Bogotá, January 7, 2021. - The Presidential Advisor for Stabilization and Consolidation, Emilio Archila, today thanked the UN mission for recognizing the work of the government of President Iván Duque, which continues to comply, with seriousness and commitment, with the implementation of the Agreement through its policy of Peace with Legality.
“The Government of President Duque once again appreciates the report of the Special Envoy of the Secretary General of the United Nations. The report affirms that the Colombian State is complying with the guidelines, emphasis and implementation policy, not only because the Constitutional Court so ordered, but because this is one of the strengths of our process,” stated Archila.
Archila added that “thanks to this, emphasis has been placed on caring for the vulnerable populations of the implementation – victims and families, who are in the process of substituting illicit crops, and ex-combatants – without deviating from our priorities or long-term resources. That is one of the strengths of the Colombian process, and the priorities will continue to be set and carried out in that way”.
He then referred to the quarterly report of the United Nations Secretary General on the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, which will be formally presented to the Security Council on January 21.
According to Archila, in a general way, the Secretary recognizes the significant advances that the implementation of the Peace with Legality policy has had, among others, in levels of violence, the application of democracy, the progress of transitional justice, the achievements in the process of reincorporation of ex-combatants and the implementation of Development Programs with a Territorial Approach (PDET).
Regarding support for the reincorporation process, Archila pointed to advances in the 2,050 productive projects that have been approved, which are supported by approximately US$17 million, covering 5,700 people and their families. In total, 7,900 people are in permanent jobs.
Regarding the security of ex-combatants, the report agrees that the main threat to their security is the “narco-dissidents ” – people who refused to leave the illegal economy or have returned to it – and affirms the importance of the security the government provides.
The UN report also highlights the supportive actions of President Duque, who received a pilgrimage of ex-combatants at the Casa de Nariño last November and agreed, among other points, to hold 7 National Reincorporation Councils in the territory. The schedule for those Councils was set in Villavicencio on December 22.
Regarding the transformation of the territories, the report highlights the advancements made in PDET implementation and the progress of crop substitution as integral to the arrival of the State support in the territories.
And, regarding the purpose of all this work to be focused on supporting the victims, the report echoes the proposal of the Ministry in the sense that the sanctions themselves and the efforts of the Truth Commission must take into account, in great detail, the voice of the victims, in particular focusing on: (i) Pillar 8, PDET Reconciliation; (ii) Collective Reparations and (iii) Return Plans.