'Fighting extremism': President Petro spoke with counterparts from Latin America and Spain

While the final changes to the cabinet are being defined for the final stretch of his administration, President Gustavo Petro held a virtual meeting this Wednesday with other left-wing heads of state from the continent .

In addition to the Colombian president, the telematic meeting was attended by the presidents of Chile, Gabriel Boric Font; Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ; and the president-elect of Uruguay, Yamandú Orsi Martínez . They were joined by Pedro Sánchez , president of the Government of Spain.

Following the meeting, the countries drew up a joint declaration. According to the declaration, the meeting was held to follow up on the commitments agreed upon during the High-Level Meeting 'In defence of democracy. Fighting extremism' , held on 24 September 2024 in New York, within the framework of the United Nations General Assembly.

"During the working meeting, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening democracy and its institutions, and outlined joint actions to address inequality, misinformation and the malicious use of social media and other digital technologies that fuel extremism and polarization in our societies , in order to build a safer and more prosperous future for all," they said.

Along the same lines, the leaders agreed on the importance of strengthening multilateral cooperation to face these challenges and strengthen democracies.

This week, Colombia held its first session as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council Assembly. Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia traveled to Geneva, Switzerland, to participate in the 58th session.

In her speech, the minister spoke about migration. "The council has the responsibility to protect migrants, women, indigenous people, black populations, those living in poverty, and the most vulnerable," she said. She also assured that no migrant is illegal: "In all corners of the world, the treatment of migrants must be governed by international human rights standards. Being a migrant is not being a criminal."

On October 9, 2024, Colombia became a member of the UN Human Rights Council for the first time. It was elected as a member by the organization's General Assembly with 175 votes in favor.

Thus, from January 1, 2025 and for 3 years, Colombia will be part of the most important deliberations and debates worldwide on human rights.

Juan Pablo Penagos Ramirez