Implementation of Colombia Peace Accord Gaining Traction, Special Representative Tells Security Council, as It Prepares to Discuss Expanding Verification Mission
Concerns Voiced over Violence against Ex-Combatants, Marginalized Groups
The United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia can make a significant contribution through the monitoring and verification of ceasefires, the Special Representative for the country told the Security Council today, as members prepare to deliberate on the Government’s request for an expansion of the Mission’s mandate, amidst positive developments in Colombia’s implementation of the Final Agreement with the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia — People’s Army (FARC-EP), and ongoing violence against ex-combatants and other marginalized groups.
Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Special Representative and the Head of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia, presented the Secretary-General’s latest report (document S/2023/477), noting that implementation of the Final Agreement for Ending the Conflict and Building a Stable and Lasting Peace is gaining traction across several sections. Particularly noteworthy are the numerous peace-related provisions of the national development plan, increased attention to comprehensive rural reform, and the allocation of much-needed funding to implement the Agreement. He detailed steps it has taken to further implement its ethnic chapter and bring about restorative justice. However, violence against peasant leaders, land claimants and ex-combatants continues to prevent realization of the accord’s full potential.
Turning to the regional elections scheduled for October, he called on illegal armed actors to respect the right of all citizens, including political candidates, to participate and on the authorities to take the requisite steps to guarantee a safe environment, including for women’s participation. He recalled that, last week, the “cessation of offensive actions” between the parties took effect — one step towards the full entry into force of the bilateral, national and temporary ceasefire on 3 August. Pointing out that Colombia is at a critical juncture, he said the Mission can make a significant contribution through the monitoring and verification of ceasefires. “We are facing a window of opportunity in which the support of this Council is decisive,” he stressed.
The Council also heard from Diana María Salcedo López, Spokesperson for the Special Women’s Instance for the follow-up of the implementation of the peace agreement in Columbia and Director of the International League of Women for Peace and Freedom, who recognized the Government’s commitments to steady the course of the 2016 Final Agreement in its seventh year of implementation. However, the Government must go from 12 per cent of the Agreement’s gender provisions implemented, to more tangible progress, she said, detailing challenges that remain in the participation of women and LGBTIQ+ people in decision-making and systematic incorporation of the gender approach to rural reform. She urged Colombian authorities to improve, in the short term, the security conditions for ex-combatants, noting that at least 12 women signatories have been murdered since the accord was signed in 2016.
In the ensuing discussion, speakers welcomed the agreement on a six-month national ceasefire between the Colombian Government and the National Liberation Army (ELN), with others also commending the Colombian authorities’ efforts to reach further ceasefires with other armed groups. They voiced concern however about the violence faced by Afro-Colombians, Indigenous Peoples, women and children, and the most vulnerable populations, as well as ex-combatants who must be safely reintegrated into society.
The representative of the United Kingdom, Council President for July, spoke in her national capacity and was among speakers who echoed concerns about the situation of women in the country. Female leaders and ex‑combatants continue to face conflict-related sexual violence, she pointed out, encouraging the Government to prioritize full implementation of the Final Agreement’s gender provisions. She thanked the Secretary-General for giving the Council options for an expanded United Nations role in verifying ceasefire agreements, noting that her delegation will share a draft resolution in the coming days for discussion with Council members.
On that note, China’s representative, like other speakers, supported the Council’s active consideration of expanding the Mission’s mandate and underscored its vital role. Joining other delegations, he welcomed the six-month ceasefire agreement reached by Colombia’s Government and ELN during the third round of peace talks, and backed Bogota’s continued dialogue and negotiations with other armed groups. Curbing violence and conflict is crucial to maintaining people’s confidence in the peace process, he stressed, commending the Government’s efforts to strengthen security protection for ex‑combatants and women, children and ethnic minorities.
The speaker for the United Arab Emirates, in a similar vein, highlighted the importance of safely reintegrating ex-combatants, stressing that those men and women honoured their commitment to the Final Agreement.
Mozambique’s delegate, speaking also for Gabon and Ghana, stressed that, to attain peace in Colombia and address historical inequalities that have fuelled conflicts, fair and inclusive policies for Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities must be implemented. In this regard, the three African members in the Council welcomed the Colombian Government’s consideration of Indigenous and Afro-Colombians in the land-distribution process, he said.
Meanwhile, Brazil’s representative spotlighted the Colombian Congress’ approval of a law establishing the Agrarian Jurisdiction to resolve rural conflicts and another recognizing the constitutional rights of peasants, noting that they are vital for rural reform.
Álvaro Leyva Durán, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Colombia, highlighted his Government’s institutional and legislative initiatives. Among them is the national development plan, which includes, for the first time, the adoption of a foreign policy with a gender focus. The talks with ELN are advancing and have brought concrete results, he added, detailing other developments. He asked the international community and the Security Council to accompany his country in ceasefire verifications, as a guarantor of total peace. “Colombia wants its society to advance, no longer towards 100 years of solitude,” he said, referring to Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s novel, “but towards a hundred years of coexistence and peace. That would be the real victory.”
The meeting began at 3:02 p.m. and ended at 4:44 p.m.
https://press.un.org/en/2023/sc15353.doc.htm
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