying the Implementation of the Final Agreement (CSIVI) and the National Commission for Security Guarantees (CNGS).
The Unit for the Implementation of the Final Agreement to End the Armed Conflict and Build a Stable and Lasting Peace is created within the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace, through Decree 2467 of 2022.
The UN Security Council extends the mandate of the Verification Mission in Colombia to include verification of the implementation of Point 1, related to the Integral Rural Reform, and Point 6.2, related to the Chapter on Ethnic Perspectives.
Rodrigo Londoño intervenes at the UN Security Council and asks for support to implement the Peace Agreement.
The UN Security Council extends the mandate of the Special Mission to Colombia until 31 October 2024.
The Constitutional Court declares an “unconstitutional state of affairs” due to systematic violence against social leaders in the country. The National Government is ordered to ensure that the population leaders and defenders of human rights in Colombia enjoy the necessary protection for the development of their activities.
The United Nations Security Council is making its third visit to Colombia (from February 7 to 11, 2024), within the framework of its responsibilities as the body responsible for verifying the implementation of the Peace Agreement.
Antonia Urrejola, appointed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights as an international human rights expert to identify obstacles to the implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement, delivers the final version of her report on the problems in the implementation of the Peace Agreement.
The Amnesty Chamber of the JEP orders that the judicial records of 9,600 former FARC-EP combatants be erased, as a materialization of the legal benefits for the signatories of the peace, and a guarantee of their effective reincorporation into society.
Diego Tovar speaks in person before the United Nations Security Council, representing the signatories of the peace in Colombia, on the implementation of the Peace Agreement, and makes an urgent call to stop the violence against the signatories.
Former members of the FARC-EP Secretariat Rodrigo Londoño (Timochenko), Jaime Alberto Parra (Mauricio Jaramillo), Milton de Jesús Toncel (Joaquín Gómez), Pablo Catatumbo Torres, Pastor Alape (José Lisandro Lascarro), Julián Gallo (Carlos Antonio Lozada) and Rodrigo Granda renounce the presumption of innocence in all cases for which they have been charged before the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), and request a single sentence from said instance.
Comprehensive Rural Reform
Item 1 contains the agreement regarding the Comprehensive Rural Reform (RRI according to its Spanish initials), which seeks to ensure the wellbeing of rural residents by deeply transforming their reality. This transformation is focused on bringing development to rural areas, eradicating rural poverty and ensuring the full enjoyment of citizen’s rights in rural areas.
Statement from President Juan Manuel Santos on appointing a government team for peace negotiations.
The delegations of the government and the FARC-EP announce a forum on the agrarian issue, to receive civil society’s opinions on this matter.
The Citizen Participation Forum on Comprehensive Agrarian Development Policy, point 1 on the negotiation agenda, is held.
The delegations of the government and the FARC-EP receive the proposals presented at the Comprehensive Agrarian Development Policy Forum.
The parties reach an agreement on point 1: Towards a New Colombian Countryside: Comprehensive Rural Reform.
Political Participation
Item 2 contains the agreement regarding political participation. This agreement is a unique opportunity to advance in the broadening and deepening of our democratic system.
Though the nation took big steps toward a true democratic opening with the 1991 Political Constitution—allowing new political parties and movements to enter the political arena, as well as proclaiming fundamental values and principles that have strengthened political institutions—, many of those values and principles have not materialized, largely due to the internal armed conflict. As such, it was necessary to reach some agreements regarding this subject.
The parties announce a forum on political participation and logistical preparatory meetings with the National University (Universidad Nacional) and the United Nations Office in Colombia (joint communiqué).
The Forum on Political Participation is held on point 2 of the negotiation agenda.
President Juan Manuel Santos calls the government delegation back to Bogotá for consultations in the context of the discussion on political participation.
The parties reach an agreement on point 2 of the agenda: Political Participation: A Democratic Opportunity to Build Peace.
Solution to the Problem of Illicit Drugs
Item 4 contains the agreement regarding the solution to the problem of illicit drugs, which promotes a distinct and differentiated treatment of the phenomena of consumption, the problem of illicit crops, and the organized crime associated with drug trafficking. This agreement additionally ensures a general focus on human rights and public health with differentiated gender and ethnicity perspectives.
Given that the cultivation, production and commercialization of illicit drugs has intersected, fueled and financed the internal conflict, resolving the drug problem in these regions contributes to non-repetition of the conflict.
