Ten years after the region's presidents signed the accord called "Procedure for Establishing a Firm and Lasting Peace in Central America," the Arias Foundation, through its Democratic Governance and Development Program, began to provide follow-up on relevant topics in the regional peace process in order to develop approaches and strategies that guarantee its sustainability. One topic currently being examined is the integration into civilian life of former soldiers of national armies and former members of insurgent groups. Approaching this issue allows for the identification of connections between demilitarization as a political option that contributes to building democracy and the integration into civilian life of former combatants as a long-term challenge in achieving governance and development with social justice.

In May 1996, the Arias Foundation conducted research on the demobilization and reintegration of excombatants in Nicaragua and El Salvador, while looking toward how lessons learned in these cases could be applied to the Guatemalan peace process. The project was temporarily suspended in Nicaragua due to the unsteady reintegration process and political situation there. The final product of the study in El Salvador is the book "Demobilization, Reintegration and Pacification in El Salvador," published in English and Spanish.

The research conclusions indicate that the underlying causes of El Salvador's intense domestic conflict still exist, and the fight against poverty and social exclusion continues to be integral to the maintenance of peaceful solutions in Salvadoran society. While the signing of the peace accords in 1992 may have stopped the tragedy of war, the root causes of potential conflicts still endure.

In the first stage of the project, Arias Foundation staff conducted a preliminary assessment of the reintegration of ex-combatants in El Salvador. Different actors interviewed pointed out difficulties encountered in reintegration and confirmed the need, already stated in the project's objectives, to consult the principal parties in the process: the ex-combatants.

The second phase of the project created local spaces for dialogue in order to promote open dialogue in which the ex-combatants could express their points of view regarding their transition from military to civilian life and the achievements they have made both as individuals and as a group. In October and November 1996, the Arias Foundation, in coordination with the National Foundation for Development (FUNDE) of El Salvador, sponsored 14 workshops in nine different municipalities of El Salvador, which brought together 204 ex-combatants. The results of the local workshops were discussed and validated in a National Workshop with 30 of the original participants. At the national workshop, the ex-combatants expressed their willingness to participate in a consensus-building process. The next stage will seek to help former combatants take on a greater role in decision-making with regard to projects in their communities.

The study recognizes that while the government has complied with nearly all its reintegration commitments, this formal compliance has not produced the qualitative impact necessary for the ex-combatants to achieve full incorporation into civilian life. Therefore, it is necessary to seek joint strategies and proposals that guarantee the definitive reintegration of the ex-combatants, their families and communities.

Clearly, it is not necessary to propose a "second phase" of reintegration programs, but rather to enlist the cooperation and commitment of the government and NGOs to focus on local development. Future actions should prioritize programs and projects that benefit all residents of those areas with the greatest concentration of property and beneficiaries of the Land Transfer Program (PTT), taking into account the specific characteristics of the different profiles of the residents.

The final version of the study, published in both Spanish and English, has been available to the public since October 1997. The local workshop results are presented in the case study "The Transition from Military to Civilian Life in El Salvador: The Ex-combatants' Point of View," published in Spanish only.

Massive migrations are one of the world's oldest and most complex phenomena, greatly influencing societal configuration. Countries throughout the globe have been affected by such migrations, and the states of Central American and Colombia are no exception. Displacement, external migrations, the desertion and subsequent resettlement of certain areas, as well as the demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants all are part of broader trends that modify significantly the societies affected. Traditional problems are exacerbated by these developments and the resulting social, political and economic conflicts demonstrate a clear lack of effective and integral responses.

Central America recently emerged from a long and painful period of armed domestic conflicts whose political, social and economic effects are difficult to calculate. To varying degrees, all seven countries on the isthmus felt the effects of this prolonged confrontation in some form. The countries directly affected (Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador) experienced intense political polarization and a traumatic rupture in the social fabric. The remaining countries, in addition to receiving waves of immigrants, felt the consequences of this confrontation that had deep geo-political connotations.

Colombia is currently undergoing a particularly critical phase in a long and complex conflict with both social and political roots. A variety of factors have contributed to the volatile situation and violence is used increasingly by this very diverse and fragmented society to express its disagreements. Not since the massive rural-urban migration flows of the 1950s and 1960s (the period referred to simply as "Violence") has Colombia experienced such intense displacements toward the cities as those occurring today.

In both Central America and Colombia, there is a notorious lack of effective responses to the multiple demands of these new realities, particularly at the local level. Local governments, already hampered by structural weaknesses, are overwhelmed by these migrations; social and non-governmental organizations fall short in their responses; and communities are divided in their opinions and reactions, varying between solidarity with and rejection of the new arrivals. There is an ever-increasing awareness of the need to move beyond emergency approaches to development.

Projects by country

Traditionally, relations between civilians and the military in Guatemala and throughout most of Latin America have been based on a system of authoritarianism and subordination. Since the signing of the peace accords, Guatemalan citizens have been filled with both great expectations and uncertainty. One great concern is the future role of the military, its subordination to civilian power, and above all, the construction of a new relationship between the state and civil society to face the challenges of constructing peace and development.

This project is intended to help build democratic governance in Guatemala by mediating between the state and civil society in order to guarantee sustainable human development. To achieve this objective, the project strives to strengthen the capacity of both local and national actors for analyzing problems and formulating strategies to solve them.

The achievements and challenges of constructing democratic governance after the peace accords can undoubtedly be seen more clearly by examining the problem on different levels, that is, locally, regionally and nationally, as these all constitute distinctive scenarios of human interaction. Case studies from the local to the national level will demonstrate how the actors from both the state and civil society interact in addressing difficult post-conflict problems. Thus, the project will examine achievements and challenges in building democratic governance in Guatemala after the peace accords, focusing on the formation of a social-institutional fabric and increasing inclusion of all sectors of society.