Colombia +20, EL ESPECTADOR, March 14, 2025
(Translated by Eunice Gibson, CSN Volunteer Translator)
Last February 10, Lilia Solano offered her formal resignation when President Gustavo Petro requested that his officials resign. Cuartas will continue as Director of the Unit for Implementation of the Peace Agreement.
In a new shift within the Gustavo Pero administration, Gloria Cuartas has been designated Acting Director of the Victims Unit. Her appointment comes at a key moment for the implementation of the policy of reparations to victims of the armed conflict in Colombia.
Cuartas leads the Unit for Implementation of the Peace Agreement, a task she will continue to carry out, as we learned this Friday.
“This decision comes due to the need to provide continuity to the agency’s functions, and in recognition of the person who now directs the Unit for Implementation of the Peace Agreement and of the management skill she has provided to the Unit for years,” states the announcement.
Cuartas, a social worker by training who has a master’s degree in geography, has been a recognized human rights defender and promoter of peace. Her career in public service has been marked by leadership in areas like reconciliation and peace-building, especially in territories affected by the violence. She was the Mayor of Apartadó between 1995 and 1997, a period in which she stood out for her bravery in confronting the violence in the Urabá region of Antioquia.
On her X account (formerly Twitter), she thanked President Petro for his confidence in her as she took over the position. “Together with the Unit for Implementation of the Peace Agreement, we will continue to further the guarantees of the victims’ rights, their return that will regenerate their roots, reparations, and making peace possible,” she said.
(Message omitted)