00:00Colombia is changing its international position regarding the rights of women and LGBTIQ+ people.
00:05We recognize that there is no international right to abortion.
00:12Colombia disassociates itself from the expression "health and sexual and reproductive rights" contained in resolution L34.
00:18To withdraw Colombia from the coalition for equal rights.
00:22In recent weeks, the government of Abelardo de las Prieyas withdrew from an international alliance that defends the
00:28LGBTIQ+ rights.
00:29She distanced herself from expressions such as sexual and reproductive rights and gender before the UN and rejoined the consensus
00:35from Geneva.
00:36A declaration promoted during Donald Trump's first term that maintains that there is no international right to abortion.
00:42These are three political and diplomatic decisions.
00:44For now, no one is eliminating rights that are already recognized in Colombia, nor are they changing the decisions of the Constitutional Court.
00:50However, they do show a change in the stance that the country defends towards other governments.
00:54Human rights organizations warn that these positions could clash with the legal advances that Colombia has achieved
01:01in gender matters.
01:02What happened and why is there concern?
01:03Let's start with LGBTIQ+ rights.
01:05On September 17, the Foreign Ministry announced that Colombia was withdrawing from the Equal Rights Coalition, an alliance of 43 countries.
01:12who works to protect the rights of this population.
01:14Colombia shared the coalition presidency with Spain, but withdrew before the end of its term.
01:19It was the first country to do so while he held that position.
01:22The Foreign Ministry did not explain the reasons for the decision in detail.
01:25However, organizations consulted indicated that it could be an attempt by the new government to distance itself from the previous one.
01:31Colombian participation in this space began during the government of Juan Manuel Santos, after several years of work
01:37between the State and social organizations.
01:39In other words, the country had been building that participation for nearly a decade.
01:43It was not a policy of the Petro government.
01:45The second decision was made before the United Nations.
01:47On October 7, Colombia stated its position on several resolutions of the UN Human Rights Council that
01:52had supported.
01:53In her speech, she distanced herself from the expression "sexual and reproductive health and rights," and clarified her interpretation of the word.
01:59gender and questioned concepts such as intersectional discrimination and structural racism.
02:03Ambassador Álvaro Ayala argued that these terms do not have precise definitions in international treaties and that they do not generate
02:10new obligations for the State.
02:11But human rights organizations maintain that sexual and reproductive rights are indeed supported by international law, because
02:17They are related to the right to health, life, equality, privacy, and others.
02:22Therefore, more than 120 national and international organizations, along with social leaders, signed a letter rejecting the statement.
02:29from the government and are preparing a petition.
02:31They are concerned that this interpretation reduces the tools available to recognize and address the inequalities, violence, and discrimination that affect
02:38women and LGBTIQ+ people.
02:40The third decision was to return to the Geneva Consensus, created in 2020 during Donald Trump's first term and
02:46backed by conservative governments like that of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil.
02:49Alejandro Ordóñez, ambassador to the OAS, announced the adherence to this declaration which maintains that there is no international law
02:56to abortion and that States are not obliged to promote or facilitate it.
03:00The declaration has the support of governments such as those of Russia, Iraq, Belarus, Libya, Sudan, Uganda and Congo.
03:06Countries listed as having the worst conditions for women, according to Georgetown University.
03:11Ordóñez himself pointed out that the declaration has political and diplomatic effects, but not legal ones.
03:17Since it is not a binding international treaty, accession does not change Colombian jurisprudence.
03:21Abortion remains decriminalized up to the 24th week of pregnancy, according to the Court's ruling C-055 of 2022.
03:28Constitutional.
03:29After that period, the three grounds recognized since 2006 remain in effect.
03:32The three decisions, made two months after Abelardo de la Espriella's government began,
03:37They show a change in the way Colombia positions itself in relation to other countries regarding the rights of
03:42women and LGBTIQ+ people.
03:44Although they do not currently modify Colombian jurisprudence, the discussion centers on how these positions would influence the participation of
03:50Colombia in multilateral organizations
03:52and whether they will end up interfering in their commitments, their public policies, and the defense of rights that are already recognized
03:58legal in the country.
04:04Thank you.
04:04Thank you.
