To be responsive to all social groups and communities, parliaments must have inclusive composition and processes.  In recent years, the Colombian Congress has made important progress in ensuring greater reactivity to the needs of the Afro-Colombian population. This community makes up 10% of the population and suffers from high levels of poverty and social exclusion while also being disproportionately impacted by the country’s legacy of armed conflict. While responsiveness efforts were initially led by an informal Afro-Colombian caucus (Bancada Afro), in 2017, the Congress formally established the Afro-Colombian Legal Commission (Comision Legal Afro). The commission aims to enhance the legislature’s ability to conduct outreach, make policy, and exercise oversight that is responsive to the needs and priorities of Afro-Colombian communities. To assist in this effort, NDI has aimed to help this new commission coalesce as an effective governing unit.

NDI has a long history of partnership with the Colombian Congress, including supporting the Afro-Colombian Caucus in its journey to establishment as a full congressional commission. In August 2024, NDI organized a visit to Bogotá, Colombia, with the U.S. House Democracy Partnership (HDP) to share experiences and lessons from the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) of the U.S. Congress with the Afro-Colombian Commission. Participants included former Congresswoman Brenda Lawerence (MI-14), two former CBC staffers, and a current Congressional staffer with experience in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC). Delegates discussed the importance of using education to promote equality and opportunity, developing unity within the commission, creating effective transition plans for biannual leadership changes and unity. Congresswoman Lawrence stressed that the success of the CBC comes from unity, stating, “You don’t have unity because you want unity; you have unity because you need unity to get anything done. If you want to help the Afro-Colombian people, you need to be unified.” At the conclusion of the program, armed with these suggestions, the Afro-Colombian Caucus can move forward in their pursuit of delivering effective representation as a more cohesive and prepared governing unit. Several members extended invitations to see future programs in municipalities where the majority of the Afro-Colombian population lives. These invitations resulted from the success and impact members felt came from the discussion and are excited to pursue further programs with NDI, HDP, and the Afro-Colombian Commission. 

In democracies around the world, the representation of marginalized populations presents a unique challenge for legislatures around the world. Institutions like the Afro-Colombian Legal Commission play a vital role in ensuring that the Afro-Colombian population has its voice heard and its rights protected. A Colombian member of Congress stated that “our goal is that the voices of the Indigenous and Afro [Colombian] people have the same volume as other people in leadership, that when laws are passed, their voices are heard. When you get slapped in the face, don’t give up, you cannot ride my back and walk over me if I stand back up tall. We are a long way from perfect, but every generation keeps pushing.” By working with commissions and caucuses in parliamentary and congressional legislatures, Civil Society Organizations, and government officials around the world, NDI and HDP strive to help lawmakers develop commissions that effectively legislate on behalf of their constituents.

Author: Robert McDonald, Program Associate for the Democratic Governance team

NDI's engagement with this program is implemented with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the House Democracy Partnership (HDP).

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NDI is a non-profit, non-partisan, non-governmental organization that works in partnership around the world to strengthen and safeguard democratic institutions, processes, norms and values to secure a better quality of life for all. NDI envisions a world where democracy and freedom prevail, with dignity for all.