Colombia: The 2016 Peace Agreement has made remarkable progress, although structural problems in the country remain the main challenge to achieving sustainable peace
Country: Colombia Source: UN Verification Mission in Colombia Bogotá, 7 April 2025. In his most recent report on the UN Verification Mission in Colombia to the Security Council, UN Secretary-General António Guterres affirms that the crisis in Catatumbo has underscored the persistence of structural challenges and factors underpinning violence in conflict-affected regions, which the Final Agreement seeks to address, such as the limited presence of the State and illegal economies, particularly illicit crops. This situation, he notes, has prompted renewed calls to accelerate the implementation of the Agreement. In view of the above, the report includes a general assessment on progress in the implementation of the Peace Agreement along with the usual quarterly update. The report points out that the Agreement was conceived as a comprehensive set of interconnected mechanisms and programmes, aimed at addressing the causes and impact of decades of armed conflict. However, it states, in the last eight years, progress in its implementation has varied across its different sections. Recognizing the long-term nature of the Agreement, António Guterres stresses the need to maintain the course of its implementation and highlights the opportunity for this Administration to accelerate the progress achieved so far, leaving solid foundations on which to build in the future. While there is notable progress in certain areas, some structural problems remain unaddressed, stated the Secretary-General, and added that they “threaten to undermine the prospects of sustainable peace for all Colombians. State institutions need to urgently and effectively deliver on the promises of the Final Agreement, the needs of rural communities and the expectations of Colombian society at large.” Among the most remarkable achievements, he points out the transition to ...
Original source: Relief Web