Colombia's President bets on multilateralism to face the COVID-19 pandemic

Colombian President Iván Duque has appealed to multilateralism to address the COVID-19 pandemic during a virtual meeting organised by Nueva Economía Fórum this Wednesday. Duque has also strongly condemned the alleged espionage carried out by the Armed Forces against journalists, social and political leaders that has caused a great scandal in the country in the last week.  

Colombia, like the rest of the countries in the world, is currently facing the COVID-19 pandemic. Duque stressed during his speech the great effort the country has made to help Colombians who have been affected by the closure of commercial activity. "We have prepared a series of aids and, after comparing various data, we have already begun to pay out money to those who have lost their jobs and have never previously received a benefit," he said.  

The president has admitted that the coronavirus has erupted so strongly in the world that it has been very complicated to act in time. "At the end of the game we are all coaches," he said with a certain derision. To get out of the pandemic, he has called for more coordination and global solutions. Therefore, beyond the local actions, the Colombian president has highlighted the need for collaboration between all countries to address the coronavirus. "I am a great defender of multilateralism," he said. 

The president has also emphasised the effort that his administration has made to attend to Venezuelan refugees in Colombia. "This is not a problem that only affects us, but the whole region," he said. Duque has called for the creation of a donor fund precisely to raise resources to help people who have been forced to flee Venezuela.  

The ruler has condemned the situation that is currently being experienced in the country led by Nicolás Maduro and has called it "a crisis foretold". "The government has destroyed the productive apparatus. There must be free elections and an end to usurpation", he has demanded with forcefulness.  

"We know that in 2020 the blow to our economy will be very harsh, but we hope to recover activity in 2021," explained Duque likewise during his speech. The president also acknowledged that this year investment in the country will suffer greatly, but has set it within the health crisis and has ensured that the rule of law in his country is very safe. "I encourage investors to keep coming," he concluded.