Thank you, Mr. President,
During our visit to Colombia in February, a group of women from a region particularly affected by the conflict, El Cauca, presented me with a basket full of letters. Each letter expressed the same dream: the right to send children to school without violence, and to aspire to a future of opportunity. So, they dream of something that should be self-evident: peace.
Mr. President,
I would like to thank the Special Representative, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, for his statement and for the great commitment he and the UN Mission have shown. And I would like to extend a special welcome to H.E. Gustavo Petro Urrego, the President of Colombia, and thank him for his government's great commitment to total peace. I also welcome Mr Diego Tovar, representative of the High Contracting Party, whom we met in Caquetá. I would also like to express my gratitude to Minister Murillo for sharing his observations on the Total Peace policy during an informal exchange that Switzerland organized yesterday for the members of this Council.
The fact that the two parties to the peace agreement, after having unveiled - together - a monument of peace this morning, are gathered in this room for the first time in history underlines their commitment to peace and stability. It also illustrates the crucial support of the international community and this Council in realizing this aspiration. And while many challenges remain, they can also represent an opportunity to be seized.
Allow me to mention three that seem particularly important to us at this stage:
Firstly, as we have heard, the deteriorating security situation in Colombia is worrying. Hostilities between armed groups are increasing in several departments. Grave violations against children, including their recruitment and use, are on the rise, as highlighted in the Secretary-General's latest report on this issue. The growing number of victims of anti-personnel mines is also alarming. These developments not only threaten civilians, they also erode the social fabric of affected communities and complicate measures to address the root causes of the conflict - such as rural reform. It is therefore urgent to reverse this dynamic!
Secondly, we call for the renewal and strengthening of bilateral ceasefires with the ELN and the FARC-EP EMC. The establishment of a negotiating table with the Segunda Marquetalia and the announcement of a deescalation process should also provide better protection for affected communities. Switzerland reaffirms its support for the Colombian government's ongoing efforts to broaden peace through dialogue. Achieving lasting peace is a complex process, and it is essential that explicit commitments to strengthen the protection of civilians are honored. It is also crucial to ensure coherence and coordination between the various negotiation processes, and to advance territorial transformation initiatives aimed at promoting socio-economic development in conflict-affected regions.
Thirdly, better intra-institutional coordination for the implementation of the final peace agreement remains indispensable. In this respect, Switzerland welcomes the creation of a Peace Cabinet to strengthen convergence between the various state institutions. The perspectives and contributions of civil society, starting with women's organizations, must be included in planning processes.
And despite the progress made in dealing with the past, challenges remain in bringing closure to the relatives of the more than 110,000 people officially considered missing. As the Director of the Missing Persons Unit, Luz Forero Martinez, pointed out at our recent Arria meeting on the subject. I quote: "Si encontráramos al menos un desaparecido cada día, necesitaríamos más de 300 años para encontrarlos todos".
Mr. President,
[In Spanish] The full implementation of the Final Peace Agreement and the Total Peace Policy is crucial to preserve the progress already made and to realize the dreams I mentioned at the beginning of my speech. The unity of this Council and the international community is essential to continue supporting Colombia and contributing to the implementation of the solutions built by the Colombian people to achieve sustainable peace.
I thank you.