LocationsMeet Jairo Matallana Villarreal, Programme Specialist and Head of Rule of Law and Crisis Response at UNDP Colombia, who shows us that justice extends beyond the confines of an official courtroom, and highlights the crucial role that community development projects can play in fostering peace and recovery.
Justice and Development in Colombia: Building Peace in Crisis Contexts
March 11, 2025
Jairo (center-right) with Sara Ferrer Olivella (center), UNDP Colombia’s Resident Representative, visiting the Awá indigenous community in Southwestern Colombia on May 2024.
Photo: UNDP Colombia
Despite the stacks of academic papers and books I read as a student of development studies and international relations - many years ago now – I never missed a release of the UNDP Human Development Report. Published annually, this report assesses development progress, inequality, sustainability and global interdependence based on human-centered criteria. I was intrigued by the UNDP approach to development, which goes beyond traditional measures of economic growth and focuses on human agency and capabilities. This left a lasting impression on me, and in 2003, I joined UNDP as a Junior Consultant contributing to a project on local governance in Latin America and the Caribbean. Later, I joined the Crisis Prevention and Recovery Team at the Regional Center for Latin America and the Caribbean in Panama, where I worked on citizen security, conflict transformation, and early recovery after disasters. In this role, I collaborated with colleagues in Brazil, Haiti, Ecuador, El Salvador and many other countries.
My passion for this field led me back to academia - where it all began -, this time as a PhD student in criminology and law. During my research, I worked with civil society organizations focused on nonviolence and human rights at the grassroots level. After completing my studies, I returned to UNDP, first as Programme Officer and now as Head of the Programme Area on Rule of Law and Crisis Response, leading efforts on peace, justice, reconciliation, and early recovery in Colombia.
Emerging in the 1960s, Colombia’s armed conflict has been described as one of the world’s longest.1 For decades, the country’s political landscape was shaped by confrontations between the government and various guerrilla and paramilitary groups, exacerbated by organized crime, particularly drug-trafficking and other illegal economies. Today, Colombia represents a hybrid security environment, where organized violence is carried out by different groups that often merge political claims with economic interests, including well connected criminal networks.
More than 9.8 million people have been affected by the conflict, the majority being victims of internal displacement2. The conflict has also left countless victims of homicide, kidnapping, enforced disappearance, sexual violence, and forced recruitment. However, after decades of suffering, in 2016 the Government of Colombia and the country’s largest guerrilla group, the FARC-EP (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), signed a historic peace treaty. While this marked a positive step toward peace, guerrilla dissidents and other illegal armed groups continue to perpetrate violence. Colombia not only has one of the highest numbers of internally displaced persons but also hosts large numbers of refugees from Venezuela and other countries, further adding complexity to development challenges amid mass forced migration.3
Jairo speaking about peace and human rights at the National Police Congress in Bogotá, in November 2024.
Photo: Colombian National Police.
In collaboration with national and local governments, civil society organizations, international donors, and our dedicated team of over 100 staff, we contribute to implementing the 2016 peace treaty and fostering an institutional environment for lasting peace. Our work includes strengthening the rule of law, improving access to justice, and coordinating UNDP response to crises stemming from conflict, disasters, health emergencies, and forced migration flows. This is a daunting task, as multiple peacebuilding processes are ongoing amid continuous armed clashes, which primarily affect civilians. In addition to the Peace Accords between the government and the FARC-EP, Colombia has a legacy of earlier peace agreements, such as those with paramilitary groups in 2006. There are also ongoing peace dialogues and socio-legal negotiations for submission to justice with various armed groups.
While these peace processes have been a significant step towards peace in Colombia, the country’s formal justice system falls short in addressing the full spectrum of the population's legal needs. With a people-centered approach to justice, we work to strengthen local institutions and civil society organizations while identifying alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to improve access to justice in areas with weak state presence. UNDP has also been deeply involved in supporting various transitional justice processes in Colombia, aiming to hold perpetrators accountable, ensure victims receive both individual and collective reparation, establish a shared understanding of the past based on truth, and build resilient communities where conflict becomes a chapter of history.
Most notably, UNDP has been a key partner in assisting Colombian institutions with the establishment and operation of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, a transitional justice tribunal tasked with investigating and prosecuting the most serious and representative crimes committed by the FARC-EP guerrillas, the state, and third parties in the context of the armed conflict.
Jairo at a property title handover event for rural communities benefiting 1,053 peasants in Northern Colombia. UNDP supported the national government in social land management programmes for rural property formalization. July 2022.
