Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 February 2024
50. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government’s view on the current status of the Colombian peace process; the immediate and longer term challenges and the proposed initiatives Ireland will take to assist overcome those challenges. [6927/24]
View answerDuring my recent visit to Colombia on 10-11 January 2024, I had the opportunity to discuss the peace process in meetings with Defence Minister Iván Velásquez, Vice Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Francisco Coy and Elizabeth Taylor Jay, and representatives of the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace (OACP).
In these meetings, we discussed the significant progress that has been made in the implementation of Colombia’s 2016 Peace Agreement and the Total Peace initiative, as well as the various obstacles that remain in both the short-term and long-term. These achievements and challenges are also clearly set out in the UN Secretary General’s most recent report on the UN Verification Mission in Colombia. Challenges include structural issues such as poverty, inequality and issues around land distribution, as well as the presence of armed actors and illicit economies in some parts of the country. The persistently high rates of violence against former combatants and human rights defenders around the country are also concerning.
International support to the Colombian peace process remains paramount, and I was pleased to communicate to my interlocutors that in 2024, Ireland’s direct funding in support of peacebuilding in Colombia is increasing to over €5 million. This funding will contribute to initiatives that will advance peacebuilding and equality in the country, inter alia in the areas of dialogue and participation, human rights and gender equality, capacity building, the strengthening of institutions, and strategic peacebuilding initiatives.
