Colombia Becomes 8th Country to Adopt a Feminist Foreign Policy

• Colombia becomes the 8th country to implement a feminist foreign policy
• This particular policy promotes rights of women and LGBTQIA+ communities

During the International Day of Women in Diplomacy eve, Colombian Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia sealed a decree affirming Colombia as the eighth nation globally with a clear feminist foreign policy (Política Exterior Feminista– PEF).

In a statement, Laura said, “This is another milestone, but the most important thing is that this doesn’t just remain a signature, a piece of paper, or just another commitment made among women. We need to move to action, to consolidate mechanisms for participation. I would like to see many more women ministers, many more young women setting the tone, shaping the direction of foreign policy.”

The plan of a Colombian feminist foreign policy was first brought to the light in March 2024 in an United Nations Commission on the Status of Women session, and then reasserted in October 2024 at the COP16 biodiversity conference in Cali, Colombia's third-largest city.

Marketed as a "participative, pacifist and intersectional" decree, the document has the intent of advancing and ensuring the rights of women and of LGBTQIA+ individuals through means of active participation in foreign policy arenas.

At last year's COP, nonetheless, the Colombian delegation highlighted PEF's environmental considerations, including the response to the differentiated effect of climate change on women, the empowerment of women in environmental policymaking, and the role of women in the sustainable management of natural resources and conservation.