15 December 2016

STATEMENT BY THE PERMANENT MISSION OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TO THE UNITED NATIONS ON BEHALF OF THE COMMUNITY OF LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN STATES (CELAC)

1. I have the honor to speak on behalf of the Member States of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), on Agenda item 134: Programme Budget for the Biennium 2016-2017: Estimates in respect of special political missions, good offices and other political initiatives authorized by the General Assembly and/or the Security Council. Thematic cluster III: United Nations offices, peacebuilding support offices, integrated offices and commissions:  United Nations Mission in Colombia.

2. First of all, we would like to thank Ms. Bettina Tucci Bartsiotas, Assistant Secretary-General for Programme Planning, Budget and Accounts (Controller) and Mr. Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) for introducing the reports before us.

Madam Chair,

3.  We would like take this opportunity to congratulate the people and Government of Colombia for the General Agreement to End the Conflict and Building a Stable Lasting Peace between the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP).  The peace is part of those values shared by our Community and it has been a common wish for our peoples.  Thus, we firmly support this fundamental step that Colombia has sought to make a reality for many decades.

4. For CELAC Member States, the Peace Agreement for Colombia represents the end of the last armed conflict in our region and the beginning towards a stable and durable peace. The United Nations Mission in Colombia is a priority for CELAC and our support has been materialized with the contributions of unarmed international observers, responsible for the monitoring and verification of the laying down of arms, as part of the tripartite mechanism that will monitor and verify the definitive bilateral ceasefire and cessation of hostilities with the mandates authorized to this Special Political Mission by the Security Council.

Madam Chair,

5. Before concluding, CELAC would like to reiterate the support of our Community to the discussions on the administrative and budgetary aspects which are submitted to the Fifth Committee, particularly to those aspects that has direct impact in our region.  For this reason, we welcome and count of the support that the Fifth Committee to ensure that the Mission of the United Nations in Colombia will receive adequate and necessary resources for the effective implementation of its mandate.

6. CELAC members will participate actively in the consideration of this important agenda item, aiming at reaching a satisfactory conclusion, as a matter of priority.                               

Thank you.