The peace accord agreed late last year between the government and the FARC paramilitary group gives Colombia a historic opportunity to improve the living standards of all its people. More than half a century of conflict cost an estimated 220,000 lives and led over 5 million people to flee their homes, with severe consequences for the country’s prosperity, especially in the rural areas where violence was concentrated.

The accord makes a “peace dividend” of economic growth whose benefits are shared by every Colombian, not just some of those living in its big cities, a real possibility—and also a necessity—if the peace accord is to succeed in practice.

The Ford Foundation and the Economist Intelligence Unit released a new report considering Colombia’s challenges in the context of other countries that have emerged from internal conflict, to identify effective strategies and highlight potential pitfalls to be avoided in building a peaceful, inclusive economy.

Download the full report here and the Spanish version here.

The Ford Foundation

The Ford Foundation is an independent organization working to address inequality and build a future grounded in justice. For more than 85 years, it has supported visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. Today, with an endowment of $16 billion, the foundation has headquarters in New York and 10 regional offices across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

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