"Colombian Post-Agreement Era": Three Perspectives, Many Challenges

Colombia, one of South America’s most populous nations, had the World’s longest armed conflict that had not been negotiated (>55 years). In 2012 “the Colombian peace process” began with negotiations between the Colombian government and the rebel group FARC. This year the peace agreement between FARC and the government was ratified, and Colombia is now living the so-called “Post-Conflict Era”. In this panel, comprised by 3 Colombian graduate students from UBC, we will discuss the following: 1) That Colombia is not in the “Post-Conflict Era”, that instead we think it is in the “Post-Agreement Era”; 2) The future of Colombian ecosystems as a result of increased access to remote places that were protected during the conflict; 3) The public health challenge that Colombia will face in the coming years, which is associated with intergenerational trauma and the complex relationships between land, people, and economic systems; and 4) The role of education and pedagogical methods in building a “New Peaceful Nation”.