Internally Displaced Persons: Chapultepec Peace Agreement

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Internally Displaced Persons: Chapultepec Peace Agreement

Implementations

Internally Displaced Persons – 1992

The Legislative Assembly passed two decrees to help displaced persons and returnees gain/regain documents for certification and registration with the Government of El Salvador.1

The Government made an agreement with the UN Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) to share information on displaced persons and analyze the needs of approximately 7,000 former FMLN combatants gathered in designated areas according to the demobilization plan. The World Food Program was also authorized to provide assistance at displaced personsÕ encampments.2

Tensions between peasants and public security bodies continued despite assurances that the current residents of lands in conflict zones could remain where they were after the signing of the Peace Agreement. In some cases, the Armed Forces of El Salvador (FAES) worked with public security forces—without court orders—to evict peasants from disputed lands and occupy the lands for themselves. COPAZ intervened, but did not fully succeed in halting the evictions. ONUSAL subsequently intervened, but also failed to put an end to the evictions for several months.3 The UN Secretary-General’s office then became involved, and after consulting a number of international bodies and UN member states, helped the Parties reach an agreement to proceed with land transfers in late October 1992.4 However, ONUSAL received reports that unsanctioned land occupations continued into November 1992.5

  1. “Report of the Director of the Human Rights Division of ONUSAL,” United Nations Security Council (S/24066), June 5, 1992.
  2. “El Salvador: UNFPA to provide aid for displaced communities,” Inter-Press Service, March 12, 1992.
  3. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/23999), May 26, 1992.
  4. “Letter Dated 19 October 1992 from the Secretary-General Addressed to the President of the Security Council,” United Nations Security Council (S/24699), October 19, 1992.
  5. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/24833), November 23, 1992.

Internally Displaced Persons – 1993

Despite serious financial difficulties, the program for the transfer of lands proceeded, albeit at a slow pace. Both parties contributed to the delays: FMLN was slow to submit complete lists of land transfer recipients and the Government’s Lands Bank maintained slow and complicated procedures for the legal transfer of land. Both parties also relocated landholders on land whose owners were not willing to sell, further complicating the process.1 Progress fell further behind in October 1993.2 After an appeal to move forward by the UN Secretary-General, the parties reached a new agreement to move forward on 13 October 1993, and the Government developed an Acceleration Plan.3

A Board of Vigilance composed of representatives of all the political parties was created to advise citizens on problems they encountered in getting voter registration cards.4 Internally displaced persons often faced problems in getting voter registration cards due to a lack of legal documentation of their displacement as well as resettlement.

  1. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/25812), May 21, 1993.
  2. “Further Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/26790), November 23, 1993.
  3. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/1994/561), May 11, 1994.
  4. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/1994/179), February 16, 1994.

Internally Displaced Persons – 1994

The Acceleration Plan brought progress in the land transfer program, but not nearly at the rate it promised and not in the proportions promised to the FMLN beneficiaries in the 13 October 1993 agreement. On 21 April 1994, the Legislative Assembly passed a bill to reform the Labor Code to reflect reforms agreed upon in previous meetings of the Forum for Economic and Social Consultation, but the labor sector criticized the bill.1 The Government submitted a new acceleration plan on 18 August 1994, in which it pledged to strengthen the administrative infrastructure necessary to facilitate land transfers to FMLN ex-combatants. The program was stalled by funding shortfalls, however.2 At the two-year mark after the program began, only one-third of potential beneficiaries had actually received land.3 New progressive strides were made in November and December 1994, including improved administrative measures, shifting of responsibilities to the regional level, and increased personnel to measure land and communicate with potential beneficiaries.4

The legal limbo in which many internally displaced persons found themselves became a more salient issue as the first post-conflict election neared. Despite important improvements made by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, many discrepancies persisted in the registration records. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal did not meet the deadline in early 1994 for issuing registration cards after the push to register as many voters as possible.5 By 16 March 1994, more than 74,000 persons requesting voter registration cards still had not received them due to insufficient documentation.6

  1. United Nations Security Council, (S/1994/561).
  2. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/1994/1000), August 26, 1994.
  3. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/1994/1212), October 31, 1994.
  4. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/1995/220), March 24, 1995.
  5. United Nations Security Council, (S/1994/179).
  6. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/1994/304), March 16, 1994.

