Reactions continue against the departure of Laura Gil of the Vice Ministry of Multilateral Affairs. In a letter to the President Gustavo Petro and to the chancellor Alvaro Leyvasigned by 25 social organizations and 511 people, expressed their disagreement with the measure.
The document circulated on social media rejected the treatment received by the official and said that Laura Gil She was the first civil servant in this position to commit to the Women’s rights and the LGBTIQ+ people.
Among the arguments in favor of this phrase is Gil’s commitment to the Action Plan 1325 from the UN, regarding the participation of girls and women in post-conflict processes; the positioning of the agenda of sexual violence in armed conflicts and the defense of the rights of women and LGBTIQ+ people during his speeches before the UN.
The letter also contains strong questions addressed to the figure of the Chancellor, Alvaro Leyvaas well as the relationship he had with Gil.
“She, Mr. President, shone with her own light, through her human and intellectual capacities, and her commitment to the government of Change. And this brilliance is what Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva Durán does not accept, or how to explain such an arbitrary decision to remove her from her post with so many achievements obtained in the exercise of her post ”.
However, Leyva He is not the only one questioned. The letter also contains strong words towards the president, reminding him that during the campaign, Gustavo Petro assured that the change was with women, for which they underlined:
“Actions such as the demand for the resignation of teacher Patricia Ariza and the departure of Vice-Chancellor Laura Gil and the silences of her government regarding the denunciations of sexual violence against women by her government officials and men cast doubt on its commitment to the agenda of women in our diversities”.
Finally, they asked the President to reconsider the decision to delete Gil of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, because they consider that without their presence, there is no guarantee for the continuity of the elaboration of the Resolution 1325 Action Planas well as their active participation in the process.
Recall that, in the press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announcing the departure of Gil, is also announced his replacement, Elizabeth Taylor Jay, a biologist from the department of San Andrés, who has extensive experience in maritime affairs, but not in the gender approach.
Accordingly, the Ministry of External Relations announced that an adviser for gender issues and feminist policy would be linked to the office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, whose profile is that of a specialist in gender studies, possibly this civil servant would be delegated the tasks she performed Laura Gil; however, it seems that this measure is not enough for the women’s social movement.
On the morning of March 15, statements had already been made to this effect. Caribe Afirmativo pointed out that over the past six months, Gil has made immense strides in terms of voice and space for meaningful participation by the diverse population.
“The departure of Laura Gil jeopardizes progress never seen before in Colombian foreign policy. In its statement, the Foreign Office says today that women’s and LGBTIQ+ issues will be relegated to an external adviser, breaking their continuity and giving the message that they are not a cross-cutting approach in the decisions taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “, assured the organization.