The new security policy is based on the concept of human security, designed to protect people, nature and sentient beings by highlighting human freedoms.
The Security Policy counted on the participation of broad sectors of civil society such as: ethnic-territorial communities, human rights platforms, environmental organizations, indigenous guards, youth organizations, LGBTQ+ communities, representatives of the civil sector of the National Working Group, ecclesiastical authorities, Trade Union Council, humanitarian table, among others.
Under the premise of protecting the life of all Colombians, the Ministry of Defense is launching the new Security, Defense and Citizen Coexistence Policy 2022-2026, guaranties for life and peace, which was built together with the Military Forces and with the voices of different social sectors.
During the launch of the new Policy, its construction process was highlighted, which took about eight months, where 21 regional and 43 national meetings were held, in which various sectors of society participated, such as communities, think centers, academia, productive groups, among many others; thus reporting having a plural and multisectoral policy.
The new policy seeks to protect the lives of all the inhabitants of the country, through the generation of security conditions in urban and particularly rural environments and the recovery of control of the territory to free societies from violence.
According to Defense Minister Iván Velásquez, this is a guide for operation and the construction of a different reality “where people and ourselves can live in better conditions (…) We are working so that we can make it a reality that Colombia is a world power of life.”
The minister explained that this process of listening to the communities served to improve the policy, but simultaneously for the Military Forces to build the Ayacucho Plan and the National Police for their San Mateo Plan, with which they have been working to fight crime and are completely coordinated with the Security, Defense and Citizen Coexistence Policy.
Providing security conditions for life, personal good living conditions and patrimony
One of the four objectives is to provide security and protection conditions for the lives of citizens, and for this seven strategies will be used such as: contributing to total peace, dismantling Navy organizations, making territorial prioritization, addressing the world drug problem, conducting urban security, coordination conducted by nation and territory and strengthening the security of vulnerable people.
In this objective, the minister made a call to see the turn given to Colombia's anti-drug policy, inviting for a reflection: Why, if two million hectares of illicit plantations with glyphosate have been eradicated in the last 20 years and one million hectares manually, there is no effective containment of drug trafficking?
Therefore, he explained that the Military Forces increased their goal of finding drugs, for this year 2023 at 832 tons. To attain it, the military Forces will concentrate on the finding of precursors, in which it has already been reported to triple the results compared to previous years. They will in the same way focus on the destruction of drug laboratories.
The minister in the same way recognized that for this, the Resources of the Military Forces must be strengthened, which is why he said he is identified with these needs, which is why he explained that international cooperation has been told that we need greater material resources, because there are human resources and experience in abundance.
The third component of the anti-drug policy is to hit criminal finances, so it is planned to continue improving intelligence that leads to attack financial resources and pursuing the proceeds of this illicit. Therefore, the minister emphasized that “We are going to hit the activities of criminal organizations in a decisive way.”
He in the same way referred to the ceasefire, reiterating that the ceasefire does not mean the suspension of the activities of the Military Forces, and gave the example that if an illegal armed group tries to defend a drug laboratory which is going to be destroyed by the Army, the military forces have all the legitimacy to confront that organization with weapons.
Contain deforestation and contribute to the protection and preservation of biodiversity
For this second objective of combating deforestation and contributing to the preservation of biodiversity, the new Security, Defense and Citizen Coexistence policy proposes three strategies: to protect and preserve biodiversity, to contribute to the management of climate change and the protection of the environment and to fight against the illicit exploitation of mining deposits.
In this sense, Minister Velásquez recalled what happened in Bajo Cauca region in Antioquia, where, according to him, war was declared on large-scale to illegal mining. “The order was given to take over the territory and immediately 12,057 men and women of the Military Forces in the territory are working to raise security for the inhabitants, without backing down.”
The head of the Ministry of defense in the same way clarified that on this issue of illegal mining that benefits the finances of illegal armed groups, “we have nothing to negotiate, the destruction of large dredges is constant."
Safeguarding the entire territory, sovereignty and national independence
The third objective of the new policy has to do with the totality of the territory and sovereignty, so the following strategies are proposed: to achieve a comprehensive defense of the territory, to promote an international agenda of the Security and Defense Sector, to formulate a border defense and security law, to formulate a national security law and update the national defense law, and finally to protect strategic-critical constructions.
Strengthening of the Military Forces in their human talent, their legitimacy and their resources to support the transformation of the territories.
The fourth objective seeks the well-being of all the men and women who make up the Military Forces, through strategies such as: strengthening the legitimacy of the military Forces (integrity, transparency, human rights and gender), another strategy is to conduct the transformation process of the National Police, support the transformation processes of the territories and disaster risk management.
Source: Defense Sector Communications Office - Ministry of National Defense
