The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has recognized the progress made by the new Colombian government in its first four months to consolidate peace in the country.
According to the Secretary General in the latest report of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia, the Colombian Executive «has taken important steps to stop violence and consolidate peace».
Thus, he recognized the implementation of the Final Agreement for the Termination of the Conflict and the Construction of a Stable and Lasting Peace by the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, as a central element of his government’s policy of «total peace».
In the report, which runs from September 27 to December 26, 2022, Guterres also highlighted the outreach to rural communities. «It is a clear demonstration that all sectors of Colombian society can and should contribute significantly to the implementation of the Final Agreement,» he added.
However, the report clarified that «as positive as some of the recent developments may be,» violence remains the greatest threat to peacebuilding in Colombia.
In fact, and since the signing of the Peace Agreement, the Mission has verified the murders of 355 people (11 women, 48 Afro-Colombians and 33 indigenous), 12 during this period (all men). In total, 50 ex-combatants (one woman) were killed in 2022, which represents a decrease of 7.4% compared to 2021.
Likewise, violence against communities, social leaders and human rights defenders continues to be of great concern, especially in departments where the implementation of the agreement has become a priority.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights received reports of 244 killings of human rights defenders during 2022 (101 verified, 25 in the process of verification and 118 considered inconclusive).
The leaders most affected by violence have been indigenous, Afro-Colombian and members of community action boards.
For its part, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs indicated that between January and November 2022, 78,154 people suffered forced displacement and some 108,665 were confined. The departments of Cauca, Chocó, Nariño and Valle del Cauca accounted for most of the affected civilian population.
Finally, the quarterly report has called as «encouraging» the resumption of negotiations between the Petro Administration and the National Liberation Army (ELN), as well as the work carried out by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), whose work is «decisive to bring justice for the serious crimes committed during the conflict».
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
