1. No lost causes
Reflections on Colombia: Leadership, transformation and
International Affairs
REMARKS BY
ALVARO URIBE VELEZ

2. Introduction
 I have been asked to talk about leadership and transformation
based on our government experience.
 When I was asked to do that, I felt that this should be the
opportunity to express that what Colombia has experienced is not
only my success as President, nor only the success of my
administration. It was and it should be always remembered
as the success of a whole nation that recovered
CONFIDENCE and decided to mobilize in order to build a
better future.
 As President I had the privilege of counting with the support of my
fellow citizens to put in place the concept of a Comunitary State
built in the fertile ground of DEMOCRATIC SECURITY, INVESTOR
CONFIDENCE AND SOCIAL COHESION. This is the story I
want to share with you today

3. LOVE AND COURAGE

4. Colombia long history of violence
 Colombia’s history has been signed by long periods of
violence: In almost 200 years of independent live, our
nation has only experienced 47 years of relative peace.
 Violence has taken many forms:
 Regional and political organization struggles in the XIX Century.
 Partisan violence from 1900-1958
 Guerrilla confrontation since 1960
 Narco-Terrorism since 1980’s
 Violence has affected the lives of many Colombians:
 My father was killed in a kidnapping attempt. I have suffered in my
own skin the cruelty of terrorism. For that reason I have fought to
liberate my nation from the reign of fear.

5. Violence destroyed hope
 Between 1982 and 2002 violence kept on deteriorating and became the root of
structural problems: lack of investment, unemployment, poverty, brain drain, lack
of hope.
 In 2002 Colombia's was considered by many multilateral organizations, as a nation
in the path of becoming a failed state.
 The numbers made evident that we were experiencing a Confidence Deficit:
 28.837 homicides
 2.882 kidnappings
 69 homicides per 100.000 habitants
 1645 terrorist attacks
 350 mayors out of their municipalities
 158 municipalities without police
 Unemployment was close to 16%
 Poverty close to 57%
 Per Capita income US$2300
 FDI: US$2.1 billion
 Investment as % of GDP: 16%
 Guerrillas, Paramilitaries and drug dealers exercised control in many regions

6. Many people fought to reach peace in good faith
 Gilberto Echeverri and Guillermo Gaviria thought in
good faith that violence ought to be fought through
peaceful dialogue…
 They decided to organize a walk for peace. During the
endeavor they were kidnapped by FARC…
 My desire when I took office was to release all the
kidnapped citizens, beginning with Gilberto and
Guillermo.
 The failure of their rescue operation
 Assume responsibility
 Moment of truth
 The need to continue our fight against terror.

7. Personal experiences with violence
 Captain Franco visits our home…
 EPL kidnapping attempt
 Many attempts on my life
 Our fight was to restore true peace in
Colombia under the principles of justice and
order.

8. My professional lessons
 EPM
 Secretary General of the Labour Ministry
 Colombian National Aviation Bureau
 Mayor of Medellin
 City Council
 Senator
 Governor
1. Antioquia First
2. Community Councils
3. Management by Results
4. Communitary State

9. Perseverance and confidence

10. Our government agenda
 Colombia needed a change.
 In 2000 I decided to run for President building an agenda by listening to
the people and engaging in permanent dialogue:
 Democratic Workshops
 People coalition
 Independent candidacy
 Primero Colombia
 We built our change agenda with the People:
 Confidence was our cornerstone
 A new concept of State…”The Communitary State”:
• No division between left and right
• No Neoliberalism nor Socialism
• Pure Democratic Center
• A participative State
• An efficient state not a bureaucratic State
 Strong hand and big heart: Mano firme corazón grande
 Democratic Manifesto: 100 Points
 Three Pillars:
• Democratic Security
• Investment with fraternity
• Social Cohesion as the final objective

11. The 3 pillars in Government
Democratic
Security
Security for All
Fight all forms of crime
Security without Martial Law
Security with liberties and
Human Rights
Victims recognition
Investment
with Social
Responsibility
Investor Security (Human,
Legal and Political)
Sound Macroeconomics
Incentives
Access to markets
Competitiveness Factors
(Infrastructure, Connectivity,
Banking,)
Social
Cohesion
Education Revolution
Health with coverage and
quality
Access to credit (Banca de
oportunidades)
Vocational Training
Conditional Cash Transfers

12. The Three Pillars in Government:
Change is possible
The combination of our Policies produced significant results: Lowest violence levels in
two decades, highest levels of social coverage in Colombian History and highest levels
Security Economy
Indicator 2002 2010
Homicides 28.838 14.000
Kidnappings 2.882 228
Homicides per
100K Habitants
69 35
Terrorist
attacks
1.645 250
Municipalities
without mayors
presence
350 0
Municipalities
without police
158 0
Indicator 2002 2010
Average
Economic
Growth
2.1% 4.3%
GDP per Capita 2377 5300
Invest % GDP 16.5% 27%
Exports US$
11.000
US$
39.000
FDI US$
2.100
US$ 7.000
Inflation 6.9% 2.5%
Social
Indicator 2002 2010
Unemployment 16.2% 11.6%
Health Coverage 25.1
million
43.1
million
Pension affiliates 4.5
million
7.1
million
Poverty 53% 37%
Education coverage
(Primary, Hs, University)
97%
57%
24%
100%
79.4%
35.5%
Mobile phone users 4.6
million
lines
41
million
lines
of Exports and FDI in more than 5 decades

