YouSaid · the spoken record

Claudia Blum de Barberi

lines on the record: 54
first: 2020-04-14
most recent: 2021-04-21
sittings or episodes: 4
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“I do not want to end without mentioning that, following the visits of the Security Council in 2017 and 2019, we believe it to be of the utmost importance to convey a standing invitation to the Security Council to come to our country this year, when public health conditions permit, so that it can see the road travelled and the challenges ahead.”
2021-04-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/401 (2021) · source
“Those who want to mislead Colombians about such efforts are mistaken. Those who want to confuse mislead international community about the achievements and progress made are mistaken, but those who seek to mislead the Security Council about the reality in my country and the region are even more mistaken. The Government has developed a judicious 15-year planning process to achieve genuine change through the development and implementation of irreversible paths, in addition to honouring the victims and extending a hand to those who have the true will to renounce crime and live in legality.”
2021-04-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/401 (2021) · source
“Its technical secretariat has held 52 working meetings with the Gender Committee of the National Reintegration Council and 19 meetings with the Special Women’s Body. It has also held five meetings with the Special High-Level Forum of Ethnic Peoples. As a result, we have made concrete progress on the 51 gender indicators included in the framework plan for the implementation of the Final Agreement. I highlight that, in the rural development strategy alone, a total of 837,000 women have benefited from land restitution and formalization programmes, comprehensive land subsidies and the delivery of new housing. Colombia will continue to reaffirm women as key actors and agents in the peace with legality policy. Peacebuilding in our country has been a complex process and the current Government is committed to its achievement.”
2021-04-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/401 (2021) · source
“In 2020, funds to the tune of $142 million were allocated to the three entities of the system, and in 2021 a budget of almost $160 million was allocated. As Council members are aware, in line with the agreement and with the will to ensure that the transitional justice system has the expected effect on the reconciliation process in my country, President Duque Márquez asked the Security Council to add to the mandate of the Verification Mission. The implementation of the provisions of resolution 1325 (2000) and gender approaches related to peace implementation have been a priority for us. The Commission for the Follow-up, Promotion and Verification of the Implementation of the Final Agreement has had five meetings with the Special Forum on Gender.”
2021-04-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/401 (2021) · source
“That is one of the strengths of the Colombian peace process, and priorities will continue to be set in that way. The Colombian Government has been open to scrutiny. We therefore continuously transmit to the Verification Mission complete and updated information on the two components of its mandate and the results of the comprehensive implementation of the agreement. That should reduce the margin for interpretation or value judgments on issues that are verifiable and is a fundamental aspect of ensuring confidence in the Colombian peace process, both nationally and internationally. Meanwhile, the Colombian Government has guaranteed the independence of the Comprehensive System for Truth, Justice, Reparation and Non-Repetition. We have also ensured its adequate funding.”
2021-04-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/401 (2021) · source
“They are the effective reintegration of former combatants; comprehensive reparations for the more than 9 million victims of violence; support for the nearly 100,000 families who have joined the illicit crop substitution programmes and who have demonstrated their commitment to that process; the formulation and implementation of the development programmes with a territorial focus; and continued progress in comprehensive rural development. Colombia therefore maintains a long-term vision of priorities and resource allocation. Our efforts have resulted in public works, opportunities and development, benefiting former combatants, victims, rural communities and other vulnerable populations. With that comprehensive vision, consolidation and stabilization are advancing and violence is being reduced.”
2021-04-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/401 (2021) · source
“However, it is necessary to remember that those priorities, as in all public policy, reflect the platform endorsed by the citizens at the ballot box when they elected the Government. For the current Administration, the priorities are established in the National Development Plan 2018-2022, the peace with legality policy and the framework plan for the implementation of the Final Agreement, initiated by the previous Government, which addresses all aspects of the agreement and the competent entities to develop them. Our Government reaffirms that the guidelines, emphasis and implementation policy are the responsibility of the Colombian State, as our Constitutional Court has noted. The priorities of President Duque Márquez are clearly described in the peace with legality policy.”
