Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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127. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the fact that according to an organisation (details supplied) more than 80 social leaders have been killed in Colombia in 2017; and if he has raised the level of assassinations with his Colombian counterpart. [48411/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I am aware of the incidences of violence and intimidation perpetrated against social leaders in Colombia as well as of the worrying level of assassinations to which the Deputy refers. I wish, first of all, to extend to all of those affected by recent acts of violence in Colombia my sincere sympathies and condolences. Violence and intimidation against local communities in marginalised rural areas of Colombia, as well as the continued presence of armed groups in such communities, remain a matter of great concern.

I reiterate that such violence is entirely unacceptable. I am glad to have this opportunity to again urge the Government of Colombia to ensure that all such violent incidents are thoroughly investigated and their perpetrators brought to justice.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has an ongoing commitment to support peace and human rights in Colombia. As well as exchanges with the Colombian authorities at Government level, officials of my Department engage regularly with human rights defenders and civil society leaders active across Colombia. We also provide funding directly to the Office of the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights in Colombia to support its work in promoting and protecting human rights including in some of Colombia’s most isolated and challenging regions. Officials from the Embassy in Mexico maintain regular contact with the OHCHR in Colombia and receive updates from that office on the violence affecting communities.

Colombia’s peace accord provides the framework in which the endemic violence and impunity which has afflicted Colombian society for decades can successfully be addressed. Historic strides have been made to date in its implementation, including the full decommissioning of FARC weapons by July 2017, eight months after the agreement was finalised. A ceasefire with the country’s second largest guerrilla group, the ELN, took effect at the beginning of October. However, as we know from our own experience, peace is the work of decades. Ireland is committed to supporting the full implementation of the agreement to ensure a future of peace for all Colombians.