Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIIONS, 27th March. UN human rights expert on Colombia Antonia Urrejola on Tuesday called on Colombia to implement the historic 2016 Peace Agreement as a new State policy to help ensure all dialogue processes with non-state armed groups adopt a human rights approach focused on victims.
Antonia Urrejola told the Human Rights Council that obstacles to implementing the accord still remain and made recommendations that could contribute to peacebuilding.
She said there had been progress in some areas of the Peace Agreement, which brought decades of full-scale armed struggle between rebels and government forces to an end, notably in rural reform and transitional justice.
The report highlights that 80 per cent of the signatories to the Agreement remain committed to being reintegrated into society, despite the obstacles, and risks to their lives.
Ms. Urrejola is a Chilean national and human rights lawyer who served as Foreign Minister of Chile for three years from March 2022.
Her position was mandated by the Council to examine obstacles to implementing the Peace Agreement.
The report noted that the 2016 Peace Agreement provides a roadmap to address the structural causes of the conflict and ensure non-repetition.
It emphasized that the State’s human rights obligations must be implemented progressively and independently of the political climate of the day.
“The stigma attached to the peace signatories was reinforced, their internal division accelerated, and their reintegration, as provided for in the Agreement, was affected”, the report contends.
“At the same time, it created doubts about the suitability and impartiality of the members of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace”.
Ms. Urrejola called for the creation of a new high-level Government position to oversee the implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement and government approach, ensure effective institutional coordination and provide adequate financial resources.
She asked the Government of Colombia to implement, as a priority, a policy for tackling organized crime: “The dismantling of criminal structures and the fight against corruption are fundamental pillars for the consolidation of peace.”
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