In Colombia, some points of the Peace Agreement are still a struggle to be fought, says President Gustavo Petro

“A peace process is a social struggle, a political struggle. Despite having signed sentences, many paragraphs [del Acuerdo de Paz]”Today in Colombia there is not a consensus, not an agreement, but a struggle that is still to be fought, which is not only a struggle between politicians but also between society itself,” said Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Thursday during the inauguration of a monument that his country gave to the UN.

The Colombian president is at the United Nations headquarters in New York on a visit with multiple activities, including his participation in a session of the Security Council This afternoon, in which will present the progress and obstacles in the implementation of the Peace Agreement signed between the Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) in November 2016.

Colombia’s gift to the UN symbolizes wisdom and life and is located in the Rose Garden of the Organization’s complex. The Kusikawsay Monument was made from the molten metal of 1.4 tons of ammunition that the United Nations received during the disarmament of the extinct FARC.

Gustavo Petro said that the monument, because it is in the place where it is and because of what it represents, “is a heritage of what remains of republican history.” from Colombia, a country where we create and undo violence.”

“The struggle of the present is to integrate the country into a multi-coloured and fair democracy.“That is what we call a peace process,” he emphasized.

The most socially unequal country

The president referred to the violence in Colombia as “a permanent evil, a cultural vice“He regretted that, unlike other countries that have also experienced even more intense violence, his country has not been able to put an end to it.

Petro said that in Colombia, The war against slavery was won by the slave owners and that made the country the most unequal in the world.

Slavery, he argued, remains an underground culture in the elites who have almost hereditarily ruled the country for two centuries and have left behind a memory the most socially unequal country according to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Bombs fall on Gaza

The head of state also deplored the fact that the UN is talking about peace while war is being discussed in the same building.

“Bombs are falling on Gaza. What kind of monument can be built here to show this?” tragic return to barbarism and genocide“I wonder. In the midst of the cameras, in the midst of false speeches and hypocrisy,” he said.

Peacebuilding Commission

After the ceremony, Gustavo Petro participated in a meeting of the Peace Consolidation Commission dedicated to Colombia in which he indicated that the peace process is a process of social inclusion of the territory in a national body.

Including the territory materializes the abstract concept of nation, that is the difference between this and previous attempts to achieve peace in the country, he explained, although, he added, therein lies the main challenges to continue moving forward.

At the forum, Petro attributed much of the violence in Colombia to the war on drugs. If drugs were legal, the war in Colombia would end right then, “it’s that simple,” he said, “but since that’s not possible, the war continues.”

Colombia continues to inspire the world

The ceremony to unveil the monument was attended by UN Chief of Staff Courtnay Rattray, who delivered a message on behalf of the General secretary Antonio Guterres.

“The peace process in Colombia remains an inspiration to everyone“Rattray began, describing as encouraging the fact that both sides are working together on the implementation of the Peace Agreement.

“Just as weapons of war can be transformed into artformer adversaries can become allies for peace“, he said.

Nearly eight years after the signing of the Peace Agreement, there is much to celebrate, but there is still a long way to go, he warned.

Rattray highlighted the many lives that have been saved thanks to the Agreement and praised the efforts of former combatants to build new horizons.

“We appreciate the Government’s determination to broaden the scope of peace, prioritizing dialogue as the primary means to end the violence that continues to claim lives and inflict suffering on vulnerable groups and communities,” he said.

Before finishing, He called on all Colombians to continue moving forward with determination and unity. in the implementation of the Peace Agreement, and reaffirmed the UN’s full support for the process.

“The road is long, the journey demanding; however, I am sure that Colombia will reach its destination: a just and lasting peace.“he concluded.