On the eve of the end of the temporary bilateral ceasefire between the Government of Colombia and the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the resumption of a new round of talks between the parties in Quito (with a reshuffled government delegation), the Colombian Bishops’ Conference (CEC) and the UN Verification Mission in Colombia issued a joint statement calling on the parties not to undo the progress made in recent months in terms of reducing violence and alleviating the plight of civilians. “As participating guest members to the process of Monitoring and Verification of the Temporary, Bilateral, National Ceasefire between the Government of Colombia and the National Liberation Army (ELN) – the statement reads -, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the UN Verification Mission in Colombia call upon the parties to preserve the gains achieved in terms of reducing violence during the ceasefire period”. The UN Mission and the Church in Colombia are “aware of the difficulties of maintaining the temporary ceasefire, and the lack of consensus regarding the implementation of certain aspects of the Quito Agreement. Both entities concur on the need for a more robust ceasefire agreement to build greater trust between the parties and within Colombian society”. They also underscore “the value of the humanitarian relief brought by the temporary ceasefire, and what it has represented for the communities, as well as the decrease in violence in most areas affected by the conflict. These tangible improvements result in greater legitimacy for the peace process”. This is why, “on the eve of the end of the temporary ceasefire, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the UN Mission urge the Government of Colombia and the National Liberation Army to persevere with the dialogue, move forward in reducing violence, while consolidating and expanding the benefits achieved for the communities since the establishment of the ceasefire”.