Colombia Presents Six-Point Plan to Accelerate Peace Agreement at UN

Colombia has presented a new plan to speed up the implementation of the 2016 peace agreement. The government shared this strategy with UN Security Council members in New York.

Interior Minister Juan Fernando Cristo and Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo introduced the six-point agenda. The plan aims to address specific areas that directly impact quality of life, security, and development in affected regions.

It focuses on reaching a national agreement, implementing rural reform, and ensuring security in a country facing multiple armed conflicts. This initiative comes shortly after the UN Verification Mission in Colombia released its quarterly report.

The report acknowledges historic progress under President Gustavo Petro’s administration but notes that much work remains to be done.

The plan, coordinated by the Ministry of Interior, involves collaboration with the private sector, cooperation agencies, and other government branches.

It seeks to accelerate the agreement’s implementation, which slowed during Iván Duque’s presidency from 2018 to 2022. A key component of the plan is comprehensive rural reform.

Colombia’s Land Distribution and Peace Efforts

The government aims to distribute three million hectares of land through an “express management” process. This aligns with a proposed law to create an agrarian jurisdiction, despite opposition criticism.

Another crucial aspect involves territorial transformation through agreements between national, departmental, and municipal governments.

These pacts will also include private sector and international cooperation to execute specific projects, such as illegal crop substitution. The plan also emphasizes advancing the legislative agenda, despite the government’s lack of a congressional majority.

It recognizes that peace requires regulatory reforms. Additionally, it focuses on strengthening security measures and creating a commission to monitor the agreement’s implementation.

UN Special Representative Carlos Ruiz Massieu welcomed the new plan during his address to the Security Council. He highlighted ongoing challenges, including threats from illegal armed groups and violence against social leaders and peace agreement signatories.

Ruiz Massieu also urged the Special Jurisdiction for Peace to balance victims’ rights, legal certainty, and swift justice delivery. Several Security Council members echoed these recommendations.

They emphasized the need to address violence against social and environmental leaders. Foreign Minister Murillo acknowledged the challenges but reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fulfilling the agreement in affected territories.

He emphasized Colombia’s dedication to peace over war and highlighted ongoing peace efforts with other armed groups.