Colombia: High Commissioner wraps up visit

High Commissioner Ruud Lubbers today wraps up a four-day visit to Colombia with meetings in the capital, Bogota, with the Ombudsman, Public Prosecutor and representatives of the private sector.

Yesterday, High Commissioner Lubbers visited Barrancabermeja, one of the cities most affected by internal displacement in Colombia. He told displaced people there that he visited the city to show solidarity with Colombia's hundreds of thousands of internally displaced. Mr. Lubbers called on the people of Colombia to show their solidarity with them as well, adding that the country is plagued by violence and a lack of respect for the law. He said the plight of the displaced - the victims of all this violence - had to be put at the centre of public awareness.

On Wednesday, Mr. Lubbers met with President Álvaro Uribe and other senior government figures, academics, NGOs and UN agencies. Also on Wednesday, he joined other representatives of the UN System in presenting the Humanitarian Plan of Action for Colombia, which creates a joint strategic planning framework and strengthens complementarity between the UN agencies.