Colombia’s government on Tuesday said there will be no further cutbacks in the budget for the implementation of the country’s ongoing peace process.
“In effect, the commitment remained so that this budget included a peace plan budget. There are currently about $2.94 billion (COP 9.7 trillion) for peace in this budget, which is transferred to several sectors,” the Director of the National Planning Department (DNP), Gloria Alonso, told RCN Radio.
Colombia’s 2020 budget proposal; higher spending, less investment
The administration of Ivan Duque has resisted key elements of the peace process, particularly the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), the war crimes tribunal that seeks to bring justice and reparation to the victims of war crimes committed during Colombia’s armed conflict.
Earlier this month, Duque personally intervened after JEP president Patricia Linares received a notification of the Finance Ministry that the transitional court’s budget would be cut by 30%.
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Following the presentation of the 2020 budget by Finance Minister Alberto Carrasquilla on Monday, Vice-Minister of Finance Juan Alberto Londoño said that funding for the peace process will increase by roughly $21.2 million (COP70 billion).
This increase “will allow the implementation of the peace agreements, as well as the processes of true justice and reparation,” according to Londoño.
“From the government, we believe that it is one of the sectors that comes out more strengthened with a 15% growth,” he added.
Last week, the United Nations Security Council made it clear that they expected the president to ensure “that the transitional justice system is able to work independently and autonomously, with the necessary political and financial support.”
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Finance Minister Alberto Carrasquilla’s proposed $84 billion (COP271.7 trillion) budget is 9.9% higher than that of this year, which saw a $3 billion cut because the minister had been a bit too optimistic about his country’s economic growth.