Supporting Peace in Colombia

That the Parliament welcomes the reported commitments made by senior trade union leaders across the UK, including in the West Scotland region, to continue with their unwavering support for the Colombia peace agreement; understands that the signing of the agreement in Havana in 2016 came after decades of civil war left 220,000 citizens dead and millions displaced or disappeared; further understands that the agreement creates a framework for political and land reform, the incorporation of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) as a political party, a transitional justice system, peace courts and other restorative justice approaches; recognises what it sees as the proactive and positive role that UK and Irish trade unions have played supporting the work of the NGO, Justice for Colombia (JFC), which it understands has facilitated a series of visits to the country by union leaders and activists to promote dialogue, learning and cooperation; notes JFC’s reported role in helping bring political leaders from Northern Ireland and South Africa to Colombia to share their experience of implementing peace agreements in their respective lands; is concerned that, in recent years, the peace process has reportedly stalled, with increasing reports of human rights abuses, political violence and the murder of trade unionists and environmentalist and indigenous activists, which it understands has seen over 1,000 people killed since the agreement was signed; notes the calls on all candidates in the forthcoming presidential election in Colombia to commit to implementing the peace agreement in full, and further notes the calls on the Scottish and UK governments to do all that they can to promote peace in Colombia.