CHE awarded funding to investigate health consequences of conflict in Colombia

The Joint Health Systems Research Initiative grant supports the collaborative and inter-disciplinary research project: War and Peace – the Health and Health System Consequences of Conflict in Colombia. The project sees CHE researchers partnering with colleagues in the Department of Politics, University of York; London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; and Escuela de Gobierno, Universidad de los Andes, to investigate the health consequences of the conflict in Colombia.

Since 1958 an estimated 220,000 people have died in Colombia due to the civil conflict and more than six million (13% of the population) have been forcibly displaced. The 2016 peace accord between the largest rebel group and Colombian government ended hostilities, providing a unique window of opportunity for the War and Peace project to conduct an in-depth study of the experience of conflict and peace.

War and Peace aims to provide much needed evidence on issues such as the consequences of conflict for health service organisation and delivery, and the impact on often overlooked populations, including internally displaced families and the poorest groups – including their post-conflict health needs.

The conclusions drawn from the project’s analyses will provide the basis for evidence-based health policy recommendations for Colombia and other conflict-affected countries.

Rodrigo Moreno-Serra said: “We are very excited to have the opportunity to work in close collaboration with experienced academic partners and stakeholders in Colombia and the UK.” 

“Armed conflicts can have devastating consequences for population health and national development. The War and Peace project will bring about novel contributions to a number of under-researched questions related to conflict and health, which will be valuable to guide post-conflict health policy in Colombia and other conflict-affected nations.”

Dr. Oscar Bernal, Associate Professor at Escuela de Gobierno, said: “Colombia has a historic opportunity to build peace and we at Universidad de los Andes are committed to participate in a joint effort with our UK colleagues to generate evidence and propose policies to improve the quality of life of all Colombians, who have endured more than 40 years of conflict.”

Link to University of York article.