The International Office for Human Rights Action on Colombia

UN Human Rights warns of a deteriorating human rights situation in Colombia

The Annual Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Colombia, presented to the 61st session of the Human Rights Council, analyses the human rights situation in the country during 2025, as well as progress and challenges in the implementation of the Peace Agreement.

The report expresses particular concern about the expanding territorial presence and social control exercised by non-State armed groups and criminal organisations, noting that high levels of violence in several regions are seriously affecting civilians and hindering implementation of the Peace Agreement. The Office even warns of the risk of a return, particularly at the territorial level, to the serious human rights situation experienced before the signing of the Agreement.

Key concerns include forced displacement and confinement, massacres, the recruitment of children, gender-based violence and attacks against human rights defenders. In 2025, the Office received 207 allegations of killings of human rights defenders and verified 99 cases in which the killing was related to their human rights work, with a particularly severe impact on Indigenous, Afro-descendant and peasant leaders. Mass forced displacement also increased by 85% compared with 2024, particularly as a result of the humanitarian crisis in Catatumbo.

Against this backdrop, the High Commissioner stresses the need for the full implementation of the Peace Agreement as a central State policy, stronger guarantees for human rights defenders and enhanced protection of the civilian population. The report also explicitly calls on the international community to maintain its political, technical and financial support for the comprehensive implementation of the Peace Agreement and to provide adequate support to human rights organisations.

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Situation of human rights in Colombia Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

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