Riohacha (Colombia) (EFE).- The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, signed the three decrees that officially structure and regulate the Ministry of Equality and Equity, in which the Colombian vice president, Francia Márquez, will officially take office this Friday.
This ministry will deal with the “rights of women in all their diversities”, but also with the LGTBIQ+ population, people with disabilities, people of color and even excluded populations especially affected by inequality: such as peasants, people living on the streets or the migrants.
Five vice ministries
The new ministry, an initiative promoted by Petro since the campaign and approved in the Colombian Congress at the end of last year, will have five deputy ministries and a budget of some 500,000 million pesos (120 million dollars or 110 million euros).
It is a ministry for 51.2% of the population, which are women, but it is also “going to worry and work tirelessly for the rights of the most vulnerable populations in the country and for the most vulnerable territories like La Guajira”, as Márquez pointed out during an act in this department, which accumulates the highest figures of extreme poverty in the country.
“As a woman and a mother, I will work with you to stop femicide, to stop violence against women,” promised Márquez, who from the campaign fought for the creation of this new portfolio.
Three decrees that start the ministry
Although the inauguration of Márquez as the new Minister of Equality was going to take place today, in the end it could not be carried out because the legislation requires that 3 days pass from the publication of the resume of a new position until its inauguration, and this process was carried out on Tuesday.
But in the act in Rioahacha, the president signed the three decrees that start the ministry, which was approved in Congress at the end of last year, since they define its functions, its organization chart, the budget, the number of personnel, among others. .
“This is a challenge, this is not an easy task, (…) but it is a challenge that we are going to take on with love, with commitment and with joy,” stressed Márquez, who was proud of a ministry that will give “voice to the nobodies and the nobodies” of Colombia.