A Chinese envoy on Tuesday called for unwavering efforts to advance Colombia's peace process, stressing the need to improve security while boosting the country's development.
The UN Security Council held a meeting on the Colombia issue at the UN Headquarters in New York, calling for enhanced implementation of the peace agreement signed in 2016.
Carlos Ruiz Massieu, the UN secretary-general's special representative and head of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, told the Security Council that the security situation in Colombia remains dire, with violence and illicit economies still present in certain areas.
He also highlighted the slow progress in comprehensive rural reform, addressing the problem of illicit drugs and the implementation of transitional justice.
Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, said the Secretary-General's report highlighted concerns about the security situation in several regions of Colombia. Violent clashes earlier this year in the Catatumbo region caused severe harm to civilians and negatively impacted the peace process.
"We support the Colombian government in enhancing security deployments, strengthening effective control over conflict-affected and remote areas, ensuring the safety of civilians, and protecting vulnerable groups such as ex-combatants, racial minorities, women, and children, to prevent similar violent incidents from recurring," he said.
Geng also emphasized that comprehensive rural reform is a key priority for the implementation of the peace agreement and a crucial pillar of Colombia's national development.
China supports the Colombian government in increasing resource input, strengthening coordination, and accelerating the rural reform process to continually unleash development dividends, he said.
Chinese envoy calls for persistent efforts to advance peace in Colombia
