In its most recent report, the Security Council Verification Mission in Colombian territory recognized important progress to date, although it called for faster and more comprehensive actions of the Peace Agreement to translate its vision into transformative changes.
The report considers of particular importance that stakeholders, including victims, rural communities, ethnic peoples, and ex-combatants alike, begin to experience more tangibly the positive impact of some of the key provisions of the Final Declaration. It also calls for a constructive dialogue between all interested parties, within the guidelines established by the document signed seven years ago, to overcome the obstacles still present in the Colombian context.
The report warns of the impact of violence on rural communities, particularly indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities, and women and children, in regions of Colombia with little State presence.
“The long-awaited progress must materialize in the most immediate future,” the report adds, calling on the Government and all entities with related responsibilities to move forward expeditiously. “The time has come for a successful and visible application on the ground,” it adds.
The Security Council also congratulated the Government of Gustavo Petro and the National Liberation Army for their achievements at the negotiating table, “a process that has advanced beyond any other previous attempt between the two parties.”
On October 2023, the Security Council extended for another year the mandate of the UN Mission in Colombia, devoted to verifying compliance with the Peace Agreement in Colombia.
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