Colombia Archives - Page 9 of 10

Why Sustainability Matters to the Private Sector

As a business, the EPM Group is a beneficiary of the broad municipal program of sustainability in which we participate. A wholly owned utility company of the municipality of Medellín, we have benefited both locally and internationally from the progressive urban politics of Medellín. Until eight years ago, we were entirely local, but in recent … Read more

Dismissal of Bogotá’s Mayor Violates International Law

On December 9, the mayor of Bogotá, Gustavo Petro, was removed and disqualified from holding public office for 15 years by the inspector general of Colombia, Alejandro Ordóñez, as a result of “irregularities in the public service of garbage-collection.” The inspector general’s decision, however, violates the American Convention on Human Rights, ratified by Colombia in … Read more

AQ Slideshows: Natural Resource Extraction in Latin America

Award-winning photographer Nicolas Villaume accompanied Americas Quarterly to Chile, Colombia and Peru in 2012 to study natural resource extraction and its effect on social inclusion. Photographed during the AQ team’s site visits to mines in each country and meetings with stakeholders at the extraction sites and nearby communities, Villaume’s photos bring this research to life … Read more

[i]AQ[/i] Documentary: [i]The Relocation of the Rio Rancheria in La Guajira, Colombia[/i]

Al otro lado del río: Proyecto de reubicación del Río Ranchería en la provincia de La Guajira, Colombia In one of the poorest provinces of Colombia, La Guajira, lies one of the country’s most active and more progressive coal mining companies, Cerrejón. In the early 2000s, Cerrejón estimated that 500 million tons of coal were … Read more

[i]AQ[/i] Videos: Natural Resource Extraction in Chile, Colombia and Peru

AQ traveled to Colombia, Chile and Peru in 2012 to study natural resource extraction and its effect on social inclusion, made possible with the generous support of the Ford Foundation. On each trip, the team met with mining officials, local government representatives, community leaders, and environmental activists to gain a broad, nuanced and diverse understanding … Read more

Exclusive Interview: Sergio Fajardo, Governor of Antioquia, Colombia

Sergio Fajardo, the governor of Antioquia (2012-2015) and former mayor of Medellín (2004-2008) spoke with AQ Online about the role of public-private partnerships in his administration, his views on the peace process in Colombia and his opinion on the role of the middle class in Colombia and Latin America. AQ Online interviewed the governor while … Read more

Same-Sex Marriage in Chile

Marriage equality for same-sex couples is gaining new momentum in the United States. One month ago, President Obama announced that “same-sex couples should be able to get married.” Meanwhile, major multinational corporations and top consumer brands are also coming out in favor of marriage equality. In February, Proposition 8, a voter referendum that reversed marriage … Read more

The Summit of the Americas: Why It Matters

April is Western Hemisphere month for U.S. President Barack Obama, and the capstone event is this weekend’s Sixth Summit of the Americas, a regular meeting of the 34 democratically elected presidents and prime ministers of the hemisphere. Originally scheduled to arrive in Cartagena, Colombia, on Saturday, Obama will now arrive one day earlier to get … Read more

The FARC’s New Boss

Rodrigo Londoño Echeverria, known as Timochenko, became the third Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) commander in as many years after the Colombian military killed Alfonso Cano in November 2011. Timochenko has inherited a very different organization than that commanded by his predecessors. Only a little more than 10 years ago the FARC—Latin America’s oldest … Read more

[i]AQ[/i] Interview: President Juan Manuel Santos on the Economy and U.S.-Colombia FTA

Set to complete his first year in office on August 7, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos takes a moment to discuss with AQ how the U.S. debt ceiling negotiations have adversely affected Latin America and why passage of the pending U.S.-Colombia free-trade agreement is “in the interest of the U.S.” An expanded version of this … Read more

The Path Ahead for Colombia’s President-Elect

Even before he starts his presidential term in August, Colombia’s president-elect, Juan Manuel Santos, has already broken records. A scion of Colombia’s establishment, Santos pulled in just over 9 million votes, winning 69 percent of the vote against the 27 percent secured by his rival, Antanus Mockus. Santos’ victory is the highest percentage of votes … Read more

Colombian Congress Clears a Hurdle for Uribe’s Reelection: But Will He Run?

Earlier this week, Colombian lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a controversial referendum bill that paves the way for President Álvaro Uribe to seek a third consecutive term in office. The referendum would ask voters to decide on a constitutional amendment to allow presidents to run for a third term. But obstacles still remain. The proposal still has … Read more

Colombian-Ecuadorian Relations: One Year After

A year after an Americas-wide effort to calm tensions between Quito and Bogotá moved into high gear, diplomatic relations remain ruptured. Despite efforts by the Group of Rio, the Organization of American States (OAS) and The Carter Center, the damage is unlikely to be repaired any time soon. This may be good for the illegal … Read more

[i]7 años secuestrado por las FARC[/i]

Luis Eladio Pérez, a local politician and former senator in the state of Nariño in southern Colombia, was kidnapped in June 2001. When it happened, the media covered it just like one of the many daily kidnappings. That year, an average of over nine Colombians were kidnapped every day, according to País Libre, a Colombian … Read more