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[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 148 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

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.
                                 <all>
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