For information only - not an official document
UNIS/CP/922
24 June 2016
VIENNA 24 June (UN Information Service) - On behalf of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), I warmly welcome news that the Colombian government has signed an accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP) introducing a bilateral ceasefire agreement. I hope this will lead to a new era of lasting peace and prosperity for the Colombian people, as well as assist in ongoing efforts to reduce cocaine cultivation and production in the country.
UNODC already supports the Colombian government in a series of projects and programmes in the country, including comprehensive alternative development strategies. These activities represent some of the most sustainable approaches to overcoming illicit crop cultivation and to protecting vulnerable people and communities.
We stand ready to continue to work in close partnership with the Colombian government to promote alternative development, as well as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and to monitor illicit cultivations. Just as importantly, we will help people to overcome drug abuse through projects that offer drug prevention and treatment, strengthen criminal justice reform, and assist in the fight against organized crime including money laundering and corruption.
I once again congratulate the government and people of Colombia on this momentous occasion in their country's history.
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The accord was signed on 23 June in Havana, Cuba, by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos Calder ó n and the leader of FARC-EP, Timoleón Jiménez, in the presence of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, six Latin American presidents and representatives of the US Administration.
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For further information, please contact:
David
Dadge
Spokesperson, UNODC
Telephone: (+43 1) 26060-5629
Mobile: (+43-699) 1459-5629
Email: david.dadge[at]unvienna.org
