Bogota, January 8 (EFE). – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted “progress” in peacebuilding in Colombia but warned of its “challenges” in his latest report on the United Nations mission. The review in the country is expected this Monday.
In this document, the United Nations commended Colombia's determination to consolidate peace and emphasized the links between the implementation of the final peace agreement of 2016 and “ongoing dialogue initiatives as mutually reinforcing processes to consolidate peace”, referring to the negotiations with the ELN and with the FARC dissidents.
In addition, “Guterres noted the appointment of Otty Patiño as the new High Commissioner for Peace and trusted that he will “take advantage of the opportunity to further strengthen the implementation of the final agreement and the foundations for success.” the dialogs.”
The report covers the period from September 27 to December 26, 2023 and will be presented to the UN Security Council next Thursday by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Colombia, Carlos Ruiz Massieu.
Regarding the 2016 agreement with the former FARC guerrillas, Guterres welcomed “the completion of important planning and design processes”, for example within the framework of the comprehensive rural reform, and highlighted in particular the pact for the implementation of the ethnic chapter: the fulfillment of which “is of essential to meet the expectations of the indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities.”
According to the report, reintegration is another area where concrete efforts have been made, with, for example, the approval of the Comprehensive Reintegration Program seen as “an important step in giving the process a long-term perspective.”
In this context, Guterres stressed the need to “move forward in developing an integrated presence of state institutions and services, a central objective of the final agreement and a necessary prerequisite for eliminating the factors triggering the conflict.”
Regarding the peace dialogues that the government is conducting with various armed groups, the United Nations emphasized that these talks have “contributed to improving some security indicators” in certain regions.
According to a report by the Investigation and Law Enforcement Unit of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), the first ten months of 2023 saw a decrease in armed conflict, resulting in a decrease in attacks on public violence, clashes, civilian deaths and Injuries.
Although the number of forced displacements (62,300 people) and detentions (81,100 people) fell by 20% from January to November 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, the report also notes that violence by armed groups continues to have a serious impact communities.
The document also addresses progress in negotiations between the government and the National Liberation Army (ELN), including the agreements reached in the fifth cycle of negotiations in Mexico, the development of the bilateral ceasefire and the work of the National Stake Committee.
At the same time, the role of the verification mission is highlighted as an international component of the monitoring and verification mechanism of the ceasefire between the government and the ELN, which, in addition to preventing and resolving everyday problems on the ground, also played a role that allowed the parties to avoid armed confrontations on multiple occasions.
Guterres also praised the agreements and protocols reached so far in negotiations between the government and the Central General Staff (EMC), the FARC's main dissident, and called on the parties to “stick to respecting the ceasefire.”
Finally, the document also assesses the work carried out by the JEP and concludes with a call from Guterres to all armed actors “to contribute to the further de-escalation of violence throughout the country, including by reducing confrontations between them, thus reaffirming this. “to express to Colombian society and to the world their commitment to achieving peace through dialogue. EFE
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