Territorial Development Project PDT- Nariño: Approach, Commitments, and Lessons Learned for building Peace

Abstract

This article analyzes the contribution of the Territorial Development Project in Conditions of Peace PDT- Nariño to the process of territorialization of peace in an area historically affected by the armed conflict in the southwest of Colombia. This project was implemented between 2016-2023 with the technical and financial support of the Spanish Cooperation Agency (AECID) and the European Union in alliance with the Governorate of Nariño and the Mayors’ Offices of Pasto, Ipiales, and Tumaco. The theoretical review articulates the category of territorial peacebuilding from the perspective of governance. The research adopts a qualitative methodological approach based on the systematization of experiences and is supported by an inductive thematic analysis, assisted by NVivo, which allowed codifying and categorizing units of meaning to configure an integrating macro narrative in three aspects: 1) The intervention approach of the project, alignment, and agreement of the territorialized international cooperation strategy, 2) The forms of territorial and community management as integral alternatives of life and lasting wellbeing and 3) The identification of lessons learned with potential for replication. The thesis is that the PDT-Nariño contributed to territorializing peace by strengthening local capacities, proposing the articulation of actors from public agendas, and promoting sustainable technical cultures with a differential approach. The conclusions highlight the main findings and suggest new research agendas for transformative action (praxeology of peace).