[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 61 (Tuesday, April 9, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2331-S2332]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 148--SUPPORTING EFFORTS BY THE GOVERNMENT OF COLOMBIA 
                 TO PURSUE PEACE AND REGIONAL STABILITY

  Mr. CARDIN (for himself and Mr. Blunt) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 148

       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,

[[Page S2332]]

     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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