The United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia is a Special Political Mission established in 2016 by the UN Security Council to verify the Final Peace Agreement's implementation and assist Colombia in its commitment to ending the conflict and building peace.
The Mission verifies the implementation of three points of the 2016 Final Peace Agreement between the Government of Colombia and the former FARC-EP:
- Section 1 on comprehensive rural reform;
- Section 3.2 on the reintegration of former combatants of FARC-EP in economic, social, and political matters;
- Section 3.4 on security guarantees for individuals in the process of reintegration and communities and organizations across the country;
Verification Mandates
Section 1 of the Final Agreement: Comprehensive rural reform
On 11 January 2023, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2673, extending the Verification Mission’s mandate to monitor the implementation of section 1 of the Final Agreement (Towards a new Colombian countryside: comprehensive rural reform).
Contents of the Agreement to be verified:
- Land access and appropriate use.
- Development Plans with a Territorial Focus (PDET for its initialism in Spanish).
- National Plans for Comprehensive Rural Reform (PNRRI for its initialism in Spanish).
The comprehensive rural reform “will foster structural change in rural areas, overcoming the disparities between town and country, and creating conditions for quality of life and well-being among the rural population. Comprehensive rural reform must integrate the country’s regions to the social and economic development dynamics, contribute to the eradication of poverty, promote equality while recognizing the ethnic diversity and prioritizing rural women, and ensure full enjoyment of citizenship rights” (S/2017/272, p. 8). This will hopefully guarantee the non-repetition of the conflict and the eradication of violence, contributing to the construction of sustainable peace.
Section 3.2 of the Final Agreement: Reintegration of FARC-EP into civilian life in economic, social, and political matters
On 10 July 2017, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2366, establishing the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia to monitor the implementation of section 3.2 of the Final Agreement.
Contents of the Agreement to be verified:
- Economic and social reintegration.
- Guarantees for the new political party or movement arising from the transition of FARC-EP to legal political activity.
- Political reintegration.
“Laying the foundations for building a stable and lasting peace requires the effective reintegration of FARC-EP into the country’s social, economic and political life. The reintegration process confirms the commitment of FARC-EP to contribute to the ending of the armed conflict, become a legal political entity and contribute decisively to the consolidation of national reconciliation, coexistence and guarantees of non-repetition, and transform the conditions that allowed violence across the country to break out and persist” (S/2017/272, p. 58).
Section 3.4 of the Final Agreement: Security guarantees
On 10 July 2017, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2366, establishing the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia to monitor the implementation of section 3.4 of the Final Agreement.
Contents of the Agreement to be verified:
- Individual and collective security and protection measures.
- Comprehensive Security System for Political Activity, especially for FARC members and their families.
- Comprehensive Security and Protection Programme for Communities and Organizations across the country.
“Agreement on security guarantees and the fight against criminal organizations and conducts responsible for homicides and massacres perpetrated against human rights activists, social or political movements, or which threaten those who participate in the implementation of the agreements and peacebuilding, including criminal organizations that have been labelled as the successors of paramilitaries and their support networks” (S/2017/272, p. 66).
How does the Mission work?
With a broad territorial deployment, the Mission works independently and impartially to verify compliance, thanks to the efforts of a team made up of national and international United Nations officials, UN volunteers, and unarmed international military and police observers.
Its verification goes beyond monitoring progress and challenges, as it has adopted a proactive verification methodology, bringing strategic actors together to overcome implementation obstacles and build trust between the parties.