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The Basque Government’s Council has given the green light, at a meeting this morning, to the Letter of Intention between the governments of Colombia and the Basque Government to support exchanges of experiences in the fields of education, coexistence, and human rights.  This action is derived from contacts made by the Lehendakari during his official visit to Colombia in May 0f 2017 and the Education Plan for post-conflict promoted by the Colombian Minister of Education.

Vitoria-Gasteiz.   The exchange of experiences will take place between the Minster of Education of Colombia and the Basque Government through its Department of Education and the Secretary General of Human Rights, Coexistence, and Cooperation.  Both parties will exchange experiences relevant for each country about education for peace and coexistence; personal exchanges supported and held in both countries around training in values, among other actions, according to a note released by the Basque Executive.

This agreement began as part of the Lehendakari’s official visit in May of 2017.  During an institutional visit the Lehendakari proposed collaboration between the two governments around the management and promotion of public policies of coexistence in post-conflict, to the High Commissioner for peace, led by Sergio Jaramillo. The agreement approved today by the Government’s Council also falls under Initiative 13 of the Plan for Coexistence and Human Rights 2017-2020 that speaks about “international action” and “the Basque contribution to the construction of peace processes.”

For its part, the Colombian Government will contribute through various actions in the construction and consolidation of peace after decades of violence, hate and pain.  The Colombian Government seeks to reduce the social gap and so understands that the development of human capital is necessary to encourage the growth of the economy.  One of the ways this can be achieved, is to increase the quality and coverage of the education system, mainly in areas that have been most affected by the war (rural areas).

Colombia is identified as a priority partner in the strategy framework of internationalization 2020, Euskadi Basque Country. It is the first country with the highest concentration of Basque businesses in South America, with a total of 69 trade companies, productive and sector services.  This Agreement is the result of a trip by the Lehendakari there during a key moment for Colombia after signing the peace agreement, which put an end to more than 53 years of war, and will bring new opportunities for social and economic development.