• Country/entity

  Colombia
  

• Region

  Americas
  

• Agreement name

  Acuerdo sobre las Audiencias Públicas, Comunicado no. 3 de la Mesa de Dialogos y Negociacion

• Date

  5 Nov 1999

• Agreement status

  Multiparty signed/agreed

• Interim arrangement

  Yes

• Agreement/conflict level

  Intrastate/intrastate conflict ( Colombian Conflict (1964 - ) )

• Stage

  Pre-negotiation/process

• Conflict nature

  Government

• Peace process

  Colombia III - Arango

• Parties

  For the National Government:
  VÍCTOR G. RICARDO,High Commissioner
  CAMILO A. GÓMEZ,Negotiator
  FABIO VALENCIA COSSIO,Negotiator
  PEDRO GOMEZ BARRERO,Negotiator
  JUAN GABRIEL URIBE,Negotiator
  GONZALO FORERO DELGADILLO,Negotiator
  NESTOR HUMBERTO MARTINEZ,Coordinator of the Thematic Committee
  MAURICIO CÁRDENAS,Thematic Comittee
  ANDRÉS GONZÁLEZ DÍAZ,Thematic Comittee
  ARMANDO POMÁRICO,Thematic Comittee
  MIGUEL PINEDO VID AL,Thematic Comittee
  JUAN GÓMEZ MARTÍNEZ,Thematic Comittee
  JORGE GÓMEZ DUARTE,Thematic Committee
  
  For the FARC-EP
  RAÚL REYES,Negotiator
  JOAQUIN GOMEZ,Negotiator
  FABIÁN RAMÍREZ,Negotiator
  IVAN RIOS, Coordinator of the Thematic Committee
  MARCO LEÓN CALARCÁ,Thematic Committee
  PEDRO ALDANA,Thematic Committee
  ALBERTO MARTÍNEZ, Thematic Committee
  SIMÓN TRINIDAD, Thematic Committee
  FELIPE RINCÓN, Thematic Committee
  JAIRO MARTÍNEZ, Thematic Committee

• Third parties

  -

• Description

  Sets out the functions and powers of the technical committee that serves National Dialogue and Negotiation Body; and the method of conducting the public audiences of the National Dialogue Body

• Agreement document

  CO_991105_ACUERDO SOBRE LAS AUDIENCIAS PÈBLICAS COMUNICADO N3 -tr.pdf | Download PDF

• Agreement document (original language)

  CO_991105_ACUERDO SOBRE LAS AUDIENCIAS PÚBLICAS COMUNICADO N3.pdf | Download PDF

Groups

Gender

State definition

Governance

Power sharing

Human rights and equality

Rights related issues

Rights institutions

Justice sector reform

Socio-economic reconstruction

Land, property and environment

Security sector

Transitional justice

Implementation

AGREEMENT ON PUBLIC AUDIENCES:

COMMUNICATION NO.

3, ROUNDTABLE FOR DIALOGUE AND NEGOTIATIONS

San Vicente del Caguán, 5 November 1999

The spokespeople appointed by the national government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – Ejército Popular, FARC–EP) for the negotiations, present in the municipality of San Vicente del Caguán on 5 November 1999, have reached the following agreement regarding the holding of public audiences and the operation of the National Thematic Committee:

1. FUNCTIONS AND POWERS OF THE NATIONAL THEMATIC COMMITTEE

The National Thematic Committee is an attached, auxiliary and dependent body of the National Roundtable for Dialogue and Negotiation, created with a parity representation of up to 20 members, to serve as a bridge for all sectors of Colombian society who wish to contribute proposals and ideas regarding the issues on the Shared Agenda for the Transition toward a New Colombia that are submitted for consideration via the public audiences, based on the mutually agreed instructions and guidelines defined by the committee.

The National Thematic Committee will have two coordinators, one appointed by the national government and the other by FARC–EP, who will work in mutual agreement following the guidelines set by the National Roundtable for Dialogue and Negotiation.

The coordinators will periodically inform the roundtable of the results of public participation in public audiences.

They will also produce periodic schedules, a form for submitting information to the National Roundtable for Dialogue and Negotiation and technical sheets for the proposals, and will be supported by a technical secretariat for this purpose.

The coordinators will convene preparatory meetings for the audiences to distribute tasks to the committee members.

The members of the National Thematic Committee will perform the roles assigned by the coordinators at the preparatory meetings for the respective audiences, such as moderators and reporters.

The National Thematic Committee will organise the public audiences, chair the meetings, listen to people, take careful note of suggestions and systematise them, developing the opinions recommended by those present at the audiences for subsequent conveyance to the National Roundtable for Dialogue and Negotiation.

The committee will not be entitled to make commitments or hold meetings other than those requested by the National Roundtable for Dialogue and Negotiation.

Its members must abstain from using the space for the audience process for political or electoral proselytising or pursuing other personal or group objectives.

