Colombia’s Vice President announced he and an international human rights NGO signed a memorandum of understanding to improve the full respect of human rights and international humanitarian law in the country.
The memorandum was signed by Vice President Angelino Garzon and Roberto Cuellar, director of the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights (IIHR), a Costa Rica based think tank specialized in human rights.
“We want to build a common agenda in Colombia which respects not only life but also the activity of human rights defenders, social leaders, businessmen and politicians, allowing all areas to develop their activities without fear of being threatened or killed”, the Vice President said on his website.
Together with the signing of the memorandum, a plan was established which will serve as cornerstone in the promotion of human rights on the regional and national level.
“We believe that to achieve progress, a process of joint cooperation between the state, the international community and the Colombian civil society is required”, Garzon added.
The head of the IIHR, Roberto Cuellar, noted that the struggle for human rights is “a never-ending challenge”.