“Colombia’s Peace Process Gives Inspiration”: Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo Joins Commemoration of Historic Peace Accord
On the eighth anniversary of the Colombia Peace Agreement signed in 2016, Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo visited the country and took stock of peacebuilding efforts.
Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo visited Colombia on 21–23 November for the commemoration of the eighth anniversary of the 2016 Peace Agreement between the Government and the former FARC-EP guerrilla group, which put an end to a long and deadly conflict in the country.
“Colombia’s peace process gives inspiration,” she said speaking in Plaza de Bolívar, in Bogotá’s center, during an event organized on 21 November by the Government of Colombia, the CSIVI Comunes and the UN Verification Mission in Colombia (UNVMC), the special political mission overseen by the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA).
As mandated by the Security Council, since 2017, the Mission has been verifying the accord’s implementation in the areas of reintegration of former combatants, rural reform, security guarantees, restorative justice and the ethnic chapter. Rarely in recent years a long-standing armed conflict has been resolved through negotiations — and with a large participation of women, making the Colombian accord a global example in peace efforts.
“That the Peace Agreement has held and continues to be implemented today with such energy and creativity, is testament to the work of many. To those who wisely crafted it, to the two parties adhering to their obligations, to the institutions established to carry it forward, and to civil society in all its diversity,” USG DiCarlo said.
During her speech, the USG commended the good offices of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and head of the Mission Carlos Ruiz Massieu and the support of the country’s President Gustavo Petro, who also attended the event.
USG DiCarlo praised the current administration’s commitment to launch parallel dialogues with armed groups and to accelerate the implementation of the Peace Agreement. In October, the members of the Security Council also expressed their support for the President’s efforts to advance the peace process.
These efforts are critical to address security issues that continue to affect many communities of former combatants, particularly indigenous people and Afro-Colombians. While the majority of former combatants remain firm in their commitment to a life in peace, many continue to be exposed to violence, and many are forced to leave their Territorial Areas for Training and Reintegration (TATRs) because of safety issues.
“For the men and women who laid down their arms in good faith, all must be done to ensure their security and to provide them with the guarantees and the support promised under the Peace Agreement,” DiCarlo said on 21 November, giving special recognition to the women peacebuilders “who insisted on a seat at the table.”
On Friday 22 November, USG DiCarlo visited the former TATR of Agua Bonita, in the municipality of La Montañita, Caquetá Department, meeting with former combatants and the local community. The visit included a meeting with HUMANICEMOS DH, a demining organization of people in the process of reintegration.
During her visit in Colombia, the Under-Secretary-General praised former combatants’ commitment to peace “in the face of hardships and uncertainty,” while also remembering those who fell victim to the conflict.
“Peace must deliver on its promise to keep the victims at the center. We commend and we are counting on the pioneering work of the transitional justice system to advance justice and peace through its historic proceedings,” she said.
Ms. DiCarlo concluded her visit concluded with meetings with civil society to discuss how to strengthen the Peace Agreement and its implementation. “Comprehensive and lasting peace, while still in the works, remains within your reach,” DiCarlo said, renewing the UN’s commitment to support Colombians’ efforts to build peace.
