The Colombian Land Restitution Program : Process, results and challenges
Jemima Victoria Garcia-Godos Naveda & Henrik Wiig
Colombian Law 1448 of 2011, known as the Victimss Law, addresses the issue of internal displacement and land dispossession caused by the armed conflict in the country. The overall objective of the law is twofold: to help poor internally-displaced persons (IDPs) to a better life by restoring their rights; and to re-install respect for private property rights. To achieve these aims, the Colombian government has put in place a nation-wide program of land restitution, operational since 2012. The land restitution program involves a comprehensive set of regulations, legal mechanisms and procedures that brings together a multiplicity of public agencies and social actors, individuals and collectives. The process is led by new institutions that coordinate actions across the various sectors. This paper assesses the process of land restitution in Colombia by taking as the point of departure how it is envisaged by the Victimss Law, and contrasting the original design with preliminary findings on current implementation. The paper builds on an extensive review of legal documents, official reports and materials produced by Colombian state agencies, as well as fieldwork research and interviews with officials from national institutions directly involved in the restitution program.
Event: Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty 2015
Only personal, non-commercial use of this document is allowed.