2021-04-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/401 (2021) · source
“We extended the term of the former territorial areas for training and reintegration and we are implementing the acquisition of land for the reintegration of the 2,974 former combatants who remain in them. The Government has acquired land for seven of those former areas and is in the process of purchasing land for 12 more areas. It is important to clarify that that provision was not in the agreement and that it reflects the political will of President Duque Márquez to ensure dignified conditions for those who have demonstrated their commitment to legality. The report presented by the Mission focuses on five priorities that the Secretary-General has sought to define as a path to fulfilling the commitments under the agreement.”
2021-04-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/401 (2021) · source
“Likewise, in economic matters, 100 per cent of the individual productive projects of former combatants and 97 per cent of the collective ones have been developed and approved during the current Government. We have ensured the sustainability of their access to basic services and social security. Their monthly allowance, equivalent to 90 per cent of the minimum wage, has been maintained, which has meant a disbursement of $67.7 million. That benefit was due to expire in August 2019 but was extended by the Government of President Duque Márquez for 10 years. Likewise, 98.6 per cent of former combatants are affiliated to the health system, and a high percentage are enrolled in training schools and use banks.”
2021-04-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/401 (2021) · source
“In 2020, homicides decreased by 10.8 per cent as compared to 2019. To date in 2021, the number of total victimizations has fallen by 51 per cent as compared to the same period last year. We will continue to act with determination to protect their lives and safety. As the report (S/2021/298) acknowledges, there is clear progress in the political, economic and social reintegration of the more than 13,000 former combatants who remain in the legal system. The Mission has verified that the political participation of former guerrilla members is a reality. The party created by former combatants participated in the 2018 parliamentary elections and in the 2019 departmental and municipal elections. Its political headquarters and members are protected, and a robust campaign against political violence is under way.”
2021-04-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/401 (2021) · source
“In that regard, we spare no effort in capacity-building. In 2020, steady progress was made in adopting and implementing measures to strengthen the security of former combatants, promote the investigation and prosecution of crimes against them, achieving high rates of success, and enhance the efforts of the security forces to dismantle criminal structures in the territories. The Technical Committee on Security and Protection, which brings together 15 State bodies, set out the security measures for former combatants and members of their political party, which has adopted the name Comunes. The Committee has met 64 times and its technical subcommittees 110 times. That is a top priority of President Duque Márquez. Coordinated actions have contributed to the reduction in homicides and victimization of former combatants.”
2021-04-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/401 (2021) · source
“Groups involved in transnational organized crime are the enemies of all Colombians and fuel violence in the country. In analysing compliance with the Final Agreement, the report cannot mention only the actions of the Government as one of the signatory parties. The existence of Fuerza Alternativa Revolucionaria del Común dissidents should rightly be seen as non-compliance by the former guerrilla movement, now a political party. The enemies of the agreement and of peace in Colombia are the criminals, including the dissidents. Eighty per cent of the murders of former combatants are perpetrated by dissidents and drug traffickers. With regard to the two components of the mandate of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia, it is important to stress that security is our greatest challenge.”
2021-04-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/401 (2021) · source
“The 2016 Final Agreement for Ending the Conflict and Building a Stable and Lasting Peace was signed in the knowledge that the former combatants of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejército del Pueblo (FARC-EP) were not the only perpetrators of violence in the country. It was therefore unrealistic to think that its implementation would in itself be sufficient to achieve an immediate and absolute stable and lasting peace. Since the second half of the last century, organized illegal armed groups have remained in certain areas of the country, posing challenges to stabilization and consolidation. In their pursuit of routes for drug trafficking and other illicit economies, those criminal organizations attack the population, target social leaders, harm farmers and clash with the security forces, which ensure the rule of law.”
2021-04-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/401 (2021) · source
“The world has seen Colombia’s progress since the beginning of the century as reflected by enhanced security and more peaceful coexistence, as well as the strengthening of our institutions, economy and society. Since 2018, the work on the implementation of the peace with legality policy, including the 2016 agreement, has been arduous, and we continue to advance in all the transformations necessary for Colombia to be an increasingly just, peaceful and inclusive society. As recognized in the Secretary-General’s reports, the downward trend in all indicators of violence has been consolidated in recent years. We have managed to reduce crime and guarantee the rule of law, thus protecting the human rights and integrity of more and more Colombians.”