The delegations of the government and the FARC-EP request that the United Nations Office in Colombia and the National University’s Center for Reflection and Monitoring the Peace Talks (Centro de Pensamiento y Seguimiento al Diálogo de Paz de la Universidad Nacional) organize a forum on point 4, Solution to the Illicit Drugs Problem.
The National Forum on the Solution to the Illicit Drugs Problem is held on point 4 of the negotiation agenda.
The Regional Forum on the Solution to the Illicit Drugs Problem is held in San José del Guaviare, Guaviare, on point 4 of the negotiation agenda.
The United Nations Office in Colombia and the National University (Universidad Nacional) deliver the results of the forum on point 4.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) presentation to the Negotiation Table.
The Negotiation Table conducts direct consultations on point 4 with Ricardo Vargas, Darío Fajardo, Rodrigo Uprimny, Francisco Thoumi, Alfredo Molano, the Association of Women Farmers from the Rosas Municipality (Asociación de Mujeres Agricultoras del Municipio de Rosas – ASMAR), the CRISTACAÑA Business and Agricultural Association (Asociación Empresarial y Agropecuaria), and the Association of Rubber Producers and Marketers (Asociación de Productores y Comercializadores de Caucho – ASOPROCAUCHO).
The Negotiation Table welcomes Ricardo Vargas and Darío Fajardo as experts on point 4, Solution to the Illicit Drugs Problem.
The Negotiation Table welcomes delegates, both men and women, from ASMAR of Cauca; CRISTACAÑA of Vistahermosa, Meta; and ASOPROCAUCHO of El Retorno, Guaviare, in order to learn about their experience in the process of substituting illicit crops and rebuilding community networks and legal economies.
The parties reach an agreement on point 4 of the negotiation agenda: Solution to the Illicit Drugs Problem.
The delegations of the National Government and the FARC-EP announce the implementation of the voluntary substitution agreement for illicit crops in the Briceño municipality, Antioquia.
Victims
Item 5 contains the agreement regarding victims of the conflict, which leads to the creation of the Comprehensive System for Truth, Justice, Reparations and Non-repetition.
The President of the Republic launches the National Center for Historical Memory’s report, Basta Ya!
The FARC-EP proposes including a commission on the historical truth of the Colombian internal conflict.
Public statement by the parties on the guiding principles for discussing point 5, Victims, and the establishment of the Gender Subcommittee.
The delegations of the government and the FARC-EP request that the United Nations Office in Colombia and the National University’s Center for Reflection and Monitoring the Peace Talks (Centro de Pensamiento y Seguimiento al Diálogo de Paz de la Universidad Nacional) organize forums on point 5, Victims.
The Regional Victims Forum in Villavicencio is held.
The Regional Victims Forum in Barrancabermeja is held.
The Regional Victims Forum in Barranquilla is held.
The National Victims Forum is held in Cali.
The first group of victims travels to Havana.
The first group of victims meets with the delegations at the Negotiation Table.
The delegations of the government and the FARC-EP set up the Historical Commission on the Conflict and its Victims.
The Negotiation Table welcomes Javier Ciurlizza, an expert in truth commissions.
The Negotiation Table welcomes Mark Freeman, an expert on truth commissions.
The delegations of the government and the FARC-EP receive the proposals presented at the citizen participation forums on the victims point.
The third group of victims meets with the delegations at the Negotiation Table.
The Negotiation Table welcomes Marcy Mersky and María Camila Moreno, experts on truth commissions.
The fourth group of victims meets with the delegations at the Negotiation Table.
The fifth group of victims meets with the delegations at the Negotiation Table.
The FARC-EP asks for forgiveness from Bojayá victims.
The Negotiation Table meets with the members of the Historical Commission on the Conflict and its Victims.
Bernie Aronson, the United States Special Envoy to the Colombian Peace Process, and Kevin Whitaker, United States Ambassador to Colombia, visit Havana.
Enrique Santos, special delegate of President Juan Manuel Santos, is sent to Havana to support the development of the peace talks.
The government’s delegation meets with Zainab Bangura, United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict.
Douglas Cassel, Juan Carlos Henao, and Manuel José Cepeda, legal advisors to the government, arrive in Havana to meet for the first time with the attorneys of the FARC-EP’s legal group to address the issue of justice.
First meeting of the government’s legal advisors with plenipotentiaries from the National Government’s delegation to exchange views on the point of justice.
First meeting of the Review of the Legal Situation of Persons Deprived of Liberty working group, made up of government and FARC-EP delegates.
