AT THIRD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON COLOMBIA, SECRETARY-GENERAL PRAISES COMMENDABLE

PROGRESS TOWARDS RE-ESTABLISHING COUNTRYWIDE PEACE AND SECURITY

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to the Third International Conference on Colombia, delivered by Angela Kane, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Bogota, 30 November:

It is a pleasure to send my warm greetings to the Third International Conference on Colombia.

In recent years, Colombia has made commendable progress towards re-establishing peace and security throughout the country.  The process of demobilization of the United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia has helped dampen violence.  Confessions by paramilitary leaders under the Justice and Peace Law have brought a degree of closure for victims.  And the Government’s ratification of the Ottawa Convention on landmines signalled a renewed push against such deadly and indiscriminate weapons.

Columbia has also advanced in the arena of human rights and development.  Progressive legislation on the rights of internally displaced persons has been passed.  The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Colombia is deeply involved in this area.  The mandate of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is also being extended till the end of the current presidential term.  This will enable us to continue to assist national authorities in monitoring and improving the human rights situation in the country.

These developments are encouraging, and signal Colombia’s resurgence from years of conflict.  But to be fully effective, these measures need be sustained and reinforced over the longer term.

Victims of paramilitary violence require security and protection that enables their participation in the Justice and Peace Law process.  Similarly, ratification of the Ottawa Convention must be supported by real steps on the ground.  At present, illegal armed groups continue to lay landmines, with severe consequences for civilians.  This must be halted.

In the realm of human rights, national legislation on displaced persons must also be backed by effective implementation.  And more focus and resources must be brought to bear on Colombia’s most vulnerable, whether they are the internally displaced or people of indigenous or Afro-Colombian origin.

As the Government of Colombia strives to meet these challenges, the United Nations will do all we can to support its efforts.  We are proud of the fact that 21 entities from all across the UN system are currently on the ground in Colombia, working on issues covering every aspect of our work.  For instance, the UN Development Programme is engaged in extensive anti-poverty activities, while the UN Office of Drugs and Crime is promoting alternatives to the cultivation of illegal crops.  And a recently concluded United Nations Development Assistance Framework exercise has bolstered our cross-cutting work to help Colombians reach the Millennium Development Goals on time, and in full.

The United Nations is also proud to be a part of the London-Cartagena Process, which provides a unique forum for productive dialogue among the Government, the international community and civil society.  And we welcome Colombian efforts for negotiated solutions to conflict with illegal armed actors.  At the same time, we strongly believe that such groups must refrain from violence against the civilian population and cease any and all kidnappings.

Let me use this opportunity to reaffirm, in the strongest possible terms, the United Nations’ continuing commitment to our work in Colombia.  Let me also express my own hope that this International Conference will foster an even deeper and broader partnership between the Colombian Government and its many friends in the international community.

In that spirit, I wish all of you a most productive conference.

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For information media • not an official record