Photo: UNDP Colombia
Rather than focusing solely on punitive measures, our approach prioritizes restorative justice - a more holistic model centered on peacebuilding and community-wide reconciliation, rather than individual retribution and punishment of perpetrators. While this approach offers significant potential in theory, its implementation is often challenging. In cases where extreme violence has claimed lives and torn communities apart, the depth of harm cannot simply be undone. Yet, stories of hope emerge, reminding us that the path to reconciliation is not beyond reach.
I recently visited an indigenous community that has suffered land dispossession and witnessed the killing of their leaders due to the conflict. Despite their losses, they have found a glimmer of hope in restorative justice, seeing it as a possible way forward. While it may never restore their original way of life, it offers symbolic and material reparation. As part of a restorative justice prototyping effort led by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace and UNDP, this community designed and implemented a local initiative that brought together victims of the armed conflict and former FARC combatants in reintegration processes in order to collectively build a road to their wisdom house, the spiritual center of the community. This initiative is carried out through “Restorative Mingas”, which are communal taskforces that gather to address specific needs within the community. Initially, participants entered the process with doubts and mutual apprehension. However, as victims and former combatants shared efforts in the community infrastructure works, they have come to see it as a profoundly meaningful experience, expressing their commitment to continuing the path of reconciliation through the restorative sanctions that will be issued by the tribunal.
Not only does this initiative help reconcile different groups and segments of society, but it also has the power to mend relationships within families. We witnessed this firsthand during a project visit, where one of the indigenous community leaders known as Consejeros and his daughter worked side by side, despite her past allegiance with the FARC-EP. I am moved by the image of her little child grabbing his mother’s hand and that of his grandfather for the first time during the community infrastructure works. True reconciliation is not achieved merely by signing a peace accord; it emerges through development initiatives that empower communities, strengthen human agency, and unite people around shared goals. With this type of restorative justice project, we are reimagining transitional justice and creating a model that can be applied to many other conflicts in the world. This initiative also highlights UNDP’s unique approach to peacebuilding. As a development actor, we tackle structural challenges that fuel conflict and armed violence while paving the way for peace through community-driven development.
Jairo (left) during an international meeting on prosecutorial waivers in the context of transitional justice, with Antonio José Lizarazo (center), former magistrate of the Colombian Constitutional Court and Roberto Carlos Vidal (right), magistrate and former President of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace. July 2024
Photo: Juan S. Trillos – UNDP Colombia
Reflecting on my first introduction to UNDP as a student, I realize that I have come full circle. Today, I am working with the very same concepts of development that drew me to this Organization. Leading a diverse and highly committed team, my greatest priority is to ensure that our work is truly transformative. We act as enablers and facilitators of development, ensuring that the individuals and communities we serve take the lead -so that, ultimately, our presence becomes unnecessary. Every day I encourage each team member to align with this vision, recognizing how their work, whether in the office or the field, contributes to meaningful change. My role is to support them in leveraging their skills to serve people effectively. For our work to have a lasting impact, we must also embrace innovation, another key pillar of my leadership. This means exploring new opportunities, taking on complex challenges, pushing boundaries, forging new partnerships, and integrating diverse areas of knowledge. If we want to be relevant, we ought to move beyond business as usual.
My career has given me the privilege of addressing issues at the local level as well as observing them from regional and global perspectives. This experience has reinforced an important lesson: just as challenges transcend borders, so do solutions. Working at UNDP has shown me the immense value of tapping into global knowledge, expertise, and networks while tailoring solutions to local realities. The opportunity to be part of such a dynamic and interconnected organization is what makes UNDP a truly exceptional place to work.
For those considering a career at UNDP my advice is simple: ask yourself what kind of service you want to provide. Our mission is to empower people, not through charity, but by strengthening their autonomy and capacities. Those interested in working in crisis settings will find this approach particularly meaningful. Supporting people in crisis requires not only addressing the structural causes of their situation, but also responding with agility and sensitivity in high-pressure, emotionally challenging situations. Anyone joining this field must be adaptable to such realities. Finally, I strongly advise those who intend to work in crisis response to prioritize self-care. Leading a large team has reinforced in me the importance of mental health and emotional well-being. Taking care of ourselves allows us to better serve others.
Jairo during the implementation of RAPIDA, a UNDP Crisis Bureau assessment tool that provided insights to formulate recovery plans based on satellite and drones' imagery and interviews with key informants. UNDP supported the Colombian state after heavy rains hit La Guajira and Chocó departments in November 2024, affecting around 500,000 people.
Photo: Juan S. Trillos – UNDP Colombia
Supporting people in crisis requires not only addressing the structural causes of their situation, but also responding with agility and sensitivity in high-pressure, emotionally challenging situations. Anyone joining this field must be adaptable to such realities.Jairo Matallana Villareal
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