Oidhaco, a network of European civil society organisations and other International Organisations, welcome the visit of the Security Council to Colombia at a time when it is necessary to strengthen the processes that promote peace.

We express our concern regarding the delays in the implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement, the success or failure of which is crucial to building trust in the ongoing peace negotiations with the remaining armed groups in Colombia.

It is essential that the UN Security Council continues to insist on the implementation of the peace agreement. In this regard, civil society is particularly concerned about the continued delay in implementing the ethnic chapter and all the gender provisions of the agreement. And it is crucial that this peace agreement remains comprehensive in its implementation.

We consider it important to emphasize women’s participation in peacebuilding and in the peace dialogues that are taking place with the National Liberation Army (ELN), the Central General Staff (EMC) and in the Urban Peace processes in Buenaventura, Medellín and Quibdó.

We welcome the participatory process with women’s CSOs and civil society in general to formulate Colombia’s National Action Plan (NAP), in compliance with UN Resolution 1325. This plan should serve to promote the implementation of the gender provisions contained in all the chapters of the 2016 Peace Agreement in that it strengthens the implementation of what has already been agreed upon and advances the new aspects that women’s organisations have proposed concerning the NAP 1325.

We consider that the security guarantees for the signatories of the Final Peace Agreement, as well as for human rights and environmental defenders, have not been sufficient so far and continue to hinder the fulfilment and progress of the Final Peace Agreement.

We commend the work of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia in monitoring and verifying compliance with the 2016 Peace Agreement. The expansion of its mandate to verify the implementation of the ceasefire between the Government and the ELN is important. Still, it should not imply a weakening of attention to the implementation process of the 2016 Peace Agreement.

We believe that civil society in Colombia is fundamental to the coordination, promotion, dynamism and monitoring of the implementation of the Peace Agreement. It plays a crucial role in the construction of peace at the local, regional, and national level, and is therefore able to report grassroots knowledge of what is happening in the more remote areas of the country, to the Security
Council.

We would therefore ask that the Security Council during its visit to Colombia, holds meetings with a wide-ranging of CSOs including, women’s, indigenous and afro-Colombian organisations, as well as international organisations that accompany Colombian organisations in the construction of peace.