2021-04-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/401 (2021) · source
“I thank the President for convening this meeting and the Council members for their continued support for Colombia. I also thank Secretary-General António Guterres and his Special Representative Carlos Ruiz Massieu for the report (S/2021/298) presented today. President Iván Duque Márquez has pointed out that peace emerges from a society’s decision to build a dignified future based on truth, solidarity, adherence to legality and the rejection of all forms of violence. Colombians and the world, in general, have not forgotten the levels of violence of the 1980s and 1990s, when criminality terrorized our population without respite and threatened our democratic institutions.”
2021-04-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/401 (2021) · source
“The President ratified the Government’s commitment to the reintegration of ex-combatants. He emphasized the importance of continuing to work for respect for life, justice and the generation of trust, and he praised the role of the public forces that confront criminal groups and protect former combatants and all citizens. The effective implementation of an ambitious agreement requires political will and strategic planning based on the principle of national ownership. Although we still have a long way to go, the peace with legality policy is helping us to advance towards a more just and peaceful society. The support of the international community is essential in this process. 30/3021-01008”
2021-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/77 (2021) · source
“Between 2019 and 2020 there was a 28 per cent increase in funding of the system, despite the impact of the pandemic and budget reductions to other State institutions. I would like to report that President Iván Duque recently sent a letter to the Secretary-General and the Security Council, asking them to consider adding to the mandate of the Verification Mission. The purpose of this request is to ensure the reparative element of truth and justice, which must be undertaken by those who have committed crimes and been punished. The Colombian people must be able to trust the justice system to advance reparations for victims and national coexistence. As mentioned in the report, last November President Iván Duque received representatives of the Pilgrimage for life and peace.”
2021-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/77 (2021) · source
“I am pleased to report the recent 10-year extension of the Victims and Land Restitution Act. President Duque’s Government has delivered more than 220,000 individual compensations to victims for a total of $498 million, in addition to collective reparations. The transitional justice system was established to guarantee the rights of victims to truth, justice, reparation and non-repetition. The Government has continued to support all its mechanisms, ensuring adequate funding. In 2020, $148.4 million were allocated to the system and distributed as follows: $82.7 million for the Special Jurisdiction for Peace; $39.8 million for the Special Unit for the Search for Persons Deemed as Missing; and $25.9 million for the Truth Commission.”
2021-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/77 (2021) · source
“It must be understood that they are not alternative venues for dialogue between the Government and the Fuerza Alternativa Revolucionaria del Común opposition party on issues that do not correspond to the implementation of the agreement. Congress and the democratic forums are the appropriate forums for debates unrelated to the implementation of the agreement. I would also like to stress the role of women and the focus on gender. The Council has witnessed Colombia’s commitment to the women and peace and security agenda. We continue to work to meet the 51 gender indicators included in the framework plan for the implementation of the final agreement, and that is monitored by the Special Forum on Gender and the High-Level Forum on Gender of the Government. Victims are at the centre of all our efforts.”
2021-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/77 (2021) · source
“The national Government, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme, the International Organization for Migration, the Multi-donor Trust Fund and other cooperating partners, has developed a strategic alliance to strengthen reintegration through collective productive projects. The national Government has supported the dialogue bodies provided for in the agreement and its regulatory development. Among them, the Commission for the Follow-up, Promotion and Verification of the Implementation of the Final Agreement, which was extended for an additional period of time beyond that initially agreed. Those spaces exist to resolve disagreements with regard to the implementation of the agreement.”
2021-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/77 (2021) · source
“The detailed registry of persons in reintegration enables the establishment of a sustainable strategy, with a holistic approach towards its economic, housing, family, education, health, and psychosocial and community well-being components. Although the agreement did not provide for access to or ownership of land specifically for former combatants, the Government has identified that need. For 2021, we have committed $4.2 million towards land acquisition. Through inter-institutional agreements, we also strengthen the sustainability of productive projects.”
