[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 148 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 148
Supporting efforts by the Government of Colombia to pursue peace and
regional stability.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 9, 2019
Mr. Cardin (for himself and Mr. Blunt) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Supporting efforts by the Government of Colombia to pursue peace and
regional stability.
Whereas, in 2016, the Government of Colombia concluded a historic peace accord
with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), aimed at
addressing the root causes of the half-a-century conflict, including
stark economic inequalities, the rural-urban divide, and the historical
exclusion of Afro-Colombians, indigenous people, women, and poor
farmers, and is currently working to implement these accords;
Whereas the Governments and people of the United States and Colombia have forged
a resolute bond through a shared commitment to support peace, human
rights, democracy, the rule of law, and security throughout the
hemisphere and the world, which has been bolstered by the support of
hundreds of thousands of Colombian-Americans and their contributions to
American life;
Whereas, in 2000, the Government of Colombia achieved an impressive national
consensus to build state capacity, and the United States committed to
combat organized crime, drugs, and violence through its foreign
assistance package in support of Plan Colombia;
Whereas Plan Colombia and its successor, Peace Colombia, have received steadfast
commitments from the administrations of Presidents William Clinton,
George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, and continuously has
been strengthened by broad bipartisan support in the United States
Congress;
Whereas, while the Government of Colombia contributed more than 95 percent of
funds over the life of Plan Colombia, the political leadership,
technical advice, military assistance, and intelligence-sharing role of
the United States, along with the $11,000,000,000 appropriated by the
United States Congress through Plan Colombia and Peace Colombia to
combat the illicit narcotics trade and transnational organized crime,
advance democratic governance, promote economic growth, and defend human
rights, played a key role in transforming a nation on the brink to an
increasingly peaceful and prosperous democracy, while also safeguarding
vital United States interests;
Whereas the Government of Colombia, throughout the administrations of Presidents
Andres Pastrana, Alvaro Uribe, Juan Manuel Santos, and Ivan Duque, has
made investments and shown remarkable courageous leadership, often at
great cost and sacrifice, to consolidate domestic security,
socioeconomic development, and the rule of law that far exceed those
contributions made by the United States in Colombia;
Whereas, over the past 20 years, levels of crime and violence have subsided
sharply in Colombia, with annual per capita homicide rates declining
from 62 per 100,000 people in 1999 to a record low of 23 per 100,000
people in 2017;
Whereas the alignment of improved security and sound economic policies has
translated into steady growth in Colombia's Gross Domestic Product,
which increased from $86,000,000,000 in 1999 to more than
$309,000,000,000 in 2017, and led to greater Foreign Direct Investment,
which grew from $1,500,000,000 in 1999 to one of the highest in Latin
America at an estimated $14,000,000,000 in 2017;
Whereas the United States and Colombia enjoy a robust economic relationship with
United States goods and services trade with Colombia totaling an
estimated $36,100,000,000 in 2016, supporting over 100,000 jobs in the
United States;
Whereas the Government of Colombia has made impressive strides in reducing
poverty during the last 15 years, with the poverty rate decreasing from
64 percent in 1999 to 27 percent in 2017, according to the World Bank;
Whereas, since 1999, the Government of Colombia has expanded the presence of the
state across all 32 territorial departments, has contributed to the
professionalism of the Colombian judiciary, and has improved the
capacity of the Colombian Army, Navy, Air Force, and National Police;
Whereas Colombia is one of the United States most consistent and strategic
partners through its support of United States diplomatic objectives at
the United Nations and critical efforts made in the fight against
transnational organized crime and increased security and rule of law
overseas, including in Central America's Northern Triangle, Afghanistan,
and several countries in Africa;
Whereas Colombia signed a Memorandum of Understanding with NATO in 2017 and is
the first NATO partner nation in Latin America;
Whereas these gains are challenged by an escalating crisis in Venezuela, which
has seen an influx of more than 1,200,000 Venezuelans into Colombia and
the need for continued financial support to implement the peace accord
over the next 8 years;
Whereas the internal armed conflict has victimized all Colombians, including
women, children, and Afro-descendant and indigenous peoples, and has led
to the repeated targeting of leading representatives of civil society,
including trade unionists, journalists, human rights defenders, and
other community activists who remain at grave risk from guerrilla
groups, paramilitary successor organizations, organized criminal groups,
and corrupt local officials;
Whereas efforts to achieve lasting peace in Colombia must address the hardships
faced by victims of the armed conflict, as exemplified by the Government
of Colombia's Law on Victims and Restitution of Land of 2011;
Whereas the prospects for national reconciliation and sustainable peace in
Colombia rely on the effective delivery of justice for victims of the
conflict and the ability to hold accountable and appropriately punish
perpetrators of serious violations of human rights and international
humanitarian law; and
Whereas the work of Special Jurisdiction for Peace--the transitional justice
mechanism created with the purpose of ensuring accountability in the
context of Colombia's internal armed conflict--is fundamental to the
implementation of the accords and the consolidation of peace in the
country: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) reaffirms the unwavering support of the Government and
people of the United States for the people of Colombia in their
pursuit of peace and stabilization of territories previously in
conflict so they can achieve their aspiration to live in a
country free of violence and organized crime;
(2) lauds efforts to bring an end to Colombia's enduring
internal armed conflict;
(3) commends the work of the United Nations Verification
Mission in overseeing the implementation of the 2016 peace
accord and the disarmament and reintegration of combatants;
(4) maintains its commitment to the more than 7,000,000
victims of Colombia's armed conflict and urges the government
and FARC to hold accountable perpetrators of serious violations
of human rights and international humanitarian law and ensure
that they are appropriately punished;
(5) encourages the Government of Colombia to protect
vulnerable populations who remain at risk in that country,
including defenders of human rights, those facing threats due
to crop substitution from the illicit crop market, and Afro-
descendant and indigenous communities;
(6) encourages the Secretary of State to develop a
comprehensive strategy to assist the Government of Colombia in
managing the effects of the Venezuela crisis without
endangering or detracting from the successful implementation
and sustainability of the peace accord and stabilization of
territories previously in conflict in Colombia, and to further
strengthen the close bilateral partnership shared by the
Governments of the United States and Colombia;
(7) reaffirms its commitment to continued partnership
between the Governments of the United States and Colombia on
issues of mutual interest, including security, counternarcotics
cooperation, combating transnational organized crime, ensuring
justice for those who have caused indelible harm to our
populations, reintegration of FARC members, economic growth and
investment with a focus on disadvantaged communities, and
educational and cultural exchanges that strengthen diplomatic
relations;
(8) supports the Special Jurisdiction for Peace as an
important transitional justice mechanism and encourages the
continuation of its work as an important institution in charge
of guaranteeing truth, justice, and victim's reparations in the
aftermath of the country's internal armed conflict; and
(9) commits to furthering the bilateral relationship
between the United States and Colombia by working with leaders
in the public and private sectors, as well as civil society
from both countries, to ensure that the United States-Colombia
relationship remains at the forefront of United States foreign
policy.
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