“However difficult and demanding of patience, Colombia’s decision to prioritise dialogue as a principal means to resolve conflict sets the country apart as a model that is more relevant than ever in today’s world,” said Carlos Ruiz Massieu, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia. Emerging from decades…
Findings from the recent Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis indicate an alarming 19 per cent increase in the number of children estimated to suffer from severe acute malnutrition in Haiti this year. Around 1.64 million people are facing emergency levels of acute food insecurity, (IPC Phase 4), which increases the risk of child wasting…
Presenting the latest quarterly report by the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, which covers the period from 27 September to 26 December 2023, he expressed hope that this year will be a decisive one for peace. “Despite the many serious challenges this country still faces in extinguishing the embers of an armed conflict that has…
Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, told ambassadors at the Security Council, that this weekend, in southern Colombia, land purchased by the Government was handed over to some 500 beneficiaries, among them former FARC-EP combatants, peasants and members of the indigenous communities. “Hopeful moments such as these are an increasingly common occurrence today,…
The six-month truce between the authorities and the largest remaining rebel group in the country followed 10 months of negotiations and marks the next step in an ongoing peace process. “By adhering to the ceasefire in good faith and with a clear commitment to alleviating the suffering of civilians, the parties can significantly reduce violence…
The truce with the ELN, the Spanish acronym for National Liberation Army, comes into effect on Thursday and will last for 180 days, according to media reports. The development follows nearly 10 months of negotiations and is part of the “total peace” policy of President Gustavo Petro, who took office last August. More international observers…
Crashed plane, photo courtesy of Twitter A plane crashed in the South American country of Colombia, 5 political leaders of the opposition party were killed along with the pilot. All five politicians belonged to the political party of former President Alvaro Uribe. According to the Civil Aviation Authority, the small plane crashed in the area…
“Colombia is at a critical juncture, a crossroads at which the decisive will of parties and the support of the international community can come together to buttress embryonic peace processes,” said Carlos Ruiz Massieu, presenting his latest report. It shows that progress is being made across several sections of the 2016 Peace Agreement signed by…
The two aims are important aspects of the Government’s Total Peace Policy and have become “inextricably linked”, he said. “It is hard to envision either fully succeeding without the other, given the realities on the ground in many of the conflict-affected areas where violence by remaining armed groups is a major obstacle to implement the…
The 2016 peace deal between the authorities and the FARC-EP militia group ended five decades of conflict, and the report is the first to cover verification of its chapters on comprehensive rural reform and ethnic issues, in line with a Security Council resolution adopted in January. The report spans the period from late December to…
