I would like to begin by welcoming Foreign Minister Villavicencio to the Council for today\u2019s session.<\/p>\n
I thank the Special Representative for his briefing, and I also thank Ms Quintero for sharing her experiences.<\/p>\n
The UK reaffirms its strong support for the full implementation of Colombia\u2019s 2016 Peace Agreement.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
We congratulate Colombia\u2019s election authorities, security forces, political actors and above all the Colombian people on holding free, fair, and peaceful congressional elections on 8 March, and we look forward to similarly successful presidential elections.<\/p>\n
\u00a0We welcome the Defensor\u00eda del Pueblo\u2019s Electoral Pact on Free and Peaceful Elections and urge all actors to uphold its principles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As the Secretary-General\u2019s report makes clear, security challenges and violence remain widespread. Killings, threats against civilians and social leaders, child recruitment and oppression by armed actors persist.<\/p>\n
An unacceptable 491 peace signatories have been killed, including four in this period. As we heard today, people in Catatumbo and other conflict-affected areas across Colombia require urgent protection.<\/p>\n
We call for greater efforts to protect women and girls, and Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities who are disproportionately affected by violence.<\/p>\n
We welcome the Government\u2019s efforts to progress rural reform. We are encouraged that women, including Ms Quintero, have become beneficiaries of land, in this case an all-women farm in Catatumbo.<\/p>\n
Meeting immediate protection needs must go hand in hand with creating pathways for sustainable development. Rural reform is fundamental to tackling the inequalities that drive conflict.<\/p>\n
An effective state presence, combined with development opportunities, constrains the operating space for armed groups and illicit economies.<\/p>\n