President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro signed three decrees that formally structured and regulated the Ministry of Equality and Equity.Colombian vice president Francia Márquez will officially take office this Friday. This ministry will deal with “women’s rights in all their diversity”, but also with the LGTBIQ+ population, the disabled, people of color and even marginalized populations particularly affected by inequality: peasants, street dwellers or immigrants.
An initiative supported by Petro since the campaign and approved by the Colombian Congress at the end of last year, the new ministry will have five deputy ministers and a budget of around 500,000 million pesos ($120 million or 110 million euros). A ministry with 51.2% of the population being women, but at the same time, as Márquez says, “it will worry and work tirelessly for the rights of the most vulnerable populations in the country and for the most vulnerable areas like La Guajira”. It was pointed out during an action in this department that has amassed the highest numbers of extreme poverty in the country. Struggling to create this new portfolio from the campaign, Márquez promised, “As a woman and a mother, I will work with you to stop femicides and violence against women.”
Although Márquez’s inauguration ceremony as the new Equality Minister was due today, it did not take place in the end because legislation requires 3 days from the publication of a resume for a new position to take office, and this was done on Tuesday. But in law this Thursday in Rioahacha, the president signed three decrees that launched the ministry, which were approved in Congress late last year, as they define its functions, organizational chart, budget, number of staff. among others. Proud of a ministry, Márquez said: “This is a challenge, not an easy task (…) but a challenge that we will overcome with love, dedication and joy.” Colombia’s “voice for no one and no one”.