The International Office for Human Rights Action on Colombia

Parliamentary Question on the EU’s commitment to the peace process and the situation in Buenaventura.

The question to the European Commission by Isabel Serra Sánchez MEP on 25 March 2025, on the commitment of the European Union to the urban dialogues that have taken place in the city of Buenaventura, seems important to us. Here is the full text of the question, which can be found on the website of the European Parliament at this link. From the organisations of the civil society we will be waiting and monitoring the response of the European Commission.

EU monitoring of the peace process and situation in Buenaventura (Colombia)

The European Union has been a long-standing supporter of the Colombian Peace Agreement, as well as initiatives under the ‘total peace’ plan, such as the social and legal dialogues between the two main armed groups in the city of Buenaventura, the largest import port, but also the country’s most violent city (according to a statement made during a municipal Security Council meeting, so far in 2025 there has been a 75% increase in homicides compared to the same period in 2024).

The port has not brought development to the wider area: Buenaventura has a multidimensional poverty index three times that of the department’s capital and twice the national average. Afro-descendant communities face daily risks of displacement due to the port expansion project and violence. In March 2024, EU funding of EUR 2.5 million was announced for these peace talks in Buenaventura, which appear to be deadlocked.

  1. Is the European Commission politically monitoring its economic contribution?
  2. What is the Commission doing to ensure the participation of civil society in Buenaventura in the dialogues?
  3. What measures is the Commission taking, via the EU Delegation in Colombia, to help restart the process?

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