Meeting of legal advisors with the government’s delegation in Havana to address the point of justice.
Meeting of the group of jurists delegated by the Negotiation Table in Bogotá, which achieves a draft agreement on the point of justice.
First meeting in Havana between President Juan Manuel Santos and the FARC-EP’s commander-in-chief, Timoleón Jiménez; in which it is announced the Special Jurisdiction for Peace agreement.
An agreement is announced on immediate confidence-building measures to contribute to searching for, locating, identifying, and returning the remains of persons deemed as missing in the context of and due to the armed conflict, and the creation of the Special Unit for the Search for Persons Deemed as Missing.
Meeting of the Technical Subcommittee for Ending the Conflict with Jean Arnault, delegate of the United Nations Secretary-General, to discuss issues related to the Monitoring and Verification Mechanism.
Meeting of the justice group to consolidate the definitive version of the agreement on justice.
Meetings of the delegations of the government and the FARC-EP with representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross to address the issue of the search protocol for persons deemed as missing.
The parties reach an agreement on the entirety of point 5: Agreement on the Comprehensive System for Truth, Justice, Reparations, and Non-Recurrence.
The Technical Investigation Team (CTI, in Spanish) and the Attorney General’s Office of Colombia (Fiscalía General de la Nación) initiate activities to search for, locate, identify, and return in a dignified manner the remains of persons disappeared due to the armed conflict in the cemetery of La Macarena, Meta.
The human rights ombudsman presents a plan of recommendations in order to strengthen institutional capacities and victims’ participation in searching for, locating, identifying, and returning in a dignified manner the remains of persons deemed as missing.
Representatives of organizations on the search for persons deemed as missing arrive in Havana.
The parties reach an agreement on selection mechanisms for magistrates of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace.
President Juan Manuel Santos acknowledges the State’s responsibility in the case of the Patriotic Union (UP, in Spanish).
The FARC-EP acknowledges its responsibility in the La Chinita massacre in Apartadó, Antioquia.
End of Conflict
Item 3 contains agreements regarding the ceasefire and cessation of hostilities, the laying down of arms, the Reincorporation of the FARC-EP into civilian life, and safety guarantees. These agreements are intended to put an end to the armed conflict, to guarantee an effective transition of the FARC-EP from an armed organization to a political party or movement, and to create conditions that will impede new outbreaks of violence and new war victims.
The approach to the subjects in this item begins from the premise that, to solve the problems that prolonged the armed conflict for over fifty years, rifles must be silenced and there must be minimal safety requirements for transforming territories that were historically affected by armed confrontations.
Meeting of the FARC-EP’s delegation with members of the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace to address the situation of individuals deprived of their liberty.
Discussion begins on the possibility of creating a Subcommittee for Ending the Conflict that would discuss the ceasefire.
Second meeting of the FARC-EP’s delegation with members of the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace to address the situation of individuals deprived of their liberty.
The agreement for creating the Technical Subcommittee for Ending the Conflict (STFC, in Spanish) is announced.
Early meeting of members from the delegations of the government and the FARC-EP who will be part of the Technical Subcommittee for Ending the Conflict.
The formation of the government delegation to the Technical Subcommittee for Ending the Conflict is authorized (Resolution 227 of 2014).
Installation of the Technical Subcommittee for Ending the Conflict.
The FARC-EP declares an indefinite unilateral ceasefire and cessation of hostilities.
The Frente Amplio por la Paz travels to Havana to present its analysis of the unilateral ceasefire declared by the FARC-EP.
Announcement by the FARC-EP on the non-incorporation of minors into its ranks.
The Negotiation Table conducts direct consultations on points 3 and 6 (Technical Subcommittee for Ending the Conflict) with Major General (Retired) Julio Arnoldo Balconi Turcios (Government – Guatemala), Rodrigo Sandino Asturias Valenzuela (former guerrilla – Guatemala), and General (Retired) Luis Alejandro Sintes (Spanish Army – UN observer).
The Negotiation Table conducts new direct consultations on points 3 and 6 (Technical Subcommittee for Ending the Conflict) with Jean Arnault (UN), Major General Mauricio Ernesto Vargas (Government – El Salvador), José Luis Merino (former guerrilla – El Salvador), and Colonel (Retired) Prudencio García (Spanish Army – UN observer).
Technical Subcommittee meeting on point 3, End of the Conflict, to listen and discuss international experiences in disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration.
