Colombia: commitment to multilateralism, international law, self-determination, and Global South

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Bogotá, November 24, 2025 (SPS) – The Ambassador for Latin America and the Caribbean, Mohamed Zrug, was received Monday in an audience by the Colombian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral Affairs, Mauricio Jaramillo.  

The Sahrawi ambassador thanked the Colombian vice minister for the position of the Republic of Colombia in defending the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination at the Special Committee on Decolonization and the Fourth Committee of the United Nations on behalf of CELAC.

Mohamed Zrug highlighted the importance of the Republic of Colombia’s membership, beginning next year, in the UN Security Council and the role this would play in defending key parameters regarding the question of Western Sahara: decolonization and self-determination.

He also underscored the need to strengthen ties of friendship and cooperation between Colombia and Africa, and noted that the summit planned in the coming months in Colombia between CELAC and the African Union will represent an important step in relations and in contributing to understanding between Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Vice Minister Mauricio Jaramillo stated that the government of Colombia holds a State policy in defense of the right of peoples to self-determination and will always support a solution that respects the Sahrawi people’s desire to choose their own political future.

The Vice Minister for Multilateral Affairs also emphasized that the State policy of the Republic of Colombia has been one of respecting relations with the Sahrawi Republic and that Colombia will always stand in solidarity with the Sahrawi cause, a stance it will maintain during its term on the United Nations Security Council.

Jaramillo concluded by stressing the importance of greater rapprochement and integration among the peoples of the Global South, especially with African peoples and countries, based on international law, the principle of self-determination, and multilateralism, all of which are currently under threat.

Present at the meeting were the Director for Asia, Africa and Oceania of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia and the Minister Counselor, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Sahrawi Republic in Colombia.