Practitioner Profiles: Colombia in Transition with Joanna Radziukiewicz

Colombia is on the verge of transition, as negotiators near agreement on a peace deal to end the country’s decades-long armed conflict between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. With this optimism about peace, however, comes recognition of the country’s manifold humanitarian challenges. Over 6 million Colombians have been internally displaced, for instance, the second largest population of IDPs in the world. As such, the humanitarian consequences of the conflict are likely to persist well into a post-conflict phase.

In this episode, ATHA speaks with Joanna Radziukiewicz, Country Manager for the Norwegian Red Cross in Colombia. They discuss how the peace process and evolving transitional justice measures in Colombia are affecting humanitarian action, covering areas such as displacement, urban violence and de-mining. They also discuss the challenges and opportunities that arise from humanitarian action in a context of transition, and lessons for humanitarians in other transitional contexts.

October, 2015