“What the last 10 years of disarmament have taught policymakers.” – 5 November 2014

…Without the support of public, private and international partners, reintegration cannot be successful…In the case of the private sector, our first approach is to create awareness about the reintegration program and how it works...There are five formal mechanisms that are offered to external actors so that they can participate in the reintegration process. The first is through employment. This can be as simple as a company developing a non‑discrimination policy that guarantees the right of the demobilized person to be hired if he or she represents the best candidate. The second mechanism is through internships that can serve as a means of recruiting permanent employees, and also offer a great opportunity to the demobilized to acquire experience. The third mechanism is through corporate volunteer programs in which the private sector donates time, knowledge and resources to strengthen entrepreneurs’ projects. The fourth mechanism is the inclusion of these projects and small businesses in the supply chains of larger industries and services. Lastly, the private sector can participate through the enforcement and strengthening of reconciliation initiatives…In Colombia’s case, businesses such as Coca-Cola FEMSA, Grupo Éxito [part of Groupe Casino] and Sodexo, among others, have contributed to the process of reintegration by offering the demobilized population direct employment, capacity-building through volunteers who help train such groups, and by including them in their supply chain for inputs to final products.