The Department of Peace Operations, in coordination with the United Nations Department of Political Affairs and Peacebuilding, has appointed Spanish brigadier general César Augusto Sáenz de Santamaría Gómez as chief military adviser to the Special Representative of the Secretary General. for the Verification Mission of United Nations In colombia.
The appointment of General Saenz de Santamaría is a recognition of Spain's commitment to peace in the region and the work of our observers on the ground.
Spain, which is firmly involved in the Peace process in Colombia, participates since November 2016 in the Mission of the International Organization in that country and currently occupies, by number of troops, the fifth place among the contributing countries, these being mostly Ibero-American.
General Sáenz de Santamaría
He joined the army in 1980 and belongs to the XL Promotion of the General Military Academy. In 1985, he was promoted to the post of Lieutenant of Infantry and, after a long military career, he was promoted to Brigadier General in March 2016.
After occupying different destinations in important national and international positions, in 2016 he is appointed to the National Military Representation (NMR) before the Supreme Command of the NATO (SACEUR) in the headquarters of SHAPE (Mons, Belgium).
His extensive international experience is completed by his participation in peace missions in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Somalia, where he served as Chief of Staff in the EUTM-Somalia mission in 2016.
He has attended various national and international courses, such as Peace Operations for Latin American countries, course on National Humanitarian Law and International Relations course in the field of cooperation and development.
He is in possession of numerous national and foreign rewards.
Peace process in Colombia
The United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia (known as Colombia II) was agreed upon by the Security Council in November 2017 to guarantee the process of consolidating a stable and lasting peace between the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Colombia-Ejército del Pueblo (FARC-EP), to ensure the integration of the FARC into the Colombian social and economic political life and to implement the security guarantees, both personally and collectively, of its former members.