UN experts ask Ecopetrol to repair harm after a Special Jurisdiction for Peace ruling in Colombia

14 October 2026

Independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council have called on Ecopetrol, Colombia's state-owned oil company, to provide reparations to victims of the armed conflict. Their statement follows a decision in Macro-Case 08 of Colombia's Special Jurisdiction for Peace, the JEP, which found several State agents and a director of Ecopetrol responsible for serious human rights violations, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the conflict. The case centres on Barrancabermeja, the city the UN describes as Colombia's oil capital. The experts asked the company to hold good-faith dialogue with victims and their organisations using a restorative approach, and said victims should help design and carry out the reparations rather than only watch. They cited the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, under which companies must respect human rights and help redress harm they cause or contribute to. Because the Colombian State is Ecopetrol's majority shareholder, the experts said the State shares the responsibility, and they repeated a call for sufficient funding of Colombia's comprehensive peace system, which includes the JEP and the Unit for the Search for Missing Persons.