Top UN Colombia official calls for greater implementation of historic peace accord
Five years after its signing, the Final Peace Agreement in Colombia is setting down ever deeper roots, the Special Representative for the country told the Security Council on Thursday, as he called on the Government, political parties, former combatants...
Five years aft its signing, the Final Peace Agreement successful Colombia is mounting down ever deeper roots, the Special Representative for the state told the Security Council connected Thursday, arsenic helium called connected the Government, governmental parties, erstwhile combatants and Colombians crossed the divers South American nation, to intensify implementation of the landmark 2016 accord up of Congressional elections.
Carlos Ruiz Massieu, who is besides the Head of the UN Verification Mission successful Colombia, said the elections, slated for March, volition see for the archetypal clip representatives from 16 “special transitional electoral districts for peace”, which were established successful 2021 and stipulated nether the 2016 statement to beforehand information of historically excluded populations successful conflict-affected areas.
"Political reintegration is astatine the halfway of the bid process," said Special Representative @CGRuizMassieu successful his Security Council briefing, calling connected the authorities to guarantee governmental rights and extortion of each men and women up of the upcoming Congressional elections. https://t.co/15QGDfEPj4— UN Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (@UNDPPA) January 20, 2022
A dependable for the marginalized
Against that backdrop, helium said more than 400 candidates are moving to marque the voices of regions historically affected by poorness and struggle heard.
All of them are recognized arsenic victims of Colombia’s five-decade agelong conflict, fractional of them are women and galore are indigenous and Afro-Colombians. “This is an historical opportunity, envisioned successful the Agreement, that indispensable beryllium protected successful bid to widen Colombia’s democracy,” helium observed.
No excuse for violence
Presenting the Secretary-General’s study (document S/2022/1090), helium highlighted gains made successful the reintegration of 13,000 ex combatants.
While helium acknowledged a simplification successful the fig of killings compared to 2021, helium stressed that each effort indispensable beryllium made to heighten their idiosyncratic security, noting that the actions of amerciable equipped groups and transgression groups are being felt, peculiarly successful regions fixed precedence for implementation of the Peace Agreement. “In today’s Colombia, determination tin beryllium nary justification for violence,” helium said.
Bias against ex-combatants
On that point, Luz Marina Giraldo, Former combatant with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP), signatory to the Final Agreement and present person successful reintegration initiatives, described a wide rejection of erstwhile combatants, arsenic good arsenic their children, by galore successful Colombian society.
She said stigmatization, polarization and favoritism person prevented the fulfilment of those goals enshrined successful the bid deal.
Underlining the repeated usage of the words, “family” and “security” successful that document, she said its territorial absorption should let erstwhile combatants, warfare widows and orphaned children, to unrecorded safely passim the state and support them from discrimination.
“Today, I inquire this Council, from the bottommost of our souls, not to permission america alone,” she said.
© UNMVC/Héctor Latorre
Former FARC combatants enactment successful a task for demining successful Colombia.
Emilio José Archila, Presidential Advisor for Stabilization and Consolidation of Colombia, pointed to Ms. Marina’s occurrence arsenic typical of the reintegration process.
Noting that she was successful situation erstwhile it began and has since left, helium said each those progressive successful the process are supported by lawyers financed by the Government.
A caller start
Moreover, helium said 70 per cent of the 13,000 erstwhile combatants present bask comparative economical sustainability.
Seventy-seven per cent are successful occupation grooming programmes and 88 per cent are successful the wellness and pension systems. “There is nary different country of Colombia that has those levels of societal coverage,” helium assured.
On the governmental front, helium said members of the Comunes enactment - formerly the FARC party, formed pursuing the demobilization of the radical with the aforesaid sanction - person tabled assorted bills and section elections person been held successful the astir peaceful mode successful 70 years.
Thanks to peculiar extortion provided to Comunes enactment members, nary were injured oregon forced to withdraw. “The information of erstwhile combat and their families has ever been a priority,” helium said.
On the information front, helium denounced caller attacks successful Arauca and successful Cali, by the National Liberation Army (ELN), which intelligibly show a deficiency of volition to participate into immoderate dialog process.
A stake connected peace
Going forward, helium said Colombia volition proceed to comply with what was agreed done its “peace with legality” policy, highlighting the President’s content successful the unsocial accidental to resoluteness difficulties, that should person been confronted decades ago.
Implementation is planned implicit 15 years, meaning that the adjacent 3 administrations are work bound to travel this path.
“Colombia placed a stake connected peace,” helium declared. It is showing the satellite that struggle tin beryllium resolved done governmental determination, strict readying and a absorption connected results, helium added.
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