Statement by Raúl Rosende, acting head of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia on the role of the Mission following the issuance of the first restorative sentences by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace

The issuance of the first two sentences by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace has been welcomed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, as well as the United Nations System in Colombia. The Secretary-General expressed that the issuance of these first two sentences is a historic milestone in the implementation process of the Peace Agreement.

Restorative justice seeks accountability for the most serious crimes committed during the conflict. It also seeks to prevent the recurrence of these crimes and, fundamentally, to ensure the rights of the victims are satisfied after both sentences. Challenges remain, and in this sense, we believe that the effective, vigorous, and swift implementation of the sentences is fundamental, just as it is essential to listen to the voice of the victims during this implementation process.

In this way, listening to the victims will ensure that the restorative projects really meet the expectations and needs of the victims.

What will the UN verification mission do in this process? As mandated by the UN Security Council, we will first of all verify the compliance of the sentenced persons with the restorative sentences. Secondly, we will also verify that the state authorities create the conditions so that these sentences can really be complied with.

In this regard, we will report to the UN Security Council every three months on both aspects, and our verification will be conducted in an independent and impartial manner.

We will rely on our robust and extended territorial presence. The UN Verification Mission has a presence in some of the most remote and historically conflict and violence-affected areas. Such a presence allows us to be in permanent contact with communities, community-based organisations and victims, and in this way, we will learn first-hand about their expectations and maintain dialogue and communication.

It is also important to emphasise that it is essential to make rapid progress with the implementation process for the sentences, because in this way the communities living in these territories will perceive the effects and benefits of the peace process in a much more tangible way. We call on the state authorities to mobilise all efforts to create the conditions for compliance with the sentences, and we also call upon those sentenced to preserve their commitment to peace and to comply fully with the sentences.

Finally, I would like to reiterate the strong commitment of the UN Verification Mission and the UN system in general to the consolidation of peace in Colombia.

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