​

Neiva, 19/10/2021​

• Huila is the host of 'Miss Universe Colombia 2021', a contest that chooses the country's representative to the most important beauty pageant in the world. During their visit to Neiva, the candidates visited different enterprises led by ex-combatants from the departments of Huila and Tolima. 

Clothing, coffee, cocoa and dairy products, craft beer and production of achira biscuits, were part of the associative work that ex-combatants and victims of the conflict presented during the "Reconciliation Fair", organized by the Neiva City Council, which was attended by the 24 candidates for the national beauty pageant. 

“We were able to show them the work we do as reincorporated women, farmers and victims of the armed conflict. We proved to the community that we can work together", said Claudia Bermeo, ex-combatant and representative of the Comité de mujeres por la paz (Women's Committee for Peace) of Cooagropaz, an association that is making inroads into the poultry and coffee market in Huila. 

The women representatives from each department of the country learned the stories of those who are building a new life project in legality with the support of the Agency for Reincorporation and Normalization (ARN). Luz Adriana López, Miss Caquetá, after visiting each of the stands, recognized the importance of this boost to reconciliation in Colombia. 

“My department has been badly hit by the conflict and everything we are experiencing here at the 'Reconciliation Fair' represents the importance of providing second chances and supporting these enterprises", said the representative of Caquetá. 

The Director General of the ARN, Andrés Felipe Stapper, praised the initiative of the City Council of Neiva in promoting this space for reconciliation within the framework of supporting the productive initiatives of ex-combatants in the departments of Huila and Tolima. “The participation of each of the productive units of the population in the process of reincorporation in the territory, represents a commitment to the construction of social fabric, finding in the economic sustainability the progress for productive strengthening and the construction of peace with legality", he pointed out.

Interesting facts: 

• ​The ARN supports 515 people in the process of reincorporation who are making the transition to legality in 31 municipalities in Huila. 

• 267 people in the process of reincorporation benefit from productive projects carried out by ARN Huila. 

• 4 collective productive projects and another 263 individual projects have been approved, financed and are in the process of being implemented in the department. There are also 7 formalized ex-combatant cooperatives.