In a joint statement read in Havana on Sunday, negotiators for both sides said the de-escalation would start July 20.
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The de-escalation agreement puts a halt to months of uncertainty regarding the peace talks, which have been going on since 2012 and are widely considered the country’s best chance in years of ending its longstanding conflict with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos hailed the announcement as a significant step.
Earlier this month, Colombia’s top government negotiator had warned that time for a deal was running out.
Tellez called for a “prior guarantee” that FARC militants could “join civilian life without risk to their lives”.
FARC says bilateral ceasefire, which means oxygen for the peace process, could no longer be delayed with inconsistent arguments.
The historic agreement comes just days after the guarantor nations to the peace process – Norway and Cuba – called on both parties to agree to a truce.
However, amid concerns that peace talks were floundering, media in Colombia began speculating Mr Santos might soften his stance.
The last established cease-fire began in December but deteriorated in April after 11 Colombian soldiers were killed in an attack.
The incident prompted the government to renew aerial strikes against guerrilla forces, and FARC rebels responded by attacking several oil pipelines in the country. Marquez said no one could hide the fact that government and FARC had reached three partial agreements, were drafting a new agreement on victims and that the de-mining of certain territories of ordinance and other unexploded devices was underway.
Colombia’s civil strife dates back to 1964 and has drawn in left-wing guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries and drug gangs, killing more than 220,000 people and uprooting as many as six million.
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Since that truce ended, about 30 rebels have been killed in army operations and recent surveys show the public is increasingly wary about the peace process.