2021-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/77 (2021) · source
“For that reason, the Government has developed a judicious planning initiative, with 15-year regional implementation road maps that are irreversible and guarantee the continuity of the actions undertaken. In addition, 13 sectoral plans have been adopted in different areas of government to address the needs of the country’s rural areas. The sustainability of the reintegration process is another priority of President Iván Duque. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the Government continues to fulfil its commitments even beyond what was agreed. The National Development Plan 2018-2022 includes measures to make reintegration sustainable for additional time beyond that of the agreement, as long as former combatants remain in the legal system.”
2021-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/77 (2021) · source
“The progress achieved in the stabilization of the 170 municipalities that have benefited from the development programmes with a territorial focus is evidence of the momentum, commitment and effectiveness of the Government in the implementation of the 2016 agreement. Those areas represent one third of the national territory and are home to nearly 7 million Colombians. In the past two years, there have been many changes in rural areas. The provision of electricity has been extended throughout the country; 8,348 housing solutions have been provided; 6,140 housing subsidies, with an investment of $52 million, have been granted in municipalities where development programmes with a territorial focus are being implemented. We also know that transformations towards a more equitable, peaceful, just and inclusive society require long-term effort.”
2021-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/77 (2021) · source
“965 of 2020 to confront illegal organizations have already yielded positive results. An example of that are the operations against the Clan del Golfo, one of the illegal groups that profits the most from illicit drug trafficking; 412 members of that group have already been arrested. In 2020, the number of people in the reintegration process who were killed was 12 per cent lower than in 2019. Colombia will continue to work decisively to prevent and combat those crimes and threats against vulnerable communities. The socioeconomic efforts of programmes, such as the development programmes with a territorial focus, have made it possible to strengthen the rule of law and transform the territories most affected by violence and poverty. The integrated presence of the State in those areas is another priority identified by the Secretary-General.”
2021-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/77 (2021) · source
“The Special Investigations Unit of the Office of the Attorney-General is also making progress in cases of attacks against former combatants. Of the 291 cases under its jurisdiction, 34 have resulted in convictions, 21 are in the trial stage, 40 are under investigation and arrest warrants have been issued in 48 cases. That represents progress in more than 50 per cent of the cases. For their part, the security forces have stepped up efforts to fight criminal structures in the territories. The State has made progress in the public policy guidelines for the dismantling of criminal organizations. However, we have not waited for the public policy to be adopted in order to implement the necessary measures to guarantee the security of Colombians. The initiatives developed under Decrees No. 601 and No.”
2021-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/77 (2021) · source
“Illegal armed groups that remain in several areas of the territory, and others that have emerged, all fuelled by drug trafficking and other illegal economies, are a threat to Colombians’ security. The findings of the Office of the Attorney-General show that those organized armed groups, especially the dissidents and splinter groups, are the main perpetrators of attacks on former combatants of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejército del Pueblo (FARC-EP). They appear to be responsible for about 77 per cent of the cases. In 2020, the national Government consistently implemented measures to strengthen the protection of former members of the FARC-EP. A total of 272 individual and collective security schemes have been implemented.”
2021-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/77 (2021) · source
“And it describes the progress achieved in the reintegration of former combatants and other aspects of the implementation of the 2016 agreement. Those achievements demonstrate President Iván Duque’s unwavering commitment to peace in Colombia, the strengthening of the rule of law and the development of territories that have endured poverty and vulnerability. The report documents progress made on the priorities identified by the Secretary-General for 2020 and identifies additional challenges for 2021. I would like to address several of those issues. First, our greatest challenge continues to be the security of communities, social leaders, human rights defenders and former combatants. The international community understands that the agreement was signed between two parties in 2016, in the midst of other sources of existing violence.”
2021-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/77 (2021) · source
“I thank the presidency for convening this meeting and the members of the Security Council for their constant support to Colombia. I welcome the new members of the Council, India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and Norway, and wish them success in carrying out their duties. The Government of Colombia is grateful for the report of the Secretary- General (S/2020/1301) and thanks his representative, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, for the work of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia, which he leads. The Secretary-General recognizes the significant decrease in violence in my country in the past four years. That is a trend that Colombia has been building on since 2002. His report also underscores the results of social investments to benefit communities affected by decades of violence.”
