The Forum for Peace in Colombia begins this Friday.

While the Colombian government and the FARC insurgents hold a dialogue table in Cuba, hundreds of activists and entities from various countries will meet from tomorrow (24) in Porto Alegre at the Forum for Peace in Colombia. The objective is to support a peace process with social justice and popular participation that puts an end to the armed conflict that has lasted more than 60 years in Colombia. The meeting ends on Sunday (26) with the delivery of a final declaration and the holding of a press conference.

The program includes debates focused on three main themes: Democracy, Social Justice, and Sovereignty. Human rights, education, women, youth, trade unionism, land and territory, and militarization are some of the related topics. A videoconference is planned with representatives of the Colombian government and the FARC who are participating in the dialogue table in Cuba. There will also be a debate between parliamentarians from Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela, and the European Union.

On the 24th, a political opening event will take place at 17:30 PM at the Legislative Assembly of Rio Grande do Sul. Following that, the Show for Peace in Colombia will be held, featuring a performance by Uruguayan singer Daniel Viglietti, one of the leading figures in Latin American protest music, and other Brazilian, Argentinian, and Colombian cultural acts.

Among the guests invited to the debates are former Colombian senator Piedad Cordoba, spokesperson for the political and social movement Marcha Patriótica, the Argentinian intellectual Atilio Borón, the Workers' Party senator Eduardo Suplicy, and the president of the World Peace Council, Socorro Gomes. The Forum's Organizing Committee includes more than 70 Brazilian organizations and has the support of more than two thousand Colombian entities.