20211015

(ES/EN) Colombia: Peace Process- Security Council Briefing (14 October 2021)


The United Nations of Earth reporting on this issue: "(ES/EN) Colombia: Peace Process- Security Council Briefing (14 October 2021)"
The topics: The Head of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, said, "Preserving what has been achieved, making headway on the outstanding tasks, and overcoming the challenges of implementation will hinge to a great extent on the parties' ability to implement each and every element" of the peace agreement. Addressing the Security Council today (14 Oct), Ruiz Massieu said, with the 5th anniversary of the peace agreement between the Colombian State and the former FARC-EP approaching, there is an opportunity to reflect on the great deal of achievements in the first third of the 15-year period of implementation, as well as the many things that remain to be achieved. The UN Special Representative said recent events show the potential of the full implementation of the agreement which puts victims at the heart of the process, including the establishment of congressional seats which allow the people in the regions most effected by the conflict to actively participate in the democratic debate and the progress made by the Comprehensive System for Truth, Justice, Reparation, and Non-Repetition. Ruiz Massieu said the progress made is a result of the commitment and the cumulative efforts of the parties, including the civil society and the international community. Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia: "Preserving what has been achieved, making headway on the outstanding tasks, and overcoming the challenges of implementation will hinge to a great extent on the parties' ability to implement each and every element of the agreement. Their isolated implementation would fall short. It would not make it possible to eliminate the factors that led to decades of armed conflict and to ensure the transformative potential of the agreement." The Head of Verification Mission said collective efforts to boost reintegration in the early years of the process had been crucial to instil hope among thousands of men and women who continue to bet on peace until this day. However, referencing a female leader of former combatants in Meta, he said many investments may now be in jeopardy, adding that to protect hard fought gains, decisive actions are required on matters such as land, housing, sustainable income generation and security. Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia: "As time passes, it is increasingly evident that deeper transformations are required to consolidate the reintegration process and other elements that have been put in motion in these five years, including within the territorial development programmes, and the programme for the substitution of illicit crops. However fruitful the early stages may have been, the long-term success of initial investments is contingent upon the agreement's promise of reshaping rural Colombia by establishing sustainable development opportunities and state services and institutions for communities whose expectations remain unfulfilled." Ruiz Massieu noted that he continued to follow security issues in various regions with utmost concern. He said, to date, 296 men and women who laid down their arms in good faith have lost their lives, mostly through actions of illegal armed groups and criminal organizations. Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia: "Conflict-affected communities, former combatants, and social leaders still bear the brunt of the actions of illegal armed actors taking advantage of a limited state presence, poverty, and illicit economies. Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities are being disproportionately affected by all kinds of violence. In this case, from killings of their leaders to displacements and confinements. This situation demands the urgent and simultaneous implementation of all security guarantees provisions of the agreement." The Special Representative said, in light of the formidable threats facing these regions, the government and state entities should make better use of the mechanisms created by the agreement itself, including the National Commission on Security Guarantees. Ruiz Massieu said, in 2018, the end of the conflict with the FARC-EP led to the least violent and most participatory election in Colombia in decades, which is a testament to the undeniable relationship between a strengthened democracy and a lasting peace. He stressed that even in the midst of major challenges, the Colombian peace process continues to show the benefits of ending conflict through a negotiated agreement and putting the rights of victims at the heart of the process.


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