2021-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/77 (2021) · source
“Our plan is to keep making definitive progress in territorial stabilization, justice, security, the protection of human rights, welfare and social and sustainable development. Our goal, as emphasized by President Iván Duque Márquez, is to free ourselves from the causes, motivations and factors that have created and intensified violence in our country. We thank the members of the Security Council for helping us to advance towards that purpose.”
2020-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1023 (2020) · source
“From the moment the facts were known, the Government expressed its solidarity to the Office of the High Commissioner and has maintained permanent contact with judicial authorities to prevent impunity. Colombia, like every other country in the world, faces the enormous challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Government has implemented comprehensive measures to safeguard people’s health, provide support to the most vulnerable, reactivate the country’s economy and promote well-being for all. In this context, we keep working and will continue to advance in the implementation of the peace with legality policy — collectively, with institutions, actors and communities committed to enhancing the concrete results achieved in the last two years.”
2020-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1023 (2020) · source
“Fifty-one gender indicators of the implementation plan show that more than 870,000 women have benefited from its actions. Be assured that we will continue to work committed to the empowerment of women and to the eradication of inequalities and discrimination. Colombia condemns the violent acts against officials of the country office of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and one of its vehicles, which took place on 7 October in the Caquetá department. According to information from the Attorney General’s Office, these officials, together with delegates from the Ombudsman’s Office and the Truth Commission, were intercepted by armed men, presumed members of a FARC-EP dissident structure.”
2020-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1023 (2020) · source
“Their implementation has continued even during the pandemic. Last August, 25 projects, worth $71 million, were approved for eight regions. Transformation in these territories must be a strong process that reinforces the eradication of illegal economies, development of infrastructure, the provision of public goods and services and more opportunities for economic progress and welfare. The Mission’s report indicates that limited women’s participation in the implementation is a great challenge, although it does not provide concrete examples. I want to emphasize the priority given by the Government to women’s participation in the “Peace with legality” policy, including in decision-making and implementation and as beneficiaries.”
2020-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1023 (2020) · source
“Regarding the attacks against former combatants, the Attorney General’s Office has advanced in the investigations in 126 cases out of the 266 events reported since 2017. This means progress in 47 per cent of the cases, which include 100 homicides, 18 attempted homicides and eight forced disappearances. In the cases already judged, 30 people have been convicted. We are advancing in the stabilization of the 170 municipalities most affected by violence and poverty, where almost 6.6 million Colombians reside. More than 220,000 people actively participated in the formulation of the 16 development plans with a territorial focus being implemented in these municipalities. In the last two years, 888 projects were completed in these regions. To date, close to $600 million dollars has been invested in these development plans.”
2020-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1023 (2020) · source
“The Presidential Office for Stabilization coordinates 15 State agencies that adopted specific actions to reinforce security, mainly in prevention. For 2,626 people located in the former territorial areas for training and reincorporation, security is provided by more than 1,200 police members and 2,400 army troops. In addition, 266 individual, collective and headquarters protection schemes are provided by the National Protection Unit. For almost 600 people living outside the former territorial areas for training and reincorporation in 579 municipalities, the State has granted individual and collective protection schemes, based on risk assessments decided jointly with five representatives of the FARC party. The fight against impunity is a State priority.”
2020-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1023 (2020) · source
“This fact reaffirms the importance attributed by the Government to these spaces to guarantee the reincorporation of the ex-combatants who live there. The safety and security of former combatants, human rights defenders and social and political leaders remains our greatest challenge. As stated in the report, on 12 August, President Iván Duque Márquez convened the National Commission for Security Guarantees. At that meeting, the Commission analysed the violent events of recent months and examined additional measures for the dismantling of criminal organizations that operate in some regions. The Government has duly considered the Mission’s recommendations, with a view to strengthening prevention, risk management, security and protection strategies. Current circumstances have not prevented the implementation of protection measures.”
2020-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1023 (2020) · source
“In this regard, it is important to remember that, in the 2018 parliamentary elections, the FARC party obtained 0.34 per cent of the Senate’s votes and 0.22 per cent in the House of Representatives. Still, the FARC party acceded to the 10 seats granted to them in the 2016 Agreement. For any other political party, this number of congressional seats would require 4.8 per cent of the total votes. Currently, a member of the FARC party is Vice-President of the Senate. And in the local and regional elections of 2019 the FARC party participated with the required guarantees. Regarding the transformation of the former territorial areas for training and reincorporation, the measures for their transition and consolidation go beyond the agreed commitments.”
