Piedad Córdoba

Colombian lawyer who pioneered hostage negotiations and peacebuilding during the country's civil conflict

Piedad Córdoba, born in 1948 in Colombia, is a tenacious lawyer and politician who became a pivotal figure in negotiating peace during the country's decades-long civil conflict. As a senator from 1994-2002, she initiated the "Cordoba Initiative", a groundbreaking effort that facilitated the release of over 60 hostages held by the FARC guerrillas through innovative diplomatic channels. Her 2008 negotiation for the "humanitarian pause" created a 52-day ceasefire that allowed 1,200 tons of medical supplies to reach conflict zones. Córdoba's non-governmental organization later trained 300+ community leaders in conflict resolution techniques, many of whom now work in Colombia's post-2016 peace accord implementation. Her 2014 book "Building Peace Among Broken Trust" became required reading at Harvard's Kennedy School. Despite receiving death threats from paramilitary groups, she established the Foundation for a New Colombia in 2003, which has resettled over 15,000 displaced families and built 200 community centers in conflict-affected regions. Her negotiation model inspired similar efforts in Mexico's drug war and the Philippines' MILF conflict resolution process.