The Negotiation Table conducts a new round of direct consultations on points 3 and 6 (Technical Subcommittee for Ending the Conflict) with Aracelly Santana (Ecuador – UN), Jeffrey Mapendere (former guerrilla – Zimbabwe), Yon Medina Vivanco (Peru – UN), and Julian Thomas Hottinger.
The FARC-EP declares a suspension of the unilateral ceasefire.
First formal meeting of the Security Guarantees Group, made up of government and FARC-EP delegates, to address this subpoint on End of the Conflict.
The Negotiation Table meets with delegates of the United Nations Secretary-General, led by Jean Arnault, and of UNASUR’s Pro Tempore Presidency, Uruguay, led by José Bayardi.
Meeting of the Technical Subcommittee for Ending the Conflict with UN and UNASUR delegates.
Meeting of the Technical Subcommittee for Ending the Conflict’s members with the demining pilot project’s team.
Meeting of the Technical Subcommittee for Ending the Conflict with the United Nations Secretary-General delegate, Jean Arnault, and UNASUR’s Pro Tempore Presidency delegate, José Bayardi.
The Technical Subcommittee for Ending the Conflict meets and prepares a draft of the agreement on the bilateral and definitive ceasefire and cessation of hostilities and the laying down of arms.
Meeting of the Technical Subcommittee for Ending the Conflict with Jean Arnault, delegate of the United Nations Secretary-General.
The delegations of the National Government and the FARC-EP announce the creation of a tripartite mechanism for monitoring and verifying the agreement on the bilateral and definitive ceasefire and cessation of hostilities and laying down of arms.
The Negotiation Table receives progress reports from the Technical Subcommittee for Ending the Conflict and the Security Guarantees Working Group.
The Forum on the End of the Conflict and Implementation, Verification, and Endorsement is held on points 3 and 6.
The FARC-EP publicly renounces the recruitment of minors under the age of eighteen.
The United Nations and the Center for Reflection and Monitoring the Peace Talks (Centro de Pensamiento y Seguimiento al Diálogo de Paz) deliver the results of the forum on points 3 and 6.
The President of the Republic suspends FARC-EP delegates’ educational visits to their camps in Colombia after the incident in the Conejo rural settlement in Fonseca, La Guajira.
Enrique Santos arrives in Havana to meet with the government’s delegation and the FARC-EP commander, Timoleón Jiménez.
Meeting of the government’s negotiating team with United States Secretary of State John Kerry.
The delegations of the National Government and the FARC-EP announce an agreement on releasing minors under fifteen years of age from FARC-EP camps.
Installation of the technical working group for the protocol to release minors under fifteen years of age from FARC-EP camps.
The parties sign an agreement on the bilateral and definitive ceasefire and cessation of hostilities, security guarantees, and the fight against criminal organizations, signed by President Juan Manuel Santos and the FARC-EP’s commander-in-chief, Timoleón Jiménez.
The parties reach an agreement on protocols for the ceasefire and laying down of arms, which accompany the agreement on these issues.
In Colombia, delegates from the government, the FARC-EP, and the UN begin technical visits to the places where the Transitory Local Zones for Normalization (ZVTN, in Spanish) and the Transitional Points for Normalization (PTN, in Spanish) will be located.
Technical visits to the Transitory Local Zones for Normalization (ZVTN, in Spanish) and Transitional Points for Normalization (PTN, in Spanish) conclude.
President Juan Manuel Santos, by means of Decree 1386, orders a bilateral and definitive ceasefire and cessation of hostilities between the National Government and the FARC-EP.
Implementation, Verification and Ratification
Given the importance of guaranteeing the implementation of the agreements reached, between July and August of 2016, the Government and the FARC-EP discussed as the sixth and last item on the agenda, the mechanisms related to the implementation and verification of the Final Agreement.
The delegations of the National Government and the FARC-EP formally begin discussions on point 6, Implementation, Verification, and Endorsement.
The parties reach an agreement to provide the Final Agreement with legal security and stability.
The statutory law establishing the terms of the plebiscite for the Final Agreement’s endorsement is passed (Statutory Law 1806 of 2016).
The FARC-EP holds its Tenth Conference, the organization’s highest decision-making body, in which it ratifies its support for the Final Agreement.
The parties officially sign the Agreement to End the Armed Conflict and Build a Stable and Lasting Peace in Cartagena, Colombia.
The plebiscite is held as an endorsement mechanism so that Colombian society may vote in favor of or against the Final Agreement reached in Havana.