In Colombia’s history there have been many comissions trying to investigate the phenomenon of violence in Colombia. The "Historical Commission of the Conflict and its Victims" is the first one that was born out of an agreement between the National Government and the FARC-EP, after the guerrillas had insisted, during months, on the need to provide an independent, academic narrative of the conflict in Colombia.
The Historical Commission was created in August 2014 by the Conversation Table. Its objective was to contribute to the understanding of the complexity of the historical context of the conflict and provide input for the delegations in the discussion on the different points of the General Agreement.
It consisted of twelve experts who received the mission to present a report within four months, and two rapporteurs. The twelve experts were totally independent and autonomous. The reports are considered a “vital input for the future truth commission” and a contribution to the discussion on point 5, victims.
Its mandate was to address the following three topics: the origins and multiple causes of the conflict; the main factors and conditions that have facilitated or contributed to the persistence of the conflict; and the most notorious effects and impacts of the conflict on the population.