Bogotá, Colombia — Human rights advocate and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Tawakkol Karman delivered an address in Bogotá during events commemorating the approaching tenth anniversary of Colombia's Final Peace Agreement, signed in November 2016.

Speaking at a venue she described as "deep historical and symbolic significance," Karman called the 2016 accord "a declaration that dialogue can prevail over violence and that hope can chart a course toward a more prosperous and stable future." She added: "A treaty can be captured in a single day; but a true, lasting peace is forged through years of quiet, sustained effort, structural reform, and unwavering political will."

Karman drew on her experience in Yemen and her observation of peace processes worldwide to argue that "peace is a discipline—a daily labor of rebuilding both the citizen and the state." She said it "begins in classrooms, courtrooms, and parliaments, and it must reach the most remote villages as surely as it shapes the capitals."

She proposed measuring peace processes by concrete outcomes: "Do citizens feel safe? Are women equal partners in public life? Do young people have opportunities instead of being drawn into violence? Have development, essential services, and justice reached the communities that bore the greatest burden of war?"

Karman praised Colombia's reintegration of former FARC combatants and the dismantling of the group's armed structure as "a historic accomplishment worthy of international recognition" after more than five decades of conflict. But she cautioned that "sustainable peace requires more than silencing guns," listing needs including agrarian reform, expanded public services, poverty reduction, and stronger state presence in conflict-affected regions.

She welcomed President Gustavo Petro's "Total Peace" policy and urged future governments to continue it "regardless of electoral outcomes, because peace is a national project that transcends parties and administrations." Her remarks came three weeks before President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella is scheduled to take office on August 7.

Karman cited comparative cases including South Africa, Northern Ireland, and Rwanda to warn that "peace agreements often falter not because of their text but because of slow implementation, weak institutions, delayed justice, and the failure of development to reach the communities that paid the highest price." She said: "When citizens' trust in the state’s ability to deliver erodes, peace itself becomes fragile."

She emphasized civil society's role, describing women, young people, journalists, human rights defenders, and local leaders as "the people who sustain the spirit of peace when governments change or political will weakens."

Karman linked Colombia's experience to global conflicts, noting that "at a time when the world faces the largest number of armed conflicts since the Second World War, the Colombian experience matters beyond its borders." She cited Palestine as a place where "civilians continue to suffer the consequences of war and occupation."

She concluded: "Peace cannot be selective. Human dignity cannot be conditional. Justice must not be constrained by geography or political interest. The struggle for peace is, at its core, a struggle for freedom. The struggle for justice is a struggle for human rights. The struggle against war is also a struggle against tyranny."

The tenth anniversary of the peace agreement will be marked in November 2026.