The Minister of Equality, Irene Montero, has signed this Saturday during her visit to Colombia a memorandum of collaboration to promote equality and the fight against discrimination also signed by the Colombian Vice President, Francia Márquez.
«Today we have signed together with Vice President Francia Márquez the Memorandum of Collaboration between the Governments of Colombia and Spain to make effective our will to materialize the feminist and anti-racist agenda that we both share. Thank you for the welcome,» Montero highlighted on social networks.
Márquez, for his part, highlighted that the «memorandum of understanding has been signed in order to promote equality and fight against discrimination» «Equality and equity among all gender identities will be a reality!», he said.
The common objective is to advance in the fight for equality, as well as to exchange experiences and points of view to strengthen cooperation between both countries, highlights the communiqué published by the Colombian Vice-Presidency.
The text aims to «provide a basic framework to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in terms of promoting equality and policies aimed at making equity between women, men and all gender identities real and effective».
«Also the prevention and eradication of the different forms of violence against women, as well as the elimination of any practice of exclusion whether by sex, ethnic-racial origin, religion or ideology, sexual orientation, age, special ability or any other personal, social or cultural condition or circumstance,» emphasizes Bogota.
Márquez has stressed that all women deserve to live in conditions of equality and equity. «It is essential to make an articulated work and join national and international efforts to guarantee these rights both for women, but also for the LGBTIQ+ population and population with disabilities. We need to change the lives of these people,» she said.
The memorandum includes a commitment to review and advance in all aspects linked to bilateral relations and, therefore, to exchange views on issues of common interest five key points.
The first is equal treatment and opportunities between women and men, and the promotion of the social, political and economic participation of women, which includes a mention of co-responsibility in the sharing of care, the elimination of all forms of violence against women with special emphasis on prevention and comprehensive care for victims and their children, and collaboration in the fight against discrimination against LGBTI people or on grounds of racial or ethnic origin.
The second refers to meeting the specific needs of both countries in the framework of equality, the fight against violence against women, as well as raising awareness in society on these issues.
The third provides for sharing and supporting strategies, designed in each country, to develop public policies that contribute to the promotion of equality between women and men, with particular attention to the need to end inequality.
The fourth envisages the promotion, implementation and evaluation of common initiatives, both for the application of measures at the internal level of the states and for the promotion of equality between women and men at the national and international levels.
Finally, it mentions jointly defending the right of women to a life free of violence, as well as that of the LGTBI community and racialized people and the international protection of people fleeing their countries for the reasons contemplated in this Memorandum.
«Finally, in the interest of joining efforts and cooperation, the High Representatives undertake to promote joint activities within the competencies foreseen,» the Colombian communiqué emphasizes.
It also mentions facilitating academic, scientific and social movement cooperation between the two countries and their citizens in the fight against violence against women and discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.
