President Gustavo Petro told the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that he needs congressional efficiency and international debt relief to push forward Colombia’s peace process.
Speaking at the UNSC, Petro said that his government would seek congressional approval for a “fast-track” mechanism that would facilitate a more expedient approval of laws related to peace.
This mechanism allowed the government of former Juan Manuel Santos to obtain congressional support for many of the laws that regulate the peace process in only three months during the initial stretch in 2017.
The remaining legislation necessary to implement the peace process has since been bogged down in Congress.
Consequently, key elements of the 2016 peace deal with the now-defunct guerrilla group FARC have barely been implemented.
This has become a major issue as issues such as land reform and regional development are believed to be crucial for the prevention of a new cycle of violence.
Colombia seeks UN support to revive peace process
If Petro is able to convince Congress to pass the pending peace legislation, the government would need $50 billion for the implementation of the peace deal, the president told the UN ambassadors.
Petro stressed that he didn’t need foreign aid, but diplomatic support for his proposal to invest money meant for debt payments in climate action.
According to the president, the investments needed to preserve the Amazon are virtually the same as the regional investments needed to secure peace.
Of the permanent members of the Security Council, only the French ambassador expressed interest in this proposal.
The president’s proposal to fast-track peace legislation through Congress will likely meet a similar level of enthusiasm, particularly among conservative and far-right lawmakers who have opposed the peace process since the beginning.