Negotiating Peace

Belisario Betancur

2011 OFF in Oslo

Belisario Betancur, former president of Colombia, left his career in government and dedicated himself to improving education and building stronger communities throughout his country. He stresses that an open society must embrace different points of view, so in his opinion, it is crucial to bring many types of groups into the political discourse.

About the Speaker

Belisario

Betancur

Former Colombian president

Belisario Betancur was the former president of Colombia who, during his time in office, began the Grupo de Contadora por la Paz, a multilateral agreement to promote peace in Latin America. Elected in 1982, Betancur was the first president to initiate peace talks with illegal armed guerrilla groups that challenged the rule of law in the country for almost 20 years. Betancur was also the chairman of the Truth Commission for El Salvador. He died in 2018.