Doing business in the context of an internal war, with conditions of serious social unrest and under the restrictions of a state of emergency puts the production and commercial system of our country to the test. The company, like the citizens, operates with fear and risk; and is forced to activate a true line of protection and defense of its productive and financial capacity to ensure its resistance and continuity.

This internal armed conflict is holding back the growth of our productivity. Violence and war cause systematic destruction of material goods and human capital; Productive costs are being redirected towards military and security expenditures, production, logistics and transport costs are rising, commercial dynamics, both exports and imports, are deteriorating, as are investment conditions. In the wartime market, not only does consumption and the creation of new jobs decrease, but illegal economies and corruption also grow.

VAT vs. peace

Uncertainty regarding the duration and type of outcome of this internal armed conflict forces the business system to mitigate risks in order not to lose production capacity in the short term, learn to operate in the context of internal war in the medium term, and develop operational resilience in a long-term complex environment. From the requirement that the insurance sector provide war risk policies that quickly adapt to the intensity of conflicts with competitive premiums, to the activation of liquidity protection strategies, possible difficulties in resolving debts, collection of invoices and suspension of payments. related to business sensitive to conflicts, urgent protection actions are also necessary and defense.

We all make up the motherland

Faced with this reality, it is expected that associations and chambers of different business sectors in the country will take a more active and coordinated responsibility for proposing policies, designing strategies and creating tools that protect the operational integrity of our business system, with special emphasis on small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the most vulnerable. in the context of armed conflict. We can find important examples from Colombia, where the National Association of Businessmen (ANDI) produced a Practical Guide to confronting the crime of extortion from private companies, a crime that represents the most important source of financing for illegal armed groups; We see another example in Mexico, where under the leadership of the Confederation of Chambers of Industry (CONCAMIN) the Survey on Victimization of National Companies is being promoted, which allows measuring the economic losses and costs of protection against crimes caused by organized crime. as well as the degree of trust of the business sector in public security institutions and their performance.

The price of war is the loss of productivity, employment and development opportunities. But it also represents the responsibility of strengthening the business unit to be an active actor in peace building. (OR)