2020-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1023 (2020) · source
“The report highlights the progress made in the reincorporation of former combatants who remain committed to the process and the work carried out by the National Reincorporation Council. Regarding economic and social reincorporation, the report acknowledges the efforts made in the context of the pandemic and their positive impact. Despite the difficult situation, ex-combatants have received support and resources for individual and collective productive projects. Even during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) national lockdown, the Reincorporation Council approved, in five virtual sessions, 15 projects benefitting 420 people. The report also mentions the political reintegration of former combatants.”
2020-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1023 (2020) · source
“We trust that the truth about their countless crimes during more than 50 years will be revealed, so that the transitional justice mechanisms can impose proportional penalties, in accordance with the victims’ expectations. The 2016 Agreement foresees that the Mission will eventually verify compliance with the sentences to be imposed in future by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace. We appreciate that in resolution 2545 (2020) the Council expressed its willingness to consider the possible addition of this task to the Mission’s mandate, based on the consultation process coordinated by the Government of Colombia. The two components of the Mission’s current mandate are the reincorporation process and the security guarantees.”
2020-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1023 (2020) · source
“Colombia demands that members of the Fuerza Alternativa Revolucionaria del Común (FARC) political party tell the truth and recognize their responsibility with regard to the recruitment of children, kidnappings, sex crimes, attacks against civilians, the planting of antipersonnel mines and forced disappearances, among other serious crimes. Likewise, they must give details on drug trafficking routes, money laundering and the links between the former guerrilla and other criminal organizations. The Government considers essential for the United Nations Verification Mission to address the lack of contribution to truth, reparation and justice by the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejército del Pueblo.”
2020-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1023 (2020) · source
“In some periods, several attempts were made to overcome violence by negotiating peace agreements. However, even those that were concluded successfully have not prevented the re-emergence of violence. Based on our experience, we have learned that building and consolidating peace requires the solid application of the principles of truth, justice, reparation and non-repetition. In the 2016 Agreement, a transitional justice system focused on victims’ rights was designed. The Government has supported and continues to support this independent system and its various mechanisms. However, it is necessary to reiterate the inadequate contribution of actors who are obligated to appear before the transitional justice system yet have not contributed significantly and comprehensively to the truth.”
2020-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1023 (2020) · source
“On 16 September, the Government of Colombia convened a meeting to evaluate the accomplishments made during the two years in which the “Peace with legality” policy has been implemented. As Council members know, this policy is the instrument through which the 2016 Agreement is being fulfilled. On the occasion of that meeting, President Duque Márquez highlighted for Council members and other stakeholders a detailed report on the achievements made as well as the challenges we continue to face in fulfilling the agreed commitments. President Duque Márquez also pointed out how, during our history, Colombia has been a country affected by different clashes and expressions of violence. In the last four decades, these situations have been aggravated by such factors as drug trafficking, illegal markets and terrorist attacks.”
2020-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1023 (2020) · source
“I thank the presidency of the Security Council for convening today’s meeting, as well as the members of the Council for their constant support for Colombia. I also thank Secretary-General António Guterres and his Special Representative, Mr. Carlos Ruiz Massieu, for the report presented today (S/2020/943). I wish to reaffirm President Iván Duque Márquez’s willingness to recognize the importance of the presence of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia throughout his entire term in office. In this regard, we highlight resolution 2545 (2020), adopted on 25 September, which extended the Mission’s mandate for an additional year. Colombia emphasizes the work of the Mission’s team and its collaborative efforts with Colombian national institutions and civil society.”
2020-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1023 (2020) · source
“We trust that we can continue to count on the Security Council’s support in advancing the consolidation of well-being, peace and the rule of law in Colombia.”
