The Colombian president, Iván Duque Márquez, portrayed a Colombia that is focusing its development on the climate transition, that is able to host 1.8 million Venezuelan refugees, and that defends the right of nations to choose their alliances in full sovereignty, on Tuesday 15 February at the European Parliament’s seat in Strasbourg.
Although it emits only 0.6% of greenhouse gas emissions, Colombia’s ambition is to achieve “climate neutrality by 2050” and, to do so, will reduce its emissions by “51%” by 2030 (compared to 1990, editor’s note), Mr Duque said. By 2022, 30% of Colombian territory will be declared protected.
On Monday, the EU and Colombia agreed to strengthen their collaboration in the fight against climate change and the strengthening of biodiversity (see EUROPE 12890/15).
Ahead of legislative and presidential elections to be observed by the EU (see EUROPE 12885/17), Columbia’s president praised the government’s action during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the national vaccination campaign having fully vaccinated over 70% of the adult population.
He asked the EU to continue to support Colombia in its peace agenda, 6 years after FARC laid down its arms, and to support democracy in Latin America in the face of three enemies: “populism, disinformation and polarisation”. But in order to consolidate peace through education, land reform, and investment in the areas most affected by the conflict, it is necessary to reduce the “chasm” between pledges and disbursements of funds promised by donors, Mr Duque said.
Later, to the press, he did not deny the problems linked to the continuous assassinations of social movement leaders, considering drug trafficking as the number one problem for his country. However, while action must be taken at the root of production, it is also necessary to educate consumers in rich countries, where demand is exploding, he noted. For one hectare of coca production, three hectares of tropical jungle must be destroyed, and to produce one kilo of cocaine, almost 100 litres of petrol are needed, which is then poured into the forest, he said.
The Colombian president denounced the “odious” dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, which shelters Colombian criminal groups and allows the Russian presence on Venezuelan soil. He was applauded when he described the granting of refugee status to the 1.8 million Venezuelan refugees in Colombia and the Colombian ‘Visibles’ programme, which allows them to work and have access to health care.
Defending multilateralism, Mr Duque referred to the geopolitical tensions in Ukraine. “All nations must be free to decide whether or not to join a multilateral organisation. A third country cannot intimidate a nation by force so that it cannot exercise its sovereignty”, he said, announcing that Colombia would support the sanctions decided by the international community in the event of external aggression against Ukraine. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)