Colombia's UN peace mission mandate extended, rural reform oversight removed

Colombia's ambassador to the United Nations, Mauricio Gaona, told the Security Council that the 2016 Peace Agreement is not a model for the world. The statement came during a session that renewed the mandate of the UN Verification Mission until October 2027.

The same session removed oversight of the implementation of the Integral Rural Reform from the mission's tasks at the request of President Abelardo de la Espriella's government. The vote was unanimous, with 15 members in favor, none against, and no abstentions.

“Peace cannot be synonymous with impunity, nor can sovereignty be negotiable.”

Opposition figures criticized the intervention. Former Interior Minister Alfonso Prada said the government and Gaona seek to harm the rural reform, the countryside, and peasants. Farc signatory and Comunes party president Rodrigo Londoño warned that denying the benefits of the agreement means denying that more than 30,000 new victims have been avoided.

Former President Juan Manuel Santos defended the agreement on its tenth anniversary, calling it the main legacy of his term. He said the process allowed the demobilization of up to 11,000 guerrilla fighters and agreed with an editorial stating that saying the agreement is not a model means not knowing peace processes.

President De la Espriella celebrated the unanimous backing as support for Colombia's position. He said the UN will now focus verification work on the reintegration of former combatants and security guarantees, while the Integral Rural Reform will remain under Colombian institutions without mission verification.

The president thanked the 15 Security Council members and recognized the diplomatic team, especially Ambassador Gaona. He stated that peace cannot be synonymous with impunity and that sovereignty is not negotiable.

The extension was formalized through Resolution 2833 (2026), which prolongs UN accompaniment of the agreement's implementation for one year with a more limited scope than before.