Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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135. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the situation in Urabá, Colombia, in which persons (details supplied) have been killed in the past two weeks; his plans to send officials to visit the region and assess the human rights situation; if the killings and the ongoing harassment and threats to human rights defenders in Urabá and Colombia in general will be condemned; and his further plans to raise the killings with his Colombian counterpart in view of worrying developments with regard to threats and intimidation of human rights defenders in Urabá. [54416/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I am aware of the incidents to which the Deputy refers.

The climate of violence and intimidation which exists for social leaders and human rights activists in marginalised rural areas of Colombia like Urabá continues to be a matter of great concern to the Government.

I wish to express my sincere sympathies and condolences to the families of the victims and to the communities which have been affected by the violence.

As I have stated on previous occasions, this violence is entirely unacceptable and I condemn it unreservedly. I urge the Government of Colombia to ensure that all incidents, including those referred to by the Deputy, 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 the Department engage with human rights defenders and civil society leaders active across Colombia, including those working in communities most impacted by the conflict.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade provides 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, as well as to the Inter American Commission on Human Rights, which provides protection measures to community leaders and activists operating in Colombia.

Officials from the Embassy of Ireland in Mexico, which is accredited to Colombia, frequently visit the country and maintain regular contact with partners there, including to receive updates on the violence affecting communities.

As the Deputy will be aware, in October 2017 I announced Ireland’s intention to open an embassy in Bogotá, Colombia. This will be a very positive development in Ireland-Colombia relations and clearly demonstrates Ireland’s commitment to supporting peace and human rights in Colombia and the full implementation of the country’s peace accord.

I firmly believe that 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 and the transformation of the organisation into a political party.

However, as we know from our own experience, achieving peace can be complex and challenging and is far from straightforward. Ireland remains committed to supporting the full implementation of the agreement, which will ensure the eradication of violence in vulnerable communities and a more peaceful future for all Colombians.