We, the undersigned civil society organisations, international organisations and individuals are writing to you, in your capacity as Head of State, to express our concern at the lack of accreditation of the new representative of the Office in Colombia of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

On the occasion of the rescheduling and subsequent cancellation of the presentation of the annual report on the human rights situation in Colombia, which the Office produces in exercise of its mandate, it has come to light that Mr. Todd Howland has officially ended his mission as representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Colombia without the person designated to be the new representative having been accredited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to begin his work.

This situation is worrying, given the important work that the Office in Colombia of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has carried out and continues to carry out in the country, especially in the promotion of respect, guarantee and protection of human rights. This work is even more urgent in the current situation of the end of the armed conflict in order to make adequate progress in the implementation of the Final Agreement in aspects related to respect for human rights and victims, the growing aggression against social leadership, the electoral situation and the context of polarisation that the country is experiencing.

Consequently, we make a respectful but firm appeal to the national government, and in particular to the Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs, María Ángela Holguín, to formalise the accreditation as soon as possible of the person designated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights as its new representative in Colombia, so that the exercise of his functions in the country can continue in due form, in accordance with the commitments acquired with that organisation by the Colombian State.

A copy of this communication is being sent to the Secretary General of the United Nations, Dr. Antonio Guterrez, to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein and to the Diplomatic Corps accredited in Colombia.