As part of Peace Month, the UN Verification Mission participated in various activities organised by the Juntanza por la Vida and the universities.
Medellín, 2 October 2026. Between 27 August and 2 October, Antioquia organised a special programme as part of Peace Month, under the slogan “Peace calls to us, moves us, unites us: Reconciliation is the way”, as part of the national week organised by Redepaz and Pastoral Social.
Organised by the Juntanza por la Vida (which brings together more than 70 organisations and bodies in Medellín), the Medellín Secretariat for Peace and Human Rights, the National University, the University of Antioquia, the Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra, Comfenalco, the Book Festival, various public bodies and social organisations from eastern Antioquia, with the support of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, people were invited to reflect and carry out symbolic acts of peace and reconciliation.
The events included the setting up of the ‘Navegantes de Paz y Memoria’ tent at the Book Festival, activities relating to remembrance, reparation and the prevention of different forms of violence, as well as discussions on displacement, healing, return, the prevention of recruitment and the search for missing persons, amongst other activities.
On 2 September, we took part in the ‘University and Peacebuilding’ lecture series, launched by the National University’s Medellín campus. There, Claudia Mojica, deputy head of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, highlighted the University’s commitment to declaring 2026 the Year of Peace. “Through the generation of knowledge and the construction of memory, its contribution to peace is fundamental,” Mojica emphasised. She added that the Peace Agreement is viewed globally as an example of peaceful conflict resolution. “In this process, academia has been an essential partner in implementation and a trusted actor for the parties,” she said.
In the municipality of Guatapé, we took part in the 37th Forum, ‘Peace calls to us, moves us and unites us’, where diverse voices came together to discuss the power of dialogue and reconciliation through initiatives that contribute to sustainable peace and reconciliation across the regions.
In the village of San José, La Ceja, Antioquia, we also joined the commemoration of Peace Week with a presentation to the Victims’ Committee of the ‘Tree of Life’, a monument of remembrance and tribute from a community affected by the armed conflict.
On 18 September, the Medellín Philharmonic’s Reconciliation Choir, made up of signatories to the peace agreement and victims of the conflict, marked the run-up to the International Day of Peace with a ‘Joint Song for Peace’ at Belén Library Park, joined by 45 members of the public. The choir is celebrating its seventh anniversary; it was the first in the country to be made up of signatories and victims, and the Mission has supported it since its inception.
The Reconciliation Choir is celebrating its seventh anniversary and was the first in the country to be formed by peace signatories and victims of the conflict. The Mission has supported this initiative since its inception; it is a testament to resilience and peace in Colombia and an example to the world.
On 21 September, the International Day of Peace, during the ‘Festival of Young Peacebuilders’ held at the University of Medellín – attended by 500 young people and organised by the Mayor’s Office’s Secretariat for Peace and Human Rights, the Juntanza por la Vida, the Municipal Ombudsman’s Office and other organisations – the Head of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, Miroslav Jenča, emphasised that every year the United Nations calls for the commemoration of the International Day of Peace; this year in particular, it called for “investing in peace for everyone, everywhere and every day”. This is a tribute to those who drive local action, whatever form it may take, from wherever they may be, and who can do their bit.
Finally, on 23 September, at the invitation of the Peace Unit at the University of Antioquia, the Mission participated in University Peace Week, taking part in a discussion on the tenth anniversary of the signing and implementation of the Agreement with victims, peace signatories, academia and international cooperation organisations. The meeting highlighted that reconciliation is built through dialogue between those who experience it on the ground, those who study it and those who support it.
Meanwhile, in partnership with Comfenalco, the ‘Peace Has the Floor’ discussion series continues in libraries affiliated with the compensation fund, where participants reflect on the progress and challenges of implementing the Peace Agreement, ten years on from its signing.
Elizabeth Yarce Ospina
Public Information Officer
Medellín Regional Office of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia
