Pasca (Cundinamarca), October 5, 2024 – The country continues to prepare to host the COP16 on biodiversity with a series of previous events with different communities and stakeholders. On this occasion, the Ministers of Environment, Susana Muhamad and of Agriculture, Martha Carvajalino, signed an intersectoral social agreement for the protection of the Cruz Verde Sumapaz páramo with more than 1,000 inhabitants of 24 municipalities and 7 localities of Bogotá, which are part of the ecosystem, together with the Regional Peasant Coordinator, other territorialities and different national, regional and municipal entities.
At the closing of the social pact with the inhabitants of the Cruz Verde - Sumapaz páramo, the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Susana Muhamad, stated that “this Government has reached an agreement with the peasants of the Cruz Verde Sumapaz páramo, which includes key points for the care of the páramo, the dignification of the peasants' lives and the commitment with the territory”.
This pact was made in the framework of the social and intersectoral dialogue prior to COP16, achieving eight agreements for the protection of this ecosystem, in terms of water management and protection of peasant rights, moving towards Peace with Nature.
Muhamad also mentioned that a working group will be established to address land management, land formalization, productive transition and the development of agro-ecological circuits, facing challenges related to hydrocarbons and protected areas.
In Pasca, Cundinamarca, an agreement was sealed between the Ministries of Environment and Agriculture and the Paramo communities of 24 municipalities and seven localities of Bogotá that confirm the Cruz Verde Sumapaz paramo.
Agreements to strengthen the protection of the Cruz Verde - Sumapaz paramo in the run-up to COP16
The pact establishes the following agreements that will make it possible to jointly advance in land use planning around water with the guarantee of farmers' rights:
- Recognize the ecosystemic importance of the Cruz Verde Sumapaz páramo complex, protecting biodiversity and water.
- Recognize and guarantee the rights of the paramo peasants.
- Support the consolidation of social initiatives aimed at the creation and implementation of peasant reserve zones and other territorialities.
- Install and coordinate a Land Roundtable to promote the processes of land formalization and adjudication.
- Implement the National Agrarian Reform System.
- Establish a permanent intersectoral working table with a territorial approach.
- Implement marketing strategies for agricultural products that favor local producers and food sovereignty.
- Continue the participatory delimitation of the Cruz Verde Sumapaz paramo complex led by the Minister of Environment and with the participation of government entities and communities.
With this social pact, the government of President Gustavo Petro reaffirms its commitment to the peasantry and the recognition of their rights, especially the peasants of the paramo and the Andean Mountain of Sumapaz, who live in the largest páramo in the world, contributing to the protection of nature, biodiversity and the commons. This pact is a way to make peace with nature.