Statement by Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett at the UN Security Council Briefing on the Security Council Mission to Colombia (7 to 11 February 2024)

Today’s meeting is convened for the co-leads of the Security Council Mission to Colombia, that is, Guyana, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, to share their observations and assessment of the mission which was undertaken from 7th to 11th February. 

I will now make a statement in my capacity as representative of Guyana, focusing on the meetings which I chaired.

Before proceeding further, I would like to express our profound gratitude to the Government and people of Colombia for their warm hospitality, and to the staff of the Security Council Affairs Division, the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, the Department of Safety and Security, the UN Verification Mission and the Country Team in Colombia for the excellent arrangements made for the visit. I would also like to thank the interpreters who accompanied the mission.

Colleagues,

The Security Council undertook the mission to Colombia at the invitation of the Colombian Government. The objective of the visit was to demonstrate the Council’s full commitment to peace in Colombia, particularly its support for the implementation of the 2016 Final Peace Agreement and the Temporary Ceasefire Agreement signed between the Government and the ELN; and to assess the progress, challenges and opportunities associated with the implementation of these Agreements.

Members of the Council had the opportunity to meet with national interlocutors and other stakeholders, including His Excellency President Gustavo Petro, Vice President, Her Excellency Francia Marquez, other key government and state institutions for peace implementation, peace signatories, civil society, women’s organizations, youth, and the UN Country Team. Two field visits were also made.

The UN Country team provided a contextual overview and their efforts in supporting the Government.

In  the meeting with His Excellency President Gustavo Petro, Council members were informed of the  challenges experienced in the implementation of the Peace Agreement, despite the strong political will and commitment. In this regard. the President expressed concerns about the large number of former combatants that have been killed, those still in prison and the pending amnesty requests still to be addressed. He said the non-compliance with the 2016 Agreement, including the absence of the State, will see these territories return to conflict. The historical inequalities and the center-periphery divide, and his commitment to the equitable distribution of resources were underscored.

The meeting with several members of the Senate and Congress offered a diversity of views. The progress made since the signature of the 2016 Peace Agreement was praised, but concerns were expressed about the sloth in implementation. Other issues raised included the need for electoral reform; decentralization of the state; the need for greater progress in delivering justice and reparations for victims;  the need for the Total Peace policy to be linked to the implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement; and the centrality of land reform in advancing the peace process.

In the interactive exchanges with representatives of civil society organizations, they highlighted the need for robust “state presence” in the territories; the need to accelerate the implementation of the rural and ethnic chapters of the peace agreement; the importance of dialogue with victims; and the many challenges associated with insecurity, the drug trade, and a lack of economic and educational opportunities for young people. A multilateral ceasefire agreement to include all armed groups was also suggested.

One of the field visits was to Buenaventura - a predominantly Afro-Colombia port city and  home to a local monitoring and verification mechanism of the ceasefire between the Government and the ELN.  In the presence of the Vice President, we met with Afro-Colombian and Indigenous leaders who called for stronger coordination between national and local entities. They decried the limited implementation of the Ethnic Chapter and called upon the Security Council to provide oversight to ensure that it is fully implemented,  citing  issues of historical racism, displacement and natural resource destruction in their territories.  They demanded to have a greater voice, including of women,  in decision-making processes, even as they expressed confidence in the Vice President – the first Afro-Colombian woman to hold this position. On the illegal drug trade, they called for this to be addressed at the international level since this is an international problem that cannot be addressed by Colombia alone.

In summary, I would like to highlight five main messages that were heard throughout:

1. There is broad commitment and support for the implementation of the 2016 Final Peace Agreement.
2. There is need for rapid implementation of the Agreement, particularly with respect to rural reform and the ethnic chapter. Implementation must be context-specific, with efficient coordination between the national and local entities. 
3. Addressing the issue of access to and ownership of land is at the center of resolving the conflict.
4. The lack of state presence in rural areas must be urgently addressed.
5. The continued support of the United Nations Security Council is critical, and the UN Verification Mission is central in this regard.
6. The impact of the drug trade on Colombia is a problem that Colombia cannot solve on its own and must be tackled internationally.

Finally, in my assessment, the visit to Colombia was an invaluable experience. It helped to contextualize the reports we receive at the Security Council from the United Nations Verification Mission, and to understand how the support of the Council is viewed by the Colombian stakeholders. Moreover, it allowed us to experience the implementation efforts first-hand and to interact directly with the people and communities concerned, as they outlined their challenges but also their hopes, dreams, and aspirations for a better and brighter Colombia.

Thank you.