As Colombia's government continues to advance dialogues with the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas and seek a "Total Peace" with other illegal armed groups, in this Q&A we discuss the progress and setbacks of Colombia's new government to address the main threats to human rights in 2023 and the importance of U.S. government support to achieve this.

We also joined over 90 Venezuelan and regional organizations expressing to Colombian president Petro our concern about the possible approval of the "Law for the Control, Regularization, Performance and Financing of Non-Governmental and Related Organizations" in Venezuela, which will mean the suspension of the right to free association and assembly.

Also this week, we explain in this commentary why any strategy from the Biden administration to address the ongoing migratory crisis needs to fix the significant shortcomings and lack of resources of the current system and to ensure that asylum at the border is accessible to everyone, especially with the possible end of Title 42 in May.

This and much more in this week's Newsletter.

Gimena Sánchez- Garzoli

WOLA's Director for the Andes

• 🇺🇸🇲🇽With the possible end of Title 42 in May, along with the U.S. government’s public health emergency, we explore in this analysis how the Biden administration may keep asylum out of reach for many.
• 🇻🇪WOLA joined 90 Venezuelan and regional organizations in an open letter to Colombian President Gustavo Petro warning about the "Law for the Control, Regularization, Performance and Financing of Non-Governmental and Related Organizations". Read the joint letter.

• 🇨🇴As Colombia's government continues to advance dialogues with the ELN and seek a "Total Peace", the full implementation of the 2016 Peace Accord, especially the Ethnic Chapter, remains one of the main tools to decrease violence and secure truth, reparations, and justice. Read the Q&A.

With a comprehensive, antiracist and differentiated focus the Ethnic Chapter of Colombia's Truth Commission Report examines how the conflicts in Colombia affected Indigenous, Blacks, Afro-Colombian, Raizales, Palenquera and Cimarrom peoples. Join us to hear from the Afro-Colombian and Indigenous Truth Commissioners who lead this efforts as well as ethnic civil society leaders about this report and how its recommendations can be advanced at the present moment.

Wednesday, February 22, 2023 12:30pm - 2pm EST

In April 2022, WOLA launched its one-of-kind Border Oversight Database, which documents hundreds of reports of human rights violations and abuses against migrants and asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Jo-Marie Burt

Senior Fellow

In Peru, "there is a big problem with the balance of power that makes us question to what extent we can call it a democracy".

Jo-Marie Burt told La República in an interview [SPANISH]

WOLA is searching for an Assistant Director for People and Culture, who uses progressive and equity-based policies to manage all human resources functions. This role will manage a variety of programs and projects, including: evaluations, payroll, timesheets, benefits, hiring, and the general life cycle of an employee. Learn more here.

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