The General Command of the Military Forces, through the Sub-Directorate of the Institutional Legal Staff, is carrying out a process of dissemination and awareness-raising on Human Rights Policy (HH.RR.) and International Humanitarian Law (IHL) of the Ministry of National Defense, addressed to the Staff of the General Command of the Military Forces and the branches of the Military Forces
This Policy is an instrument of guidance in human rights and international humanitarian law, which seeks to facilitate the implementation of the different obligations accepted by the Colombian State, supported by the legal framework that regulates the operations of the security and defense sector, in particular, that of the Military Forces.
On this occasion, the General Command of the Military Forces will continue to publish on its website, where each of the eight key strategies will be explained monthly:
- Education and training
- Transformative communication
- Zero tolerance for Human Rights infringements and IHL infringements
- Human Rights guarantees for members of the Military Forces
- Strengthening of resources in HH.RR. and IHL
- Social dialogue and inter-institutional coordination
- Gender approach
- Defense and State response to international organizations
These strategies reinforce the commitment of the Colombian Military Forces to the protection of life and respect for fundamental rights in all their operations.
In the same way, the policy is governed by seven essential principles: legality, equality and non-discrimination, social and victims participation, human dignity, the primacy of the inalienable rights of individuals, recognition of ethnic and cultural diversity, and responsibility for compliance with law.
The policy in the same way integrates five approaches: human security, rights, differential, territorial and victims.
The Policy is a pedagogical tool for soldiers, sailors, aviators that contains the baselines for the respect and protection of human rights and the implementation of IHL, in order to work to increase the integrity, freedom and personal security of all Colombians.
Source: Strategic Communications and Legal Staff Sub-Directorate