“We have the right to exist as a community, and we will continue to defend it.” On 29 October 2025, at the 5th Meeting, 12th Session of the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development of the United Nations in Geneva, José Roviro López, from the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó (Colombia), brought the voice of those who resist violence, the pressure of economic enterprises, and the destruction of land and nature. Roviro reminded everyone that the right to development cannot be imposed from above. It is born from the communities that defend the land, the water, native seeds, memory, education, and the possibility of living in peace. Despite 28 years of threats and attacks, the Peace Community continues to build alternative models of coexistence and agriculture, far from the logic of war and exploitation. Operazione Colomba has accompanied the Peace Community in Colombia for more than 15 years. To listen to all the speeches from the meeting:
https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1n/k1nkn3fy8z
OPERAZIONE COLOMBA
