Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the UN Security
Council meeting on Colombia.
Thank you, President. I thank SRSG Ruiz Massieu and Ms Sánchez
for briefing us today and I welcome Foreign Minister Murillo to
our meeting. I would also like to thank the Colombian government
for hosting the Security Council in February. The visit was an
important opportunity to see firsthand the progress, and
challenges, on the ground and to demonstrate the Council's
continued commitment to supporting sustainable peace in Colombia.
President, the 2016 Peace Agreement is a roadmap to achieve peace
and security through territorial transformation. We welcome the
government's commitment to full implementation, one of the key
messages we heard during our visit. We encourage the government
to make full use of the 2016 peace architecture to deliver
against the commitments made in the agreement. The “Commission
for the Follow-up, Promotion and Verification of the
Implementation of the Final Agreement”, is an important mechanism
for driving this progress, and we look forward to seeing it
continue to meet, with sustained energy and commitment from all
sides.
We welcome the government's commitment to rural reform, including
the announcement of $8 million for the Rural Women's Development
Fund.
As set out by Ms Sanchez, violence and criminality – including
the killings of former combatants, social leaders, human rights
defenders, and members of the LGBTQ community – continue to
undermine the implementation of the agreement. We call on the
government to take urgent steps to address this, including
further support for prevention and protection measures, and
redoubling efforts to tackle impunity.
The Special Jurisdiction for Peace has a central role to play, as
part of the transitional justice architecture established in the
Peace Agreement. And I welcome the presence of Roberto Vidal, the
Head of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace.
As the Secretary-General notes in his report, concerns have been
raised by former members of the FARC-EP Secretariat about the
scope of the Jurisdiction's work. We encourage the parties to
address their differences through constructive, open dialogue.
With respect to current peace dialogues, we welcome the extension
of the ceasefire with the ELN and progress on releasing
detainees. We now call on the ELN to deliver on its commitments
to protect civilian populations, respect international
humanitarian law, and move ahead with a broader political
process.
We condemn recent attacks by the group referred to as the Estado
Mayor Central on both civilian populations and security forces.
These attacks call into question its commitment to pursue
dialogue instead of violence. We call on the group to
demonstrate a genuine will to work for peace.
President, in the words of the SRSG, let 2024 be the year of
implementation. The United Kingdom remains committed to
supporting broad and lasting peace in Colombia.
