S/PV.9766 Security Council

In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative of Colombia to participate in this meeting. On behalf of the Council, I welcome His Excellency Mr. Luis Gilberto Murillo, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Colombia. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2024/694, which contains the report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia. Members of the Council have before them document S/2024/789, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

The draft resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2754 (2024). I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements after the voting. Dame Barbara Woodward (United Kingdom): We too welcome the attendance of Foreign Minister Murillo at this meeting and the unanimous adoption of resolution 2754 (2024), which extends the mandate of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia. The United Kingdom was pleased to vote in favour of the resolution, and we would like to thank all Security Council members for their constructive engagement during the negotiations. The unanimous adoption underscores the importance of the partnership between the Security Council and Colombia and our continued united support for the Colombian peace process. This adoption maintains the Council’s support for the 2016 Final Agreement for Ending the Conflict and Building a Stable and Lasting Peace and highlights the efforts of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in supporting Colombia’s efforts to broaden peace through dialogue. It is particularly notable, following the conclusion of the high-level week for women and peace and security last week (see S/PV.9760), that the Council highlighted support for survivors of conflict-related and gender-based violence. The United Kingdom will continue to partner with and support Colombia along its path to sustainable peace. As we near the eighth anniversary of the 2016 peace agreement, we must continue to drive forward its full implementation to achieve real and lasting change.

I welcome the presence of Foreign Minister Murillo of Colombia at today’s meeting. China welcomes the Council’s unanimous adoption of resolution 2754 (2024), which extends the mandate of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia for one year, which once again reflects the high level of confidence and strong support of the Security Council and of the international community for the peace process in Colombia. The resolution urges all Colombian parties to unite and cooperate in the full and sustained implementation of the Final Agreement for Ending the Conflict and Building a Stable and Lasting Peace and emphasizes that advancing rural reform and promoting rural development are essential to eliminating the root causes underlying the conflict. China recognizes the outstanding efforts that have been made by the Colombian Government to coordinate with all parties to implement the agreement, especially in the area of development for peace. We hope and believe that the rapid response plan formulated by the Colombian Government will be effectively implemented so as to continuously bring about the benefits of peace and development. The resolution welcomes the Colombian Government’s efforts to achieve broader peace through dialogue and hopes that a ceasefire will soon be restored between the Colombian Government and the Ejército de Liberación Nacional. The resolution reiterates its willingness to consider the expansion of the Mission’s mandate after a ceasefire agreement is reached between the Government and the Estado Mayor Central. China hopes that the relevant negotiations will proceed smoothly to effectively improve the security situation and expand the area at peace. The resolution recognizes the Mission for its important role in supporting the implementation of the peace agreement and the promotion of dialogue and negotiations. China will continue to support the Mission and Special Representative of the Secretary-General Massieu in effectively discharging their duties. China expects the Mission to strengthen its communication and coordination with all Colombian parties and make greater contributions to supporting the peace process in Colombia. China stands ready to work with the international community to continue to support the Colombian- led, Colombian-owned peace process and help the Colombian people move forward towards the goal of comprehensive peace, stability and development so as to build a model of dialogue for de-escalating conflicts and development for peace.

I would like to thank the United Kingdom, as the penholder, for its efforts to incorporate recent developments into the comprehensive text. Japan welcomes the Security Council’s unanimous adoption of the resolution (resolution 2754 (2024)) to extend the mandate of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia (UNVMC) for another year. Its adoption reinforces the international community’s dedication to supporting sustainable peace in Colombia. We would like to highlight the reference to three focus areas of the latest written advice of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), namely, rural reform, the ethnic chapter and transitional justice. As a long-standing member of the PBC, Japan assures the Council that the PBC carefully selected those areas based on its cross-regional approach and discussions at meetings requested by Colombia. The PBC’s advice is also based on informal coordination among related stakeholders, as well as information collected from Peacebuilding Fund projects in Colombia, totalling more than $60 million since 2014. We note that the Council has expressed its deep concern about the status of the implementation of the ethnic chapter and has emphasized the critical importance of implementing comprehensive rural reform. We welcome that as a positive step forward in the Council’s use of the PBC and encourage Council members and Colombia to fully utilize the PBC’s advisory, bridging and convening role, particularly in those three areas. Japan also looks forward to seeing the continued advancement of the PBC’s expertise, thereby contributing to a refined PBC advisory role and further engagements. Japan believes that such cooperation will foster coherent and effective support for Colombia’s comprehensive peace process. Moreover, we welcome the fact that the resolution emphasizes the Mission’s continued support for victims and survivors of conflict, including those affected by sexual and gender-based violence. In conclusion, Japan reaffirms its unwavering support for the UNVMC and remains committed to supporting Colombia’s peace process.

