Learning lessons with the United States Institute for Peace (USIP) Colombia team

Over the last 20 years, USIP Colombia’s programmes have become some of the institutes most strategic and impactful. Since the signing of the 2016 Peace Accord, which drew to a close one of the world’s longest running civil conflicts, the USIP Colombia team have been contributing directly to sustaining and lending technical support to implementing the Peace Agreement. Significantly this includes partnering with Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), one of the bedrock institutions in creating a lasting just peace for the country’s population. The JEP has been charged with investigating and determining individual responsibility for the most serious human rights crimes committed over the five decades of conflict.

In September, team member Anna was welcomed with incredible warmth to the headquarters of the USIP team based in Bogotá, Colombia. The conversations unpacked the Rose Way, the 12 Habits of a Reconciler, the development of our tools around the Christian Wisdom of Reconciliation project, and the emerging practice of Christian Biblical Reasoning (CBR).

The USIP team expressed a deep synergy with the Rose Way and are now keen to partner with RCF, specifically seeking to learn from our pedagogy as they implement a coherent faith-based approach across the three pillars of their activity and engage with faith communities as part of the ongoing battle to sustain peace.