Colombia Programme 2017 1. Political update 2017 
After four years of peace negotiations between the Colombian Government and the FARC-EP in Havana, Cuba, both parties signed the final agreement on the 26th of September 2016, under the supervision of many state leaders and other prominent guests. The agreement was set to be approved by the public with a plebiscite one week later, and opinion polls predicted a comfortable win for the YES voters.  

However, a majority voted against the peace agreement in this plebiscite – albeit with a very small margin-, thereby underlining the stark division of Colombian society. Also, the extremely low turnout rates made clear that political participation as well as representivity are a very serious concern in the country. The negative outcome of the referendum has temporarily stalled the implementation of the already signed peace agreement, and leaves the country with a panorama of uncertainty. Currently, both parties have returned to the negotiating table to discuss possible amendments to incorporate the concerns of the NO voters. This process is complicated by the fact that apart from former president Uribe, there is no representation for a large part of the NO camp. 

In the meantime, public demonstrations are widely spread in the main cities, filling the streets with people who demand the peace agreement to be implemented now. As a result, President Santos has prolonged the cease fire with the FARC till the end of the year, in order to support the renewed negations. Simultaneously, the Colombian government started a new peace process with the second guerrilla group of the country; ELN.

2. Programme & Theory of Change Update
These events made clear that the need to improve the political system to make it more inclusive and representative is more pressing than ever. NIMD Colombia is convinced that inclusive dialogue and the promotion of democratic culture are key to overcome polarisation and reach long-lasting peace. The peace process constitutes a very important window of opportunity for much needed electoral reforms and an aperture of the political system. Therefore, NIMD will –apart from its conventional interventions- pursue an active role in the peace process, and it aims to keep its participation in both point 2 (political participation) and 6 (implementation) of the agreements. 

Despite the uncertainty caused by the result of the plebiscite, NIMD has identified 2 timeframes with corresponding interventions (pre and post revised agreements) that are most constructive given the current circumstances. In the first timeframe, during ongoing renegotiations, NIMD will focus on: A) Reforms for the improvement of the political system, by promoting multi-actor dialogue around the electoral system and the Statute for Political Opposition; B) Strengthening a democratic political culture by training future political and social leaders through Democracy Schools as well as by promoting the political participation of women, in territories most affected by the conflict, and C) the monitoring and prevention of political violence.
 In the second timeframe, it is anticipated that a new peace accord is ratified with a broader support base. NIMD expects that the formation of new political movements remains an integral part of this agreement. Therefore, it will focus on: A) Reincorporation of the FARC-EP and other new political movements in politics, by providing technical assistance for the formation of their political party, the exchange of best practices and the training of their members, and B) the monitoring of the implementation of the agreements on political participation. Political actors are defined as the combined main target group of the Strategic Partnership: - (representatives of) political parties - politicians - (Members of) Parliament and its Committees - Other elected representatives at local levels. NIMD will primarily focus on political parties.