Success in bringing peace to Colombia is success for the region. With that, I would like to welcome the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Columbia to the Chamber. His presence represents a clear political sign from the State’s highest level of leadership to advance the peace process. We also thank the United Kingdom for its work as penholder of the resolution (resolution 2754 (2024)). Its unanimous adoption, which extends the mandate of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia for another 12 months, reflects the Security Council’s support for the Mission. But, above all, it conveys its strong support for 2016 Final Agreement for Ending the Conflict and Building a Stable and Lasting Peace, signed between the Government of Colombia and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia- Ejército del Pueblo (FARC-EP). The mandate of the Verification Mission has been strengthened in crucial peacebuilding aspects, such as the need to accelerate the implementation of the extremely important ethnic chapter, which will also allow for progress in one of the fundamental areas of the peace process. It also allows for ensuring the inclusion and the protection of Indigenous and Afrodescendant communities and protecting women and girls from sexual and gender-based violence. It also reflects the need to address the underlying causes of violence by increasing State presence throughout the country, especially in regions affected by the conflict and rural areas, so as to eradicate illegal economies that fuel transnational organized crime, which uses every form of violence against the population. That can be realized by accelerating agrarian reform in the country. We have seen that the Colombian authorities are also making significant progress in that process. I will my statement by reaffirming that Colombia is not alone in the search for sustainable and dignified peace. The Security Council and the international community stand with it.

We welcome the participation of His Excellency Mr. Luis Gilberto Murillo, Minister for Foreign Affairs, at this meeting. The three African members of the Security Council, namely, Algeria, Mozambique and Sierra Leone, and my own country, Guyana, (A3+) welcomes the unanimous adoption of resolution 2754 (2024), on the extension of the mandate of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia, and thanks the United Kingdom for its dedicated efforts in delivering a consensus text. The unanimous adoption today demonstrates the Council’s continued commitment to supporting the Government and the people of Colombia to implement the 2016 Final Agreement for Ending the Conflict and Building a Stable and Lasting Peace and achieve stable and lasting peace. As the peace agreement is approaching its eighth year of implementation, the progress achieved thus far is commendable. The A3+ believes that Colombia remains a success story in progress even with the challenges still to be surmounted. However, in order to maintain and accelerate the progress, efforts must be intensified, including to enhance coordination at all levels, which we hope will be achieved through the recent rapid response plan. Having expressed our concern about the implementation of the ethnic chapter on a number of occasions, we welcome the inclusion of language that underlines the importance of implementing the chapter as a critical aspect of the peace agreement and hope that more impetus will be given to its implementation. We also welcome the inclusion of language on women and peace and security, which will allow for the referral of victims and survivors, including from sexual and gender-based violence to have safe and accessible assistance. In addition, we are pleased for the inclusion of language that acknowledges the participation of women in the peace process in Colombia, as well as the impact of the conflict on children. In conclusion, the A3+ takes this opportunity to reiterate its unwavering support for the Verification Mission and the Special Representative of the Secretary- General, Mr. Carlos Ruiz Massieu. We commend him and his team in Colombia for their very important work. Their support for the people and the Government of Colombia as they continue the implementation of the peace agreement is crucial to lasting peace in Colombia.