Internally Displaced Persons – 1995

The forward momentum in land reform programs created at the end of 1994 was curbed in January 1995, due in large part to personnel turnover in the Lands Bank. As of March 1995, approximately 45% of former combatants eligible for land-transfers had in fact received legal ownership of land. The Government was operating at a pace far too slow to meet the 30 April 1995 deadline for completion of the Acceleration Plan. The delays in land transfer programs, and especially delays in dealing with the relocation of human settlements, was becoming and increasing source of contention. Absent decisive involvement of the Government, lawful landowners and de facto landholders were repeatedly pitted against one another, and confrontations between them threatened to have a broad impact on the Peace Agreement.1 Problems persisted into late 1995. The Government stepped up efforts to get land titles to potential beneficiaries, and indeed the proportion rose to 75% in September, but then it was discovered that only 25% of these had filed with the land registry—a step which was necessary for the title holders to sell the land and complete the transfer process.2

  1. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/1995/220), March 24, 1995.
  2. “The Situation in Central America: Procedures for the Establishment of a Firm and Lasting Peace and Progress in Fashioning a Region of Peace, Freedom, Democracy and Development,” United Nations General Assembly (A/50/517), October 6, 1995.

Internally Displaced Persons – 1996

After a number of persons left the program, the total number of potential beneficiaries of land reform fell to 36,550. By 26 March 1996, 32,210 of them had received titles, and about half of those were recorded in the land registry. The program faced an impasse when land-for-sale became scarce and the human settlement relocations left some persons in unsustainable situations.1

By November 1996, nearly 99% of potential beneficiaries had received titles, and 87% of those had filed their deeds in the national registry.2

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal made some administrative reforms, but was not advancing very quickly to institute the acts of the Legislative Assembly to improve the voting register. Much work was to be done to implement the ONUSAL and MINUSAL recommendations before the 1997 legislative and municipal elections, but the Tribunal was hampered by a small budget.3

  1. “Mission of the United Nations in El Salvador: Report of the Secretary-General,” United Nations General Assembly (A/50/935), April 23, 1996.
  2. “Office of the United Nations Verification in El Salvador: Report of the Secretary-General,” United Nations General Assembly (A/51/693), November 25, 1996.
  3. “Mission of the United Nations in El Salvador: Report of the Secretary-General,” United Nations General Assembly (A/50/935), April 23, 1996.

Internally Displaced Persons – 1997

The land transfer programs remained a challenge, but progress was made on many of the most vexing cases. The transfer of human settlements was again the biggest challenge.1

Nearing the completion of the land transfer program, almost 35,000 persons had received titles to a total of over 140,000 manzanas (235,200 acres) of land. Hundreds of persons had not received land titles, however, and the government was still moving rather slowly to resolve the logistical issues preventing the completion of the program.2

  1. “Letter Dated 15 December 1997 from the Secretary-General to the President of the General Assembly,” United Nations General Assembly (A/52/731), December 16, 1997.
  2. “Assessment of the Peace Process in El Salvador: Report of the Secretary General,” United Nations General Assembly (A/51/517), July 1, 1997.

Internally Displaced Persons – 1998

Outstanding issues preventing the completion of the programs for land transfer and human settlement transfer were not resolved as of the conclusion of official UN observation on 30 June 1998.1 The IDP resettlement program was relatively successful.

  1. “Letter Dated 7 August 1998 from the Secretary-General Addressed to the President of the General Assembly,” United Nations General Assembly (A/52/1008), September 24, 1998.

Internally Displaced Persons – 1999

No major developments were reported related to resettlement of conflict related displaced persons.

Internally Displaced Persons – 2000

No further developments observed.

Internally Displaced Persons – 2001

No further developments observed.