Since 2023, Shikiya has been serving as the World Council of Churches (WCC) as special envoy for the peace process in Colombia. Colombia has endured a conflict lasting more than 60 years. The Colombian State has recorded more than 8.5 million people as victims of forced displacement. This marked the first time in Colombia’s history that a government officially invited the WCC to serve as a permanent companion in the peace process. Shikiya’s appointment to serve the WCC in Colombia was undertaken in consultation with the WCC’s member churches in the region and in light of his more than 20 years of work and relationships in Colombia with Evangelical and Protestant churches, their service organizations, and ecumenical networks. Alongside the WCC, other permanent accompaniers at the peace dialogue table include the Colombian Episcopal Conference of the Catholic Church, United Nations Verification Mission, and Organization of American States’ Mission to Support the Peace Process in Colombia. “Humberto brings his long and rich ecumenical and diaconal experience to bear in his current work on behalf of the WCC for peace in Colombia", said Peter Prove, director of the WCC’s Commission of the Churches on International Affairs. "Coupled with his personal authority and credibility, he makes an exceptionally effective mediator and advocate for peace. He is, in the midst of so much conflict today, a sign of hope, and a worthy recipient of this award,” he added. Shikiya drafted and established Colombia’s public policy on religious freedom during the administration of president Juan Manuel Santos (Nobel Peace Prize 2016), in which recognition was included for all religious actors as peacebuilders. For more than 20 years, Shikiya has led and supported innovative training processes for church, ecumenical, social, and community leadership—strengthening capacities for peacebuilding, promoting human dignity, overcoming polarization, and caring for creation and our common home. Shikiya’s one essential quality in building peace, justice, and reconciliation is patience—especially in processes where dialogue is indispensable. Shikiya has demonstrated persistence and steady commitment to ensuring that the parties seeking a negotiated path to peace do not walk away from the dialogue. According to Shikiya, peace processes move forward and backward, often due to failures by one or more parties to comply with agreements. This can be deeply frustrating for those who accompany these processes. Even so, Shikiya has repeatedly urged the parties involved to remain calm and resume dialogue, so they can continue shaping the reality of a lasting peace. This demonstrates how consistent he is even through the setbacks and long-term communication agreements. Shikiya will be receiving his award in person at the World Methodist Council meeting in August 2026 in San Salvador, El Salvador. | 
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