UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday hailed the progress on peacebuilding in Colombia between the government and the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) on the occasion of the second anniversary of their peace agreement.

Guterres congratulated the people of Colombia and saw the 2016 peace agreement as "a watershed for the country and an inspiration for all those striving to end deadly conflict around the world through negotiations," said Guterres' press office in a statement.

After more than five decades of fighting, insurgents have set aside violence for politics; elections have been the most peaceful in decades; innovative institutions of transitional justice are up and running, and plans have been crafted through broad participation to extend development to remote, conflict-affected regions, said the statement.

Hard work remains to be done to consolidate these early gains of peace, it said. "The secretary-general is convinced that this goal can be achieved through a concerted effort involving the government and state institutions, political parties, the private sector and civil society, with the accompaniment of the international community."

The statement voiced strong support of the United Nations for the Colombian people's efforts to preserve sustainable peace.

The Colombian government under then President Juan Manuel Santos secured a peace agreement with FARC rebels in November 2016 after four years of negotiations mostly in Havana, Cuba.

The United Nations has a Verification Mission in Colombia to watch the reintegration of FARC fighters into political, economic and social life and their personal and collective security. The UN Verification Mission succeeded in September 2017 a UN mission of unarmed observers to monitor and verify the cease-fire between the Colombian government and FARC.