The Colombian Peace Process

That the Parliament notes the peace accord signed in November 2016 between the Colombian Government and the FARC to end the 50-year-long civil war; understands that the agreement included commitments to a ceasefire, the decommissioning of arms by the FARC, an independent truth commission, a special unit to search for the 100,000 disappeared individuals, transitional justice courts, the transition of the FARC into a political party, reforms for greater political participation, socioeconomic reincorporation of former combatants, rural reform, illicit crop substitution programs agreed with the consent of farmers, international verification of the agreement and measures to bring an end to paramilitary violence; believes that, between 2011 and 2016, over 640 trade unionists and social activists were killed, and at least 300 have lost their lives in the three years since the accord was signed, with many more threatened, intimidated and displaced from their land; understands that close to 190 FARC former combatants who signed up to the peace process have been murdered since the agreement was signed; recognises the ongoing commitment of the FARC to the peace agreement, the success of the process to include FARC in the political process and that some progress has been made in the illicit crop substitution and socioeconomic reincorporation programmes and by the transitional justice courts, the Truth Commission and the search unit for the disappeared; expresses concern at what it sees as the continued security threats to social justice campaigners, trade unionists and indigenous peoples, as well as former FARC combatants, limited progress in land reform and rural development and the implementation of many other aspects of the peace accord, and calls on the Scottish Government to use its influence to support the peace process and put pressure on the Colombian Government to deliver on ensuring the comprehensive implementation of all elements of the agreement.