Report of the Mission to Support the Peace Process in Colombia Presents Recommendations and Challenges to the Peace Process
The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) today received the twenty-first semi-annual report of the Secretary General on the Mission to Support the Peace Process in Colombia (MAPP/OEA), which includes the main observations regarding the peace process that is underway in the country.
The report presented by the Chief of Staff of the Secretary General, Gonzalo Koncke, notes that “the path traveled to date confirms that we are now in the final stages of the internal armed conflict that has afflicted this country for over half a century. Today more than ever, peace is a real possibility and a true imperative, above all for those who have suffered most from the conflict’s unfortunate effects. The country’s remotest territories clamor for stability and security, which would make it possible for their societies and economies to freely develop with state support and without the disturbing effects of armed confrontations,” and acknowledges the progress made by the Colombian government at the negotiating table with the FARC-EP and the willingness to dialogue with the ELN.
The document includes a series of recommendations to the Colombian state with a view to promote the construction of a stable and lasting peace that provides guarantee of rights to the various stakeholders, among them the victims, community leaders, women, ethnic groups and the demobilized population.
The member countries of the Organization highlighted the “valuable contribution of the MAPP” and reiterated their commitment to peace in Colombia. For his part, the Permanent Representative of Colombia, Andres Gonzalez, said that the Mission in Colombia “is one of the most relevant, successful, balanced, and appropriate expressions of international cooperation” and stressed the usefulness of the contributions and recommendations contained in the MAPP reports as well as the work of monitoring and support of Colombia’s internal armed conflict.
Since 2004, the MAPP/OAS has been provided broad and flexible support to the policy of peace in the country, monitoring and accompanying efforts to build peace in the territories affected by armed conflict and interacting with all stakeholders involved in this process. The report covers activities for the period from February to August 2015.
