FELIPE CORTES CLEVES

Lead collaboration among stakeholders, shaping policy influence, and amplifying children’s voices to safeguard them from conflict, violence, and climate change—achieved through the dedicated efforts of a 18+ member team, consistently maintaining green advocacy KPIs and sustained funding over three consecutive years, resulting in:

• Influencing Adoption and Implementation of Safe Schools Declaration: Led coalition of allied countries and NGOs, securing Colombia's adherence to the Safe Schools Declaration in 2022. Directed 2023 Action Plan's implementation, including monitoring, reporting, institutional strengthening, and regional practice exchanges, benefiting conflict-affected communities.
• Increase Political and Financial Commitment to Child Policies: Built coalitions to pass key child protection laws, including bans on physical punishment, child marriage, and Law 2328 of 2023, securing 32% funding. Improved child-sensitive plans from 1.59% to 32.81% (2020–2024) through technical assistance, lobbying, and child-led accountability.
• Child-Led Policy Design and Accountability: Established 500+ child network leading peace building campaigns. Supported first child briefing at UN Security Council (2023), co-designed peace policies for ELN process, and influenced child-focused declarations at COPs 16, 28, and 29. Advanced SDG monitoring via child consultations and Child Atlas for Summit for Future.
• Positioning and Visibility of Save the Children: Elevated Save the Children Colombia's visibility with 96% surge in Facebook engagement and 50% growth on Instagram and LinkedIn within one year.

As Advisor to Colombia's Family Welfare Agency (ICBF), led initiatives to protect Venezuelan migrant children, aligning policies and advocacy efforts to address urgent needs and foster sustainable solutions. Contributions included systemic reforms ensuring access to education, protection services and legal status.

• Expanded Access to Services for Migrant Children: Designed and implemented the ICBF Migrant Children Strategy, increasing access to services for Venezuelan children by 65% in two years (from 62,000 in 2018 to 102,000 in 2019).
• Strengthened Institutional and Local Capacities: Mobilized COP 6.4 billion in resources across 13 high-migration cities, enhancing the capacity of ICBF and municipalities to address the needs of migrant children and their families.
• Alignment with International Standards: Adapted three of ICBF's six core services (Emergency, Early Childhood, and Protection) to meet international standards, ensuring quality care for migrant and refugee children.
• Advancing Policy Frameworks for Child Protection: Represented Colombia at the UN Convention on Migrant Workers' Rights, advocating for migrant children's protection, and contributed to the Regional Protocol for Children’s Rights in Mobility Contexts during the Quito Process (2019–2020).
• Systemic Reforms for At-Risk Children: Facilitated decrees aligning juvenile justice and protection programs with international child rights standards and ensured identity and nationality for 28,000 stateless children in Colombia.

As Director of the Social Coexistence Unit at IOM-Sri Lanka, strengthened institutional capacity for reparations mechanisms and empowered victims' participation, collaborating with SCRM, government bodies, UN agencies, and civil society to advance transitional justice strategies.

• Legislative and Institutional Strengthening: Supported the formulation of the Office for Reparations Act No. 34 of 2018, establishing the Office for Victims’ Reparations. Delivered technical advice for implementing the reparations process, including claim registration and resource mobilization.
• Knowledge Exchange and Strategy Design: Facilitated exchanges between leaders from 13 countries, sharing best practices in reconciliation and reparation mechanisms, ensuring alignment with international standards and national reconciliation priorities.
• Support for Transitional Justice Pillars: Focused on reparations, truth, and non-repetition, providing guidance to the UN Human Rights Council Resolution of 2015 to strengthen the Sri Lankan Government’s reconciliation framework. Collaborated to develop victim case management protocols, access to psychosocial support and referrals.
• Land and Property Restitution: Coordinated dialogues on land and property restitution policies, engaging land mediation boards, government bodies and civil society.
• Community Resilience and Youth Engagement: Promoted youth participation in peace building through multi-ethnic vocational training, reconciliation workshops, and sports initiatives.

Oversaw the programmatic coordination of USAID VISP program, supporting Colombia's policies for 8+ million conflict victims. Managed a $80M budget, 250 projects, and a 65-member team, delivering systemic impacts in institutional strengthening, transitional justice, psychosocial rehabilitation, and peacebuilding across 32 municipalities and nationally.

• Institutional Strengthening and Victim Services: Supported the registration of 8.5 million victims, creating the world’s largest unified registry; reduced eligibility assessment times for legal redress from 110 to 60 days.
• Psychosocial Rehabilitation: Designed and implemented psychosocial training programs, benefiting 2,863 public officers and preventing labor burnout; facilitated psychosocial and physical rehabilitation.
• Transitional Justice and Historical Memory: Provided technical assistance to 152 collective reparation cases; supported 26 local memory initiatives, ensuring victims' right to truth and remembrance; and disseminated historical memory report about the conflict’s impact.
• Differential Approach and Social Inclusion: Enhanced tools and processes to address the needs of indigenous, Afro-Colombian, disabled, LGBTI+, women, and child populations through training and organizational support.
• Peace Process Victim-Centered Approach: Collaborated with the Victims Unit, Historical Memory Center, and Ministry of Health to support the Colombian government-FARC peace process, ensuring a victim-centered approach .