As Colombia Peace Accord Reaches 10-Year Milestone, Security Council Speakers Call for Preserving Gains, Advancing Reforms during Key Political Transition

As Colombia Peace Accord Reaches 10-Year Milestone, Security Council Speakers Call for Preserving Gains, Advancing Reforms during Key Political Transition

The Security Council met today to review implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement in Colombia as the country enters a political transition following closely contested and polarizing presidential elections, with speakers underscoring the importance of maintaining continuity in implementation and preserving the Agreement as a State policy regardless of changes in Government.

Colombia's armed conflict began in the 1960s, when rural inequality and political exclusion contributed to the emergence of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP) and armed groups. Decades of fighting involving rebels, State forces, paramilitaries and criminal networks killed and displaced millions. Negotiations launched in 2012 culminated in the Peace Agreement in 2016, providing for FARC-EP disarmament and reintegration, rural reform, political participation and transitional justice.

"Colombia, despite the serious challenges it still faces, has moved forward significantly since the darkest periods of its armed conflict," said Miroslav Jenča, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia, presenting the Secretary-General's latest 90-day report on the peace process and the Mission's work (document S/2026/528).

Expand State Presence, Ensure Justice, Special Representative Urges

"It is crucial to protect the progress achieved, expand security and development through a stronger State presence in conflict-affected regions and ensure justice for those who suffered most under the conflict, in accordance with the terms of the Agreement," he added.

Referring to the recent election of Abelardo de la Espriella as President, Mr. Jenča noted that cooperation extended by successive Colombian Governments has been essential to the Mission's ability to carry out its Security Council mandate.

"This will be the third Administration elected" since the signing of the Agreement, he noted. While much remains to be done, he stressed that the Agreement has established essential foundations for lasting peace and security and expressed the Mission's readiness to work closely with the incoming authorities.

Highlighting key areas of progress, Mr. Jenča noted that more than 11,000 former FARC-EP members remain engaged in the reintegration process, with relatively low levels of recidivism. He emphasized that physical protection, legal guarantees and sustainable livelihoods remain critical to preventing recruitment by armed groups, consolidating former combatants' civilian status and reducing the risk of renewed violence.

Rural Reforms Include Access for Former Combatants, Greater Recognition of Ethnic Land Rights

He also pointed to advances in comprehensive rural reform, including the formalization of 2.28 million hectares of land, expanded access to land for rural communities and former combatants, and strengthened recognition of ethnic land rights. At the same time, he noted that additional efforts are needed to advance land titling, productive support, resolution of tenure disputes and protection for rural beneficiaries facing threats and violence.

Looking ahead, the Special Representative observed that the Agreement will reach its tenth anniversary later this year, marking two thirds of the way through the 15-year implementation framework established by the parties.

"This remaining timeframe provides a useful horizon to accelerate and consolidate progress in areas that have already advanced considerably," he said.

He concluded by noting that the Council has consistently supported Colombia's efforts to advance peace and prosperity and expressed confidence that such support would continue in the years ahead.

Peace Requires Continuity, Institutional Commitment, Colombia Argues

"In a few weeks' time, this Government [led by President Gustavo Petro] will conclude its term, but the commitment of the Colombian State to the 2016 Final Peace Agreement will not come to an end," said the representative of Colombia.

For 10 years, the Council has supported Colombia through a commitment that has been not merely "pro forma" but "substantive", she said, demonstrating that the sustainability of peace depends not only on the will of a Government, but also on strong institutions, legal frameworks and international guarantees.

She highlighted progress in implementing the Agreement over the past four years under the current Government, including the recent disarmament of 99 members of the Coordinadora Nacional Ejército Bolivariano (CNEB) as evidence of continued momentum towards peace and reconciliation.

"Colombia is concluding this cycle of Government with the conviction that peace does not belong to one Administration nor to one specific political moment: It is a policy of State and a long-term commitment to those who have suffered most from the consequences of the conflict," she declared.

The Council meets quarterly on Colombia pursuant to its mandate for the United Nations Verification Mission, which monitors implementation of the Agreement.

Discussions focused on progress in implementation and persistent insecurity in conflict-affected regions. Since the Agreement's signing, 493 former combatants have been killed, according to the Secretary-General's report, while thousands of civilians - disproportionately Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities - have recently faced displacement and confinement.

Speakers Call for Full, Balanced Implementation of 2016 Peace Accord

Council members also addressed reintegration, rural reform, security guarantees and transitional justice, including recent appellate decisions upholding the Special Jurisdiction for Peace's first sentences against former FARC-EP leaders and members of the security forces.

The representatives of Latvia, Greece and Denmark all described the Agreement as the central framework for lasting peace and stressed the importance of its sustained implementation, particularly during Colombia's political transition.

Several speakers, including those of the United Kingdom and the United States, expressed concern over political violence and threats during the electoral cycle. "There is no place for political violence or meddling with the democratically expressed will of the Colombian people," said the latter, rejecting attempts to impede the democratic process and a peaceful, timely and orderly transfer of power. He added that reducing coca cultivation and cocaine production remains essential to preventing illegal armed groups from terrorizing communities in Colombia and across the region and expressed hope for close cooperation with the incoming Government on these priorities.

The representatives of Bahrain and Pakistan emphasized the need for the full and balanced implementation of the Agreement. By contrast, the delegate of the Russian Federation argued that the Colombian authorities had selectively implemented provisions they considered advantageous.

Broad Support for UN Verification Mission, Colombia's 'Success Story'

The Verification Mission received broad support. Panama's delegate emphasized the importance of ensuring continuity in the Mission's work, highlighting its "presence, proximity and direct knowledge" of conditions in communities and territories affected by conflict. In that regard, France's representative stressed the importance of establishing an immediate dialogue between the Mission and the incoming Colombian authorities.

Speaking in his national capacity, as well as on behalf of Somalia and Liberia, the representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Council President for July, underscored that "comprehensive rural reform and reintegration remain central to sustainable peace". He encouraged continued efforts to operationalize land measures, provide legal certainty and deliver tangible peace dividends in conflict-affected areas. "No former combatant who laid down arms should be left vulnerable to recruitment, insecurity or renewed violence," he stressed.

China's representative called for a smooth transfer of power following the presidential elections and urged all parties to demonstrate the political will necessary to ensure steady and sustained progress in implementing the Agreement. Despite the challenges that remain, he stressed that "the peace process in Colombia stands as a success story of resolving conflict through dialogue and consultation".