Free, Prior, and Informed Consent in Colombia: Practices, Tensions, and Community Strategics

Abstract

This paper examines the implementation of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) in Colombia. Drawing on interviews with key actors and analysis of consultation data, it explores how FPIC is shaped by structural asymmetries, fragmented governance, and competing definitions of participation. Far from a neutral legal process, FPIC emerges as a space of tension where communities resist, negotiate, and sometimes reshape imposed agendas. The analysis includes testimonies from various actors offering diverse perspectives on how FPIC is experienced in practice, revealing not only institutional and political challenges but also internal dynamics of exclusion, particularly regarding women’s participation. While the legal purpose of FPIC is to ensure communities’ right to be consulted, this study highlights how its meaning and scope are redefined in practice through contested interactions among communities, state institutions, and other actors.