Colombia’s Environment Minister and President of the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP16) on Biodiversity, Susana Muhamad, has resigned from the cabinet of President Gustavo Petro.
Muhamad made the announcement during an interview on the Colombian online news program Los Danieles, where she revealed that she had already submitted her resignation letter to the president.
“I have submitted my letter of resignation to President Gustavo Petro; he has it in his hands. We have to see when it will go into effect,” she said.
Muhamad explained that her decision to resign was prompted by her opposition to the appointment of Armando Benedetti to the president’s cabinet due to allegations of violence against women and influence peddling.
She expressed concerns over the implications of such an appointment on the government’s integrity.
Despite stepping down as minister, Muhamad stated that she would continue her role as the President of COP16, which last convened in October 2024 in Cali, Colombia, bringing together representatives from 200 countries to discuss global biodiversity targets.
Her resignation comes just two weeks before the resumed round of COP16 talks scheduled for February 25 to 27 at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization headquarters in Rome.
The resumed session aims to address unresolved issues following the abrupt suspension of the previous meeting in Cali.
“In the weeks to come, and during our meeting in Rome this February, I will work alongside parties to build the trust and consensus needed to achieve Peace with Nature,” Muhamad said at the close of last year’s summit.
The Cali summit witnessed an unprecedented turnout of 23,000 participants and focused on assessing progress toward the ambitious targets set during COP15 in Canada in 2023.
These targets aim to halt the rapid destruction of biodiversity and restore the planet’s natural balance by 2030.