I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of Switzerland. I would also like to begin by thanking the penholder, the United Kingdom, as well as all members of the Security Council for their efforts to reach a unanimous decision, which sends a strong signal in favour of peace in Colombia. I also welcome the presence of Foreign Minister Murillo among us, which reaffirms Colombia’s continued partnership with the Council. Switzerland has always stood up for women’s input and political participation in the peace process in Colombia. We are pleased to have advocated for a mandate that emphasizes the role of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia in supporting victims and survivors of the conflict, including those affected by sexual and gender-based violence. Ensuring that victims and survivors have access to safe and accessible services provided by the Colombian authorities is critical to advancing justice and dealing with the past. In addition, providing accurate information concerning such incidents directly strengthens Colombia’s ability to develop and implement effective national strategies to prevent sexual and gender-based violence, a goal that deserves our unwavering support. As this will be Switzerland’s last intervention on Colombia as a member of the Council, I would like to stress that our commitment to the Colombian peace process will remain firm. Switzerland will continue to support the full implementation of the Final Agreement for Ending the Conflict and Building a Stable and Lasting Peace and will gladly assume its responsibilities as a guarantor and supporting country of the peace talks. I resume my functions as President of the Council. I now give the floor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Colombia.

I thank Her Excellency Mrs. Pascale Baeriswyl, Permanent Representative of Switzerland and President of the Security Council, for her continued support, with a constant focus on the central role and empowerment of women and the implementation of the Final Agreement for Ending the Conflict and Building a Stable and Lasting Peace. I also thank Dame Barbara Woodward, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom and penholder on the Colombia dossier, for her invaluable support and leadership in the Security Council, while always underscoring Colombia’s participation, and for spearheading and supporting this resolution (resolution 2754 (2024)). On behalf of the Colombian people, I thank them both. I would like to begin by highlighting the presence of our General Director of the National Planning Department of Colombia, Mr. Alexander López Maya, who is with us today and who is heading budget and financing aspects related to the implementation of the historic 2016 agreement, in particular the rapid response plan for its implementation. I am grateful to each and every member of the Security Council for their unanimous support for peace in Colombia, the implementation of the historic 2016 peace agreement and the Colombian Government’s “total peace” policy that is centred on victims, territories, ethnic groups, farmers, women, children, adolescents and youth. That support is of particular relevance in the context of the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, which is currently being held in Cali under the theme Peace with Nature. It is a historic event during which the country and the world can reaffirm their commitment to peace that transcends borders and encompasses the preservation of our biodiversity. Peace with nature is also peace with people. Pursuant to resolution 2754 (2024), the extension of mandate of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia until 31 October 2025 is very meaningful for us and clearly demonstrates the continued and unanimous support of the international community, especially the Council, for building peace and stability in our country. This year has been special in terms of the implementation of the 2016 peace agreement, in particular with regard to the Council, which had the opportunity to visit Colombia and learn at first-hand about our efforts to that end. Accordingly, I invite Council members to celebrate another anniversary of the peace agreement that will take place in Oslo, as Norway is a guarantor of the peace agreement. It has indeed been a very special year. Obviously, the national Government carried out a precise and transparent evaluation of the progress in the implementation of the agreement, as well as the challenges. For example, we made progress on the bilateral aspects of the agreement, which included the participation of the President of the Republic and a representative of the high contracting party of the peace agreement signatories at one of several meetings. The President explained to Council members the challenges that we face and announced the rapid response plan to overcome them. And, on 15 October, the rapid response plan to accelerate the implementation of the 2016 peace agreement was introduced. We are aware of the challenges we face, but with the same resolve that was announced on 11 July, we are convinced that we have taken the appropriate measures to overcome them. The national Government’s commitment to peace is evident in its political and budgetary decisions. For the four years of the current Government, investments were estimated at more than 14 billion pesos, which is integral to fulfilling the terms of agreement and exceeds by 1 billion pesos the resources that were made available in previous periods. As of August 2024, we have increased investment and budgetary allocations through the national investment for peace budget, and 40 per cent of the resources necessary have been committed. Peace in Colombia is a process that is in motion and cannot be reversed. To that end, we will continue working to fulfil the agreement, transform the territories and spread peace throughout the country. Peace in Colombia is not only a national goal, but also an opportunity that we share with the world. We have the best ally in the world to build peace in Colombia — the United Nations. We have before us today a unique opportunity. The support and collaboration of the Security Council are invaluable. Let us work together for peace so that every step towards reconciliation translates into hope and opportunities in the daily lives of our people.