Chief UN adviser on Colombia to conclude term in April
Secretary-General Kofi Annan's top aide dealing with the peace process in Colombia will wrap up his current term in April after five years on the job, putting a temporary pause to active United Nations involvement in helping to end the country's decades-long conflict.
The announcement regarding Mr. Annan's Special Adviser on Colombia, James LeMoyne, was made following a meeting at UN Headquarters in New York between senior UN officials and a high-level delegation from the Colombian Government, which has been locked in a multi-sided war involving mainly the left-wing Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
According to a press statement, "there was an open and constructive exchange, particularly on the human rights and humanitarian situations in Colombia, and on the good offices provided by the Secretary-General since 1999 in the search for a negotiated solution to the conflict.
"It was made clear at today's meeting that the good offices of the Secretary-General remain available to Colombia," the statement added. "Should circumstances change and the parties request that the United Nations resume an active good offices role in the future, the Secretary-General will be ready to consider how best to help."
The two sides also agreed to continue talks "aimed at strengthening cooperation in the areas of human rights and humanitarian assistance, for the benefit of the Colombian people," the statement said.
The meeting was chaired by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Kieran Prendergast, and included Colombian Vice-President Francisco Santos and Foreign Minister Carolina Barco.
Mr. Prendergast was joined on the UN side by Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland, as well as representatives from the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Mr. LeMoyne, who has worked in peace processes, complex crises and peace-building for 20 years, previously had been involved with the situations in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Haiti, the former Yugoslavia, Northern Ireland and Guatemala.
The Secretary-General has been exercising his good offices in Colombia since 1 December 1999 with the appointment of Mr. Egeland as his first Special Adviser. The post serves as the focal point for the UN system in its efforts to mobilize international assistance for social, humanitarian, human rights, drug control and peace-building activities in Colombia.
The Special Adviser also is a channel between the Secretary-General and the Colombian Government and other relevant actors, and consults widely within and outside the country on how the UN system can best promote human rights, humanitarian assistance, development and peace.