2020-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/305 (2020) · source
“It is important to stress that its implementation is a two-way process and requires the effective commitment of both the State institutions and the FARC political party. The Verification Mission strongly requests FARC to make progress in its pending matters, including providing information on drug trafficking routes, cooperating in the location of missing persons, handing-over assets for the reparation of victims and helping establish truth and justice for victims.. The peace with legality policy is an ambitious medium- and long-term strategy. Various State agencies are working together to stabilize the territories, bridge gaps and promote social progress for the communities most affected by violence and poverty.”
2020-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/305 (2020) · source
“Our Government will not rest until we suppress those crops, as it is clear from our history that the main fuel for violence in Colombia is drug trafficking. I would like to refer briefly to a matter that exceeds the mandate of the Verification Mission. On 29 March, the terrorist armed group Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) announced a unilateral ceasefire. It is worth noting that the so- called “active” ceasefire by the ELN is actually partial, because they maintain that they would attack in certain cases. President Duque has reiterated that the ELN must demonstrate its commitment to peace through concrete actions such as the release of kidnapped citizens and the cessation of all criminal acts.The 2016 Agreement envisages a 15-year time horizon for its implementation.”
2020-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/305 (2020) · source
“As a result, there have been 24 formal convictions and 178 arrest warrants have been issued for murder, attempted murder and enforced disappearance, including 51 related to intellectual authors. To put an end to those crimes and threats, the Government is acting on a crucial front — combating organized armed groups dedicated to drug trafficking and illegal mining. Those groups use violence to control trade routes for their illegal production, while threatening vulnerable communities. Colombia continues to suffer the consequences of the rapid increase of illicit crop areas between 2013 and 2017, which reached an unprecedented 200,000 hectares of coca plantations. As a result of President Duque’s commitment, that trend was halted in 2018 and again in 2019.”
2020-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/305 (2020) · source
“The Commission has met 15 times and has considered civil society proposals and differentiated approaches on ethnicity. In that context, the action plan of the Intersectoral Commission on Security, Women Leaders and Human Rights Defenders was launched. The plan emphasizes the role of women in peacebuilding, in line with resolution 1325 (2000). In addition, the Government is finalizing the formulation of a plan to ensure the safety of the people participating in the National Comprehensive Programme for the Substitution of Illicit Crops. As for the judiciary, the Public Prosecutor’s Office has made progress in the investigation of 102 of the 223 incidents reported since 2017 of ex-combatants as victims. That represents 46 per cent of the cases.”
2020-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/305 (2020) · source
“Over 40 security and protection measures are being adopted as a manifestation of the State’s commitment to the safety of ex-combatants. They do not replace or affect any of the provisions under the Final Agreement for Ending the Conflict and Building a Stable and Lasting Peace. A total of 3,740 members of the police and the military ensure the safety of those ex-combatants settled in the former territorial areas. The national protection unit provides robust security measures to protect 300 ex-combatants. By presidential order, measures such as rapid-reaction initiatives, information centres, rewards, new risk-analysis methodologies and self-protection training have been established. Similarly, the National Commission on Security Guarantees has been working to strengthen protection and security policies.”
2020-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/305 (2020) · source
“That framework applies to ex-combatants residing inside and outside the former territorial areas. The second issue is our biggest challenge: guaranteeing the safety of ex- combatants, human rights defenders, social leaders and vulnerable communities. State institutions as a whole have strengthened their actions and coordination in three areas: increasing the effectiveness of prevention and protection, expediting judicial investigations and combating criminal organizations responsible for attacks. The safety of former combatants and their families, as well as that of members of the current Fuerza Alternativa Revolucionaria del Común (FARC) political party, is a priority. The peace with legality policy establishes the coordination of security measures.”
2020-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/305 (2020) · source
“Approximately $4 million have been allocated to the acquisition of the land they currently occupy. At the same time, several municipal councils are seeking to incorporate those areas into their land-use planning to facilitate income-generating and housing projects. Decisions about those areas are being made through inclusive processes. Food supplies and the payment of utilities, leases, health insurance and childcare continue to be guaranteed for more than 13,000 accredited ex-combatants. The Government remains committed to expanding their access to income-generating projects and to educational and job-training programmes. As the report notes, the Government adopted the social and economic reintegration route that was approved S/2020/305 S/2020/305 in the National Reintegration Council.”
2020-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/305 (2020) · source