Peacebuilding in peri-urban areas in Colombia: nature-based solutions for community resilience

As Latin American cities continue to grow, environmental challenges are more and more pressing. Rapidly urbanizing peripheral areas present many risks, due to inadequate provision of basic services and due to their location in floodplains and on slopes. Internal conflicts present in the region for the past 20 years also add pressure to the socio-spatial fabric of cities, especially in informal settlements in the peripheries of major urban centres that received the highest number of internally displaced people. Furthermore, implementation of risk management policies tends to clash with the expectations of local communities settled in prone risk areas. Communities tend to contest the regulatory framework and demand a greater participatory approach. It is, therefore, necessary for public institutions and private organizations to update their knowledge, skills, and methodologies to deal better with cities in a peacebuilding process and also with more demanding environmental problems.

The Refresher Course "Peacebuilding in peri-urban areas in Colombia: nature-based solutions for community resilience" focuses on building resilient communities and addresses the issues of peacebuilding and environmental vulnerability, both important aspects when it comes to resilience in post-conflict areas of Latin America. This course will provide participants with knowledge and tools on how to mitigate the drivers of climate-related risks such as flood and landslide risks in an innovative way. The participants will use collaborative tools and methods to implement a Nature-Based Solution (NBS), which can serve as an alternative to the current top-down risk management policies being implemented in periphery areas, empowering local communities demanding spatial justice.

This course is intended for Orange Knowledge Programme (OKP)/Netherlands Fellowship Programme (NFP) alumni from Colombia and neighbouring OKP/NFP countries. Alumni are allowed to invite colleagues if they apply together and are well motivated. 

IHS regularly organises regional refresher courses for its alumni, with support from NUFFIC. The goal of these courses is to refresh knowledge of alumni on previously studied issues, by bringing insights on international policy practices in the field and issues that have emerged since their participation in IHS courses. The course is a sub-programme of the Orange Knowledge Programme (OKP), and eligible participants have to be Orange Knowledge Programme (OKP)/Netherlands Fellowship Programme (NFP) alumni from Colombia and neighbouring OKP/NFP countries.