At 5 p.m. in the main rotunda of Cartagena’s Convention Center, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Rodrigo Londoño of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) will sign the Final Accord ending more than a half-century of conflict in this country and that claimed the lives of 260,000 people.

The ceremony will be attended by 15 presidents, 27 foreign ministers and 2,500 other guests, including 250 victims of the armed conflict. It is scheduled to last 70 minutes.

The United Nation’s Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon will deliver the opening speech, followed by FARC’s Rodrigo Londoño and President Juan Manuel Santos.

Santos at midday will attend mass at the church of San Pedro Claver in Cartagena’s old city. The religious service will be officiated by Pope Francis’s envoy, the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. After the Catholic service, President Santos will host a private lunch at the presidential residence Casa de Huespedes.

As of Sunday morning, world leaders began arriving in Colombia’s colonial port city and expressed their support to Colombia’s peace process with FARC.

According to President of El Salvador, Salvador Sánchez, “Colombia is generating hope for the world.”

Colombian Foreign Minister María Angela Holguín thanked all the visiting heads of states and senior diplomats for their support for the peace process and the massive turn-out to witness the signing of the Final Accord.

On Sunday evening there was a symbolic peace candle-lighting ceremony in the Old City.

On Monday morning, Santos met with generals and the senior command of the armed forces and in a joint statement recognized the efforts of the government to achieve peace in Colombia. “This is a recognition to all the members of our Armed Forces and National Police for having reached this turning-point for the Colombian people,” said General Juan Pablo Rodríguez.

The United States Secretary of State John Kerry met with demobilized combatants who voluntarily the FARC, near Cartagena and reaffirmed the U.S. “commitment to peace in Colombia.”

Bolivia’s Evo Morales congratulated Colombia and FARC for “the great effort” to achieve peace.

Former U.N Secretary General Kofi Annan tweeted Monday: “Today is a historic day for Colombia. I feel privileged to be in Cartagena for the signing of the peace agreement.”

President Santos ordered an 3,000 additional police to provide the necessary protection for visiting dignitaries in Cartagena. Mayor of Cartagena, Manolo Duque has forbidden any political rallies regarding the “yes” or “no” vote for October 2 plebiscite to guarantee law and order during the day; yet former president and current senator Alvaro Uribe Vélez and Prosecutor General Alejandro Ordoñez are in Cartagena leading a public “human chain” with 2,000 supporters to voice their opposition to the peace accord with FARC.

The signing of the Final Accord between President Santos and Rodrigo Londoño, alias “Timochenko” will be with a pen known as the “balígrafo” made from a bullet casing and inscribed with the phrase: “bullets made our past, education is our future.”

The Colombia air force with Kfirs will do a fly-over the historic city once the accord is signed. Some 1,200 accredited journalists are covering the story.

Celebrating the agreement, Venezuelan Ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS) Roy Chaderton recited the opening line of Colombia’s national anthem. “The peace of Colombia is the peace of Venezuela, as we are brother nations,” he said.

With the signing Monday in Cartagena, the last conflict in the Western Hemisphere officially ends.