Mr. President, 

I would like to welcome the presence of Mr. Leyva, foreign minister of Colombia at today’s meeting. I thank Special Representative Massieu and Chair of the Peace Building Commission Ambassador Šimonović for their briefings, and have listened carefully to the statement of Mr. Londoño, President of the Comunes Party.

Since the beginning of this year, all parties in Colombia have continued to work tirelessly to achieve total peace. The Colombian Government under the leadership of President Petro has been comprehensively implementing the Final Peace Agreement and is committed to curbing violence and achieving broader, sustainable peace through dialogue and negotiation. We appreciate all these efforts, and we support and expect all parties in Colombia to work together and make headway towards long-term stability, peace and development of the country. 

Mr. President,

China welcomes the progress in ceasefire negotiations between the Colombian Government and the ELN and other armed groups. We hope that a new round of negotiations to be held in Cuba in May will achieve positive results and reach a permanent ceasefire and political solution. Colombia cannot consolidate and build peace without the support and assistance of the international community. We hope that regional countries, guarantor states and accompanying states will continue to play an active role in promoting peace talks. 

The comprehensive implementation of the Final Peace Agreement remains key to achieving peace and development, which requires sustained investment. In the National Development Plan for the next four years presented by the Colombian Government, the implementation of the Final Peace Agreement is a central cross-cutting element. We appreciate Colombian Government’s “development for peace” approach to governance and support the increased investment of financial resources in areas such as rural reform, reintegration of former combatants and substitution of illicit crops. We hope that these efforts will contribute to addressing long-term issues such as poverty, uneven development and social injustices and to eliminating the root causes of conflict. The UN Country Team, the Peace Building Commission, and other agencies and international partners should provide more support to this end. 

The SG in his report expressed concern over the grave security situation and frequent violent activities in some areas of Colombia. China supports the Colombian government in increasing the deployment of security forces in former conflict-affected areas that lack effective control, deterring violent activities, taking targeted initiatives to protect the safety of former combatants, and strengthening the protection of women, children and ethnic minorities in particular. 

Mr. President,

The United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia under the leadership of SRSG Massieu has done a lot to support the implementation of the Final Peace Agreement in Colombia. We appreciate important contribution of the mission and support its important role in assisting the Colombian Government to advance the vision of “Total Peace” and achieve lasting peace through dialogue and negotiation. China stands ready to work with the rest of the international community to continue to support the Colombian-led, Colombian-owned peace process. We look forward to greater achievements by the Colombian people on the path to comprehensive stability, peace and development.

I thank you, Mr. President.