On behalf of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to everyone who contributed to the Committee’s successful mission to Guatemala and Colombia. In particular, I would like to thank Deborah Chatsis, Canada’s Ambassador to Guatemala, and Douglas Challborn, Canada’s Chargé d’Affaires in Colombia, and their respective teams, for their support in advance of and during the Committee’s trip.

I would also like to thank all of the organizations and individuals who took the time to meet with the Committee in Guatemala and Colombia and who were willing to share their perspectives and experiences with openness and sincerity. In both countries, the Committee engaged with a variety of experts, officials and local stakeholders, and was able to tour development projects in rural areas. Those interactions and field visits were essential in exposing the Committee to the key issues facing the Guatemalan and Colombian people as they work to build sustainable peace and prosperity, and in informing the Committee’s conclusions regarding the role that Canada should play to support those efforts.

The report that follows presents the findings of the Committee’s mission. It also includes the Committee’s recommendations to the Government of Canada regarding its engagement with Guatemala and Colombia, two important partners in our shared region of the Americas. With these case studies, this report builds on two other reports that the Committee recently presented to the House of Commons entitled, An Opportunity for Global Leadership: Canada and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda and Development Cooperation for a More Stable, Inclusive and Prosperous World: A Collective Ambition.

It is the Committee’s hope that, together, these three reports will contribute to discussions about how Canada can most effectively support the full implementation of the women, peace and security agenda, as well as broader international development objectives. The Committee will continue to follow those themes closely, as it will the situations in Guatemala and Colombia.