After decades of conflict, the Government of Colombia and the FARC-EP rebel group signed a historic final agreement on 24 November 2016.
The following year, the Council authorized the creation of a United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia to monitor the implementation of the agreement.
However, the Council limited the scope of the mission’s mandate in October 2025, despite an assassination attempt on one of Colombia’s presidential candidates that year – and his subsequent death. Nevertheless, largely peaceful Congress elections were held in the country on 8 March 2026.
stay on course
“It is necessary for the country to remain on this path” stressed Miroslav Jenka, Special Representative and head of the United Nations Verification Mission in the country.
Now, ahead of the presidential elections on May 31, he called on all concerned to ensure a safe, peaceful environment free from violence and stigma.
And condemning alleged threats against presidential candidates, he called on state authorities to guarantee the security of all participants in the electoral process.
For its part, the Mission will contribute – as it did during the Congressional elections – to analyzing security risks and coordinating preventive actions.
Furthermore, the Mission has been “completely restructured” to reflect the “refocused” mandate established by resolution 2798 (2025), which he said includes the reintegration of former combatants, security guarantees and comprehensive rural reforms.
In the latter, he pointed to both the progress achieved and the continued effort required, while also underscoring the importance of this process: “By opening up viable economic opportunities, it can also provide sustainable alternatives to illicit economies, helping to break the cycle of violence“
hard-earned gains lost
He also described a similar reality with respect to former combatants, where active reintegration is complicated by “”.Fragile socio-economic, infrastructure and security conditions in rural areas Where many former fighters have settled”.
He also noted that clashes over territorial control and illegal economies in many rural areas – “the Catatumbo area is an example” – are causing violence and hardship on entire communities.
“As long as violence, regional disputes or a governance vacuum persist in any part of the country, they risk undermining national stability and erasing gains made elsewhere,” he underlined. And stressing that the final agreement provides a comprehensive roadmap to address both the root causes and consequences of the conflict, he said:
“The areas where the agreement has not been adequately implemented are the ones where the most serious problems persist today.”
transformative opportunity
Speaking for one of those hotspots – the Catatumbo region – Olga Lucia Quintero Sierra, general coordinator of the Catatumbo Peasant Association, said respecting the historic agreement is a “real opportunity for change” for people living in rural Colombia.
Its sections are interconnected, and he emphasized that “proceeding in a partial or fragmented manner undermines its essence”.
Also underscoring the need to listen to communities, he said that, despite a new surge of violence in Catatumbo, “signs of hope” included social investment, the construction of a new university, and land allocations to rural women.
Later he said that 54 women have benefited from the allocation of 724 hectares of land. He stressed, “This achievement is not just about access to land; it is the possibility of rebuilding our lives.”
no abstract peace
He further said, “Peace in our territories is not an abstract concept – it is the actual presence of the State in those territories”, which equates to “the possibility to live without fear”.
Against that backdrop, he urged the Mission to continue verification of the Agreement and the new Government’s commitment to fully implement the Agreement as a national priority.
He concluded that Colombia demonstrates that, “even in scenarios filled with deep differences, dialogue is the most effective path to building peace”.