Statements by the National Thematic Committee, where relevant and necessary, will be made via communications produced in partnership and with the authorisation of the National Roundtable for Dialogue and Negotiation.

The coordinators of the committee will act as spokespeople for this purpose.

The coordinators of the National Thematic Committee will be entitled to adopt measures to ensure its members comply with the regulations established herein.

The National Thematic Committee will be headquartered in the municipality of San Vicente del Caguán.

Temporary venues may be established in any of the other municipalities of the zone.

The National Thematic Committee will be supported by a technical secretariat for handling information.

The secretariat will have a secretary from each of the parties and these will act jointly under the direction of the coordinators.

Preference will be given to local candidates when choosing support staff.

2. METHODOLOGY FOR PUBLIC AUDIENCES

Public audiences are in-person meetings of the National Thematic Committee involving different sectors of society for hearing and gathering suggestions, ideas and proposals from the Colombian people regarding the issues determined by the National Roundtable for Dialogue and Negotiation in order to enrich the discussion of the agenda and ensure the participation of all members of the Colombian public in the process that seeks to bring about reconciliation.

The audiences will not debate the merits of proposals, opinions and suggestions, nor issue qualifications regarding people.

Furthermore, audiences are not for debates and do not aim to achieve consensus among the parties, nor between these and third parties.

The public audiences will be held in a space free from armed confrontation, created for all Colombians to meet, talk and reach agreement on the country we would like to see.

The municipal area of San Vicente del Caguán will be the main venue for audiences, although they may be held in any of the other municipalities in the zone.

The possibility of holding them in other locations or abroad for Colombians residing outside the country will be decided by the National Roundtable for Dialogue and Negotiation.

The National Thematic Committee will be able to use teleconferences as a complementary mechanism, particularly for the promotion of, invitation to and explanation of public audiences to the Colombian people.

The National Roundtable for Dialogue and Negotiation will authorise the use of teleconferences to facilitate participation in the audiences.

Similarly, the national government will provide a national post mechanism, email, telephone and telefax free of charge for those who are unable to attend the audiences to allow them to submit proposals.

Confirmation of receipt of the proposals will be possible.

The large-scale campaign for the promotion and explanation of the audiences must begin as soon as possible, using jointly prepared materials such as educational leaflets, posters, a website, cassettes and videos to be broadcast via mass media, the television station Señal Colombia (on large public screens where possible), and the radio station Radiodifusora Nacional.

Broad calls and invitations to the public will be made in line with the issues agreed by the assembly, using all possible media to allow those who are interested in the problem to be discussed at a given audience to attend.

Under all circumstances the National Thematic Committee will guarantee the invitation and representative, open, democratic, ordered and plural participation of all members of the Colombian public.

For calls and invitations, the National Thematic Committee will determine the organisations available to provide support in the different zones of the country.

The National Thematic Committee will organise a system for the registration and control of those who attend the audiences.

The audiences will be transmitted live or via recordings broadcast by the television channel Señal Colombia and the radio station Radio Nacional.

Large public screens will also be used for this purpose where possible.

The coordinators of the National Thematic Committee will agree the logistic support required for the audiences.

The national government will facilitate the mechanisms and resources required for correct operation.

The forms of the invitations and public audiences may vary in line with the issue being addressed by the national roundtable, or the areas related to an issue the national roundtable agrees to discuss.

A monthly gazette of the audiences will be published solely for the purpose of publishing the official reports of the committee’s activities.

For the National Government:

VÍCTOR G. RICARDO

High Commissioner

CAMILO A. GÓMEZ

Negotiator

FABIO VALENCIA COSSIO

Negotiator

PEDRO GOMEZ BARRERO

Negotiator

JUAN GABRIEL URIBE

Negotiator

GONZALO FORERO DELGADILLO

Negotiator

NESTOR HUMBERTO MARTINEZ

Coordinator of the Thematic Committee

MAURICIO CÁRDENAS

Thematic Comittee

ANDRÉS GONZÁLEZ DÍAZ

Thematic Comittee

ARMANDO POMÁRICO

Thematic Comittee

MIGUEL PINEDO VID AL

Thematic Comittee

JUAN GÓMEZ MARTÍNEZ

Thematic Comittee

JORGE GÓMEZ DUARTE

Thematic Committee

For the FARC-EP

RAÚL REYES

Negotiator

JOAQUIN GOMEZ

Negotiator

FABIÁN RAMÍREZ

Negotiator

IVAN RIOS

Coordinator of the Thematic Committee

MARCO LEÓN CALARCÁ

Thematic Committee

PEDRO ALDANA

Thematic Committee

ALBERTO MARTÍNEZ

Thematic Committee

SIMÓN TRINIDAD

Thematic Committee

FELIPE RINCÓN

Thematic Committee

JAIRO MARTÍNEZ

Thematic Committee