Final agreement and sustainable peace between the FARC and the Colombian government

After four years of negotiations between the FARC and the Colombian Government, the Acuerdo final para la terminación del conflicto y la construcción de una paz estable y duradera (Final agreement for the termination of the conflict and the construction of a stable and lasting peace, ‘the final agreement’) was settled and the FARC ended their armed insurgency in favour of a political route. The final agreement proposes reforms and mechanisms for ending the conflict between the FARC and the Government and building sustainable peace in Colombia. Despite this promising future, it is uncertain how the peace process as a whole will impact Colombian politics, economics and society and achieve sustainable peace. Due to the history of violent political, social and economic exclusion of the FARC and the classes they represent, which lay at the origins and crux of the conflict, I argue that peace in Colombia will be sustainable once political, social and economic inclusion is achieved. The purpose of this investigation is to understand how the final agreement proposes to make peace sustainable in Colombia through political, social and economic inclusion and analyse whether the accords can achieve the goal of a stable and lasting peace. I conclude that without a rigorous implementation plan for achieving political, social and economic inclusion, the final agreement cannot achieve sustainable peace in Colombia.