Marcela Sánchez
Marcela Sánchez is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Colombia Diversa, an organization that has defended the rights of the LGBTQI+ population in Colombia since 2004. Marcela has extensive expertise in peacebuilding, women's political participation, and human rights in Colombia.
Targeting human rights defenders and other LGBTQ people hinders their ability to participate in peace efforts and democratic debate. That’s why, Excellencies, I ask you: if we are brought violently into war, can we be left out of efforts to build peace? If we are to act on the foundational principles of the WPS agenda, the answer is “no”. For a lasting peace, LGBTQ people must be involved in every stage of peacebuilding: negotiations, ceasefires, demobilization efforts, transitional justice processes, and the design of reparations measures.
At the Security Council
Marcela Sánchez, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Colombia Diversa, was invited to provide a civil society perspective and recommendations when the Security Council met to discuss the situation in Colombia in April 2024.