La ministra Elma Saiz y la vicepresidenta de Colombia Francia Márquez se reúnen en Bogotá para hablar sobre inclusión y políticas de igualdad

The Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration of Spain, Elma Saiz, held a meeting with the Vice-President and Minister of Equality and Equity of Colombia, Francia Márquez, in a meeting aimed at sharing experiences and strengthening the relationship between the two countries, especially in terms of social policies.

The meeting, held this Wednesday in Bogotá, has allowed Minister Saiz to share with the Colombian Vice President the experience of the Spanish Government in multiple areas, fundamentally: the design of a minimum income such as the Minimum Vital Income (IMV), the reforms undertaken in both the labor and Social Security fields, the policies to reduce the gender gap and those of migrations.

On the other hand, both government representatives have valued the international situation and the repercussions on their respective countries and have agreed on the need for policies that give certainty to citizens. In Spain, Saiz explained to his interlocutor, the reforms implemented by the government have transformed the labor market, which achieves record numbers of stable and quality employment and which are contributing to strengthening the pension system.

Impact of minimum incomes

Both representatives have addressed the minimum income model for citizenship as an effective tool to fight severe poverty, as well as the associated policies that promote inclusion.

Elma Saiz has shared the Government’s commitment to a model for the scientific evaluation of policies linked to Minimum Vital Income, which allows us to measure the effectiveness of the measures implemented and adapt them to real needs. The Social Policy Lab (Policy Lab) is an international reference, endorsed by the European Union and for which countries such as the United States and organizations such as the World Bank have shown interest.

Vice President Márquez, in turn, has explained her model of Citizen Income, a program that, like the IMV, seeks to provide a basic income to citizens.

Equality and co-responsibility

On the other hand, Minister Saiz and Vice President Márquez have agreed on the need to design measures to advance gender equality, as well as co-responsibility between men and women in childcare.

Vice-President Márquez has shown her interest in the supplement to reduce the gender gap, one of the measures that has had the most impact on the path to equality, and that has already allowed to reduce the pension gap by five points and thus improve the situation of vulnerability of women pensioners. Elma Saiz also recalled that Spain has been a pioneer in regulating an identical birth and childcare permit for both parents, a measure that, on the other hand, favors the employability of women, since it involves a more equitable sharing of family responsibilities.

Regular migration: We Care Project

This meeting is the first on the agenda that Minister Saiz will hold over the next few days in Colombia, which will also focus on the migration policies of both countries. In the last 10 years, the number of workers from the Andean country has multiplied by four, currently, about 219,000.

Regular migration is one of the priorities of Spain, so it has presented a proposal for the implementation of the labor migration project WeCare, focused on labor mobility in the care sector, with Colombia as a preferred partner country. This initiative seeks to address and resolve labour shortages in both countries through a competency partnership model.

On her trip, Minister Saiz will hold a meeting with the Spanish colony - about 51,547 Spaniards live in Colombia, according to the latest data from the INE, half men and half women. She will also visit the Office of Safe Mobility and participate in the “Dialogue of Women Leaders of Diasporas in Latin America and the Caribbean”, organized in Cartagena de Indias by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Organization of American States (OAS), the International Labour Organization (ILO), among other institutions.

"It is a real honor to be able to meet with Vice President and Minister Francia Márquez. This meeting represents an important step in our shared commitment to inclusion and social equity. I am convinced that this dialogue will enrich our approaches and promote greater collaboration between our countries,” concluded Saiz.

The meeting between the two leaders marks a milestone in the collaboration between Spain and Colombia, which will have continuity in the future to advance public policies that guarantee equality and comprehensive social protection, as well as regular labor mobility between both countries.

Meeting with the Minister of Labour, Gloria Inés Ramírez

On the other hand, a meeting is scheduled this Thursday with the Minister of Labor of Colombia, Gloria Inés Ramírez, in order to address issues of common interest in social protection and employment. During the meeting, the ministers will delve into the experiences of both countries in terms of labor and social policies.

They will also explore new initiatives aimed at strengthening social protection, reaffirming the commitment of both governments to reforms and measures that promote social welfare and decent employment.