Latin America in Short: The Ibero-American Summit Begins | Colombia in Paris 2024 Olympics

The Dominican Republic is preparing to receive the members of the Ibero-American organization tomorrow. This week, in addition, the Colombian vice president, Francia Márquez, was once again the target of an attempted attack. It was also announced at the United Nations Conference on Water that the world is facing a water crisis; while in the World Food Program it also revealed alarming figures on hunger in children in low-income countries.

Finally, in sports, Colombia shines in the women's boxing world championships and also wins its first individual spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Dominican Republic prepares for the most left-wing Ibero-American summit

On March 25, 22 member countries of the Ibero-American organization have an appointment in Santo Domingo. The Heads of State have agreed to put on the table issues of climate change, equity, migration and the long-awaited regional integration.

Among the notable absentees are the 2 largest economies in the entire region: Mexico and Brazil. Presidents Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Luis Inacio Lula da Silva already had previous appointments, such as the Brazilian president's trip to China. Nor will the president of Peru, Dina Boluarte, attend. Boluarte has been the target of various criticisms from his counterparts in the region due to the removal of former president Pedro Castillo and the protests (and their violent repression) by Castillo's supporters.

Vice President of Colombia is once again the target of an attempted attack

Francia Márquez, the first black vice president of Colombia, was once again the target of an attempted attack, according to the Colombian National Police. The vice president indicated that the regional police of Chocó (western Colombia) alerted her to information about the placement of explosives in the area that would be detonated with the passage of Márquez. In this area there is a strong presence and actions of the ELN and the Clan del Golfo, two armed groups that in the past have tried to attack Colombian government officials and the community.

Due to these attempted attacks, the vice president has chosen to travel by helicopter, a measure that has aroused criticism from public opinion for the expense. However, the vice president has defended herself, arguing that this method of transportation is the best option to protect her integrity. This is the second attempt to attack the Colombian vice president, already in the first months an explosive alert had been detected in the route that the woman with the second most important position in the Andean country would take.

Read also: Colombia: ABC of Gustavo Petro's Labor Reform

The world faces a global water crisis

Hundreds of millions of people do not have access to safe drinking water. Precisely, world leaders have been meeting from the 22nd until today to celebrate the United Nations Conference on Water. It is the first in almost 50 years and seeks to provide solutions to protect, promote sustainability and guarantee universal access to water. The following requirements have been highlighted: “effective public policies and intergovernmental collaboration; invest massively in water and sanitation systems; and resilience and innovation, coming up with resistant and adequate solutions and infrastructures for the conservation of the environment and the protection of water”. The event will result in the Water Action Agenda, a collection of commitments from Member States and other actors to overcome the water crisis and guarantee the health and care of this natural resource.

In low-income countries, only 18% of children receive school lunches

This was revealed by the World Food Program, which points out how dangerous these projects are not being implemented effectively in many developing countries. The WFP estimates that school meals reach some 420 million children in the world; however, the most vulnerable children may be left behind. In fact, it is estimated that in rich countries 60% of boys and girls receive this school meal. Likewise, the report indicates that 76 countries, representing 58% of the population, have come together to create the School Meals Coalition, which seeks that by 2030 all boys and girls can receive a daily and nutritious meal at school.

Colombia: First individual quota for the 2024 Paris Olympics

The Colombian athlete Sandra Lorena Arias obtained her place in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, after winning the silver medal in the 20-kilometer walk test of the Asian championship in this discipline. In this international competition, the athlete from Pereira broke the national record in this sport, with a time of 1 hour, 28 minutes and 2 seconds. With this excellent presentation, Arias is the first coffee athlete to obtain a quota for the next Olympic games, since the Colombian Women's National Team obtained its classification in a team competition.

Women's Boxing World Cup: Golden Gloves

The 2023 Women's Boxing World Cup has brought great joy to all Colombian athletes. In this contest, Colombia has already secured two bronze medals and is one step away from getting two gold medals. Ingrit Valencia and Camila Camilo were on the verge of reaching the grand final of this world championship, however, they secured the first two medals for the coffee country. For their part, Jenny Arias and Angie Valdez will have their final match next Saturday, March 25, in which they will be able to give the country two world titles. This is a historic presentation for Colombia, since a large number of medals had never been obtained in this kind of competition.