Colombia - June 2024

The Colombian Congress has approved a comprehensive reform of the country´s pension system, a key goal of Gustavo Petro’s administration and one of its main campaign promises. The reform, approved without changes in Congress, introduces a new system to address the country's pension challenges. Critics of the current system described it as regressive and unfair, leaving millions of informal workers without a right to receive a pension. The new system aims to integrate the public pension system managed by the state-run pension administrator, Colpensiones, with private funds, eliminating competition and ensuring they complement each other. It requires all citizens to contribute to a public fund with an amount equivalent to the minimum wage salary worth 2.3 months, with additional earnings directed to private funds. This change will release public resources to assist elderly citizens without pensions. The new system will be in force starting July 2025, and aims to reduce inequality and improve pension coverage, though it has sparked debate about its future implementation and sustainability.

Sources: La Silla Vacia, El País, France 24 

On 20 June, the Colombian parliament approved the statutory law necessary to implement a new jurisdiction within the judiciary specialized in handling agrarian related conflict. Conflicts over land tenancy and ownership have been at the root of the violence that has affected the country over several decades and has impacted millions of victims. The Agrarian Jurisdiction, expected to be put into effect within six months, introduces specialized judges and magistrates to exclusively focus on bringing justice for rural communities. In the past, land issues were dealt with by civil judges with no special expertise on agrarian law. According to supporters, the reform will bring efficiency and celerity to the resolution of land disputes, which until now has disproportionally affected peasants, Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities in the country. Additionally, the establishment of an Agrarian Jurisdiction was a pending commitment to the Peace Agreements with the FARC, signed in 2016. Despite broad support, some experts criticize the decision not to create a specialized agrarian court, one of the changes that the original proposal underwent to gain support from the opposition. 

Sources:  El Tiempo, El País, Ministerio de Justicia Colombia