Institutional architecture of Total Peace: A normative review studied in practice
March 2025
Research Paper 33
Juanita Durán, Laboratorio de Justicia y Política Criminal
SOC ACE Project: Negotiating with criminal groups: Colombia’s Total Peace policy
PUBLICATION SUMMARY
This research paper addresses two key questions: What is the institutional context of Colombia’s “Total Peace” (“Paz Total”) policy, and how is it being implemented by negotiating groups in cities with strong criminal governance? These questions are vital due to the policy’s unprecedented scope—six negotiation teams engaging simultaneously with both rebel groups and criminal organisations classified as “high-impact organised crime structures.”
The paper critically reviews the institutional design of Total Peace, scrutinising the absence of a comprehensive legal framework to guide its implementation. Although the government has taken steps to enhance negotiation tools, major legal gaps—especially in justice mechanisms—hinder the government’s ability to successfully conclude negotiation tables with agreements. The paper also underscores the policy’s centralisation within the national government, which is seen as a further hindrance to the effective operationalisation of the policy. The study further explores the expectations and aspirations of local authorities to influence and participate in the negotiation process, with their ability to do so varying across localities due to contextual differences, including levels of criminal governance and socio-political dynamics.
In conclusion, the research highlights the necessity for a more cohesive and legally robust framework for Total Peace. It emphasizes the importance of defining legal tools to facilitate the transition to peace through justice, thereby enabling the successful conclusion of negotiation processes. It also calls for greater decentralisation and involvement of local authorities to ensure the policy responds to diverse local realities and suggests a more collaborative approach that bridges the gap between national ambitions and local capabilities, thereby enhancing the prospects for a sustainable and inclusive peace.
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
Total Peace Policy: Between light and shadow
Focusing on the governance arrangements emerging in three regions involved in the Total Peace Policy, read the accompanying research paper analysing Colombia’s Total Peace Policy. Read more here…
“Total Peace” in Colombia: Lessons drawn from three comparative regions involved in the Policy
Read two new briefing notes accompanying these two full research papers summarising the findings and lessons learned from Colombia’s Total Peace Policy. Read more here.
Organised crime groups, criminal agendas, violence and conflict: Implications for engagement and peace processes
A review of the evidence on peace processes and organised crime by Huma Haider. Learn more here…
Incorporating serious organised crime into understandings of elite bargains & political settlements
Research by Alina Rocha Menocal on the relevance of and the relative gap in the evidence on organised crime actors interaction with political settlements. Read more here…