The UN applauds the total peace approach of the new Colombian executive

“Colombia is experiencing a moment of renewed expectations,” said the UN representative in Colombia, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, before the Security Council on Wednesday, stating that this phase “is the product of the bold proposal for total peace advanced by President Gustavo Petro”.

During the presentation of the Secretary General’s most recent quarterly report, Massieu explained that “this policy is anchored in the comprehensive implementation of the final peace agreement with the former FARC-EP.”

And he added that “it also seeks to deepen peace through the resumption of dialogues with the National Liberation Army (ELN) and through rapprochements with other armed actors”, with the aim of ending “the multiple expressions of violence that continue to strike to communities in various regions of the country.

Massieu declared that he was encouraged by the approach of the new administration that prioritizes dialogue as the “main resource to resolve the social and armed conflict.”

Also for the fact that it “focuses security strategies on the protection of vulnerable communities”, and that it recognizes “the interdependence between lasting solutions to violence and overcoming historical inequalities, especially in rural and impoverished areas”.

He described the Peace Agreement in Colombia as “a benchmark in the matter” and stressed that the search for total peace “represents an opportunity to continue building on these foundations ensuring the broad and effective participation of women”.

“From Chocó to Catatumbo, from Putumayo to the south of Bolívar, it is these women and their communities who face and resist the violence caused by different armed actors who dispute territorial control” and, for that reason, brought up the Secretary’s message General in which he urges these actors to “demonstrate their will for peace and respond positively to the call for a ceasefire proposed by President Petro.”

He added that in addition to dialogue, the materialization of peace requires “the materialization of pending commitments in the implementation of the final Peace Agreement.”

For this reason, he considered it positive that Congress debated key reforms in recent weeks, such as the bill for the creation of the agrarian jurisdiction and the proposal for political reform, the advances in the processing of the law that provides a legal framework for the total peace and the ratification of the Escazú climate agreement.

“Likewise, I would like to highlight the importance of the recent agreement between the government and the Cattlemen’s Federation for the purchase of land that will be distributed among peasants through the mechanisms established by the Peace Agreement,” he stressed.

The UN applauds the new approach based on human security

Similarly, Massieu pointed out that, during his visit to different regions of the country, community representatives expressed their concern about the constant presence of illegal armed actors and their frustration at the non-availability of basic services and development opportunities.

“That is why he welcomed the will of the government of take a new approach to human security oriented precisely to strengthen the comprehensive deployment of the State, the confidence of citizens in civil institutions and the public force and progressively deactivate the causes that originate violence”, he detailed.

Finally, he described as encouraging the decision of the Colombian government and the ELN “to resume the peace talks.”

More than 300 ex-combatants killed

In the report presented today, the Secretary General trusts that the government will strengthen support for the more than 13,000 former combatants committed to peace, attending to their reintegration and needs, as well as those of the indigenous and Afro-Colombians.

Regarding the risk factors for the reintegration of former combatants, he underlines the persistent insecurity and refers that in the three months covered by the report 15 ex-combatants were killed, bringing the count to a total of 342 killed since the signing of the Agreement.

In this line, it points out that illegal armed groups continue to operate in areas with little State presence and adds that this violence disproportionately affects women, indigenous people and Afro-Colombians.

It specifies that during the reporting period more than 8,000 people were confined and more than 13,000 were forcibly displacedwhile 45 murders against human rights defenders were reported.

However, it recognizes that the new Government has already taken the first steps to deal with the violence in several regions and welcomes the fact that the measures it has taken include the provisions of the Peace Agreement.

It also hopes that the presence of the State will be progressively strengthened to protect vulnerable groups and dismantle armed groups and criminal organizations.