Bogota, 10 July 2017. The United Nations Security Council decided today to establish a second United Nations Mission in Colombia, with a mandate to verify the reincorporation of the FARC EP into civilian life and the implementation of personal and collective security guarantees in the regions most affected by the conflict. The Mission will begin on 26 September. The Security Council also requested that the current UN Mission in Colombia begin these verification tasks as of the present date, within available resources.

The Mission welcomes with satisfaction the tasks that the Security Council has conferred on it today. As the Secretary-General expressed in his reports, the reincorporation of the FARC EP into civilian life and the development of institutions in the zones affected by the conflict are urgent and fundamental tasks for the consolidation of peace.

The Mission stands ready to undertake these tasks in close coordination and collaboration with the UN System and with the implementation bodies established by the Peace Accords.

As we have done for the Ceasefire and Laying Down of Weapons, the Mission will undertake an objective and proactive verification: it will present an impartial balance on compliance with the commitments so far to the parties and to society; it will aim to propose solutions and combine forces for its implementation; it will seek to generate confidence and contribute to securing the support of the international community for the peace process in Colombia.

To fulfill these commitments, the Mission is reassigning a part of its resources and personnel to local sites and regional offices, without undermining the execution of its tasks related to the Ceasefire and Laying Down of Weapons.

The Mission is confident that this new mandate will contribute to the full implementation of the commitments on reincorporation and security guarantees in the shortest possible time.

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