13. Change drivers
Change Drivers
1. 306 Communitarian Councils
• Changed the way in which the government connects with the people. For the
first time Government talks to the people not the armed groups
• People initially made their claims with anger and after 8 years with hope
2. Weekly Security Councils
• Helped us confront the military forces statistics with the community
• Great example of trust building
3. 52 Economic dialogues
• Helped discuss economic policy with all the stakeholders
4. Result Driven Administration
• We created the SIGOB a system to monitor how Government fulfils its
objectives
5. Leading by example
• The President was on top of the agenda and involved 24/7
6. Direct Democracy (Sate of opinion)
• The Government always open for people scrutiny
• T.V. Questions for the FTA
7. Determination to find solutions
• Less promises but more solutions
8. Communication with the truth
• The case of Governor Gaviria and Minister Echeverry

14. Security as the Heart of Change
Recovering Security
1. Macro Vision and Detailed Follow up:
• Daily commitment to monitor security in every region
• How citizens had the President Mobile Phone Number
2. Early Victories :
• Road caravans
• Massive kidnappings are over
3. Strategic Force Integration
• All Forces working together
• Share success
4. National Informant Network
• Citizens became active in denouncing criminals
• Reward Mondays
5. Commander in Chief assumes responsibility
• The Granda Story
• Operation Fenix: Fire the Air Force Commander
• Operation Jaque: The pressure for a humanitarian exchange and the final
outcome
6. Smart Weapons:
• The importance of strategic warfare
7. Extradition:
• The decision to extradite the Paramilitary Kingpins

15. U.S. Bipartisan support for Colombia:
Clinton, Bush, Obama
Political support
against terrorism
U.S.
Support to
Colombia
Lessons
Military Support
Development Aid
Support
Judicial Support
Trade Support
Diplomatic
Support

16. Responsibility and loyalty

17. Facing crisis: perseverance to reach change
 Moments of truth:
1. Nogal Bomb: Bogota cries but never surrenders
2. Killing of 11 regional senators: Facing their families
when rejecting humanitarian exchanges
3. The rescue of Fernando Araujo
4. Meeting Chavez after the Bombardment in Ecuador:
a debate in live T.V.
5. The rescue of National University President
6. The story of Emmanuel
7. The military agreement with the U.S.

18. Changing Mindsets
Old concept
Internal conflict
Political Fighters
Political negotiations
Humanitarian exchange
New mindset
Terrorist threat
Terrorists
Rule of law application
under the principles of
justice, peace and reparation
Kidnapping shall not be
legitimized (Military Rescue)
Remember meeting with Chirac in France

19. Context and leadership matter for Change
Leadership and country conditions are
essential for political will
 Leadership:
 Congruence
 Consistency
 Competence
 Caring
 Energy
 Honesty
 Love
Democratic
Tradition
Country
Conditions
Matter
Colombia
Professional
Armed Forces
Vibrant Private
Sector
Active and
courageous
middle class
Rule of Law
Entrepreneurial
Spirit

20. Colombia had also important conditions to
embrace change
Democratic
Tradition
Country
Conditions
Matter
Colombia
Professional
Armed Forces
Vibrant
Private Sector
Rule of law
Active and
courageous
middle class

21. Historical changes took place
 Leadership, governance based on citizen support and political Will, helped
built significant historical changes in strategic sectors:
 Reform the oil and gas sector:
1. Colombia is close to produce 1 million barrels per day from 250.000 in 2002
2. Ecopetrol Reform
3. Created the National Hydrocarbon Agency
 Reform the Telecom Sector:
1. Restructure the Colombian Telecommunications Agency
 Reform the Colombian Social Security Agency
 More than 2.000 criminals were extradited
 Paramilitary structures were dismantled
 FARC suffered its biggest historical defeats
 Colombia experienced its largest historical FDI flows
 Biggest historical reduction in illicit crops
 More than 10 FTA’s signed and negotiated
 Largest historical health and education coverage
 Largest historical credit expansion
 Largest historical tourism flows to the country
THIS CHANGE SHOWED THE WORLD THAT COLOMBIA WAS NOT A
LOST CAUSE….

22. Colombia current
challenges

23. Challenges that will define our future
Security
Maintain Macro-
Vision and Micro-
Management
Continue
dismantling all
terrorist
organizations
Continue
dismantling drug
cartels apparatus
Strengthen Citizen
Security agendas
with local authorities
Economic
Maintain and
increase FDI flows
(Security, incentives
and stability rules)
Fiscal Policy to face
new countercyclical
challenges
Increase tax
collections
Social
Cohesion
Fight labor
informality and
create quality jobs
Insure education
and health quality
Expand vocational
training coverage
Create
Entrepreneurial
Family Transfers
program
Political
Judicial reform
Improve local
institutional capacity
New law
implementation
(Victims and land)
Prevent the
emergence of
populist movements

24. www.alvarouribevelez.com