The Truth Commission is a State Entity, which seeks to clarify patterns and explanatory causes of the internal armed conflict and to satisfy the right of victims and society to the truth. It promotes recognition of what took place, as well as territorial coexistence, and it contributes to laying the foundations for non-repetition, through a process of broad and pluralistic participation for the construction of a stable and lasting peace.

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It was created within the framework of the Final Agreement for the termination of the conflict and the construction of a stable and lasting peace, signed between the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People's Army FARC -EP, through Legislative Act 01 of 2017 and Decree 588 of 2017. It is a transitory and extrajudicial mechanism of the Comprehensive System of Truth, Justice, Reparation, and Non-Repetition – SIVJRNR, and is designed to reveal the truth about what happened within the framework of the armed conflict and to contribute to a clarification of violations and infractions committed during the same. It provides a broad explanation concerning its complexity to the whole of society.

 

Based on the objectives and mandate of the Truth Commission, the international macro-territorial team has focused on investigating and contributing to the clarification of violations of human rights and International Humanitarian Law (IHL), or other situations that caused forced displacement abroad and exile. It will also clarify the actors’ collective responsibility vis-a-vis such situations and the reason for their actions; contexts that explain forced exit into exile; exemplary characteristic patterns; forced migration patterns and their dynamics at different moments; the impacts of different dimensions of exile; elements that can be incorporated into processes of Recognition; and factors or conditions that must exist for Coexistence and Non-repetition, from the perspective of exile, refuge and return.

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The Truth Commission opened a historic opportunity for the recognition of the victims and their truths, collecting and processing their testimonies. In addition, this body plays an important role in promoting peaceful coexistence, guaranteeing non-repetition, and assessing the impact caused, as well as the ways in which, both victims and Colombian society as a whole,  confronted different acts of violence.

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Canada is the country receiving the third highest number of refugees and exiles from Colombia. This is why the role of the Truth Commission is key in this country. Being able to listen to and collect the testimonies of exiled people helps to construct a more integral and comprehensive explanation of what happened during the armed conflict.

In Canada, the Truth Commission has worked through a network of nodes made up of Colombian and Canadian volunteers residing in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Québec and Ontario.