Social agenda of ecuador and colombia: incidence of social movements in foreign policy

Abstract

During the last decade of the 20th century, Latin America was a favorable field for the actions of indigenous movements as an alternative to political parties and governments, demanding an inclusive and participatory democracy. The regional context of this decade should not be ignored since the results of the neoliberalism-based economic schema implementation reduced the role of the State under the "minimal State" logic; in consequence, it caused an organic crisis which resulted in the emergence of multiple social actors whose demands were related to the implemented policies adjustment; time in which, the party system was not able to meet civil society’s needs.

In Ecuador, the indigenous movement got a prominent role due to its demanding nature actions, having relevance in the political agenda of the State. On its side, the national and international political agenda developed by peasant organizations in Colombia responds to the types of co-opting that these social sectors have had in attempting to redefine the state structures that govern the country. Considering the uniqueness of the two countries and the social movement-State relationship, the study aims to analyze the social agenda positioning within the Ecuadorian and Colombian foreign policy, through the comparative and analytical, descriptive method. An ad hoc record was developed, which allowed studying the emissions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of Ecuador, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia. The analysis period was the first semester of 2018 (from January 1 to June 30), totaling 873 news and official communications; from which, 397 corresponds to Ecuador and 476 to Colombia. As a result, a low frequency of social issues in the foreign policy of both countries was obtained, highlighting for Ecuador the incorporation of social organizations in the elaboration of the 2017-2021 Foreign Policy Agenda.