Carlos Ruiz Massieu will leave the UN Verification Mission in Colombia after six years.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced this Wednesday the appointment of Carlos Ruiz Massieu as his new Special Representative in Haiti , after six years leading the Verification Mission in Colombia . The change in the organization will become official on August 1, as confirmed by Ruiz Massieu himself.
"As Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Colombia since 2019, he led the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia, monitoring the implementation of the Peace Agreement between the Government of Colombia and the FARC-EP guerrilla group," the organization said in a statement.
António Guterres, UN Secretary-General. Photo: EFE
Ruiz Massieu also supported President Gustavo Petro's government's peace efforts with the ELN guerrilla group before the meeting was suspended.
"I want to express my deep gratitude to Colombia, to the governments with which I have had the opportunity to work, their institutions, the peace signatories, the victims of the conflict, the communities, civil society organizations , and, in general, to all Colombians for allowing me to support them over these six years in which I have had the privilege of leading the Mission," he said in a video posted on his social media.
During quarterly sessions before the UN Security Council, Ruiz Massieu has highlighted progress on issues such as comprehensive rural reform, the territorial implementation of policies to dismantle illegal armed groups, and incentives for former combatants.
However, he also warned that progress is "modest" compared to the ambitious goals set out in the 2016 Final Agreement and urged the State to strengthen the protection of social leaders and signatories of the agreement.
Carlos Ruiz Massieu, representative of the UN Secretary-General in Colombia. Photo: National Land Agency
His departure will come shortly after the presentation of a new quarterly report by the UN Verification Mission in Colombia to the Security Council. The document will be published on July 9 and officially presented to the Council on July 18.
CAMILO A. CASTILLOPolitical EditorX: (@camiloandres894)
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