Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos named Tuesday the country’s new ministers of environment and housing, and designates environmental issues as a priority for the government.
The president assigned Frank Pearl as Colombia’s new minister of environment and sustainable development and Beatriz Uribe as minister of housing, city and territory.
The president emphasized the importance of the role of environment minister and the growing relevance of environmental issues in the country. “It is no secret that the issue of the environment is a theme of increasing importance, not just in this country but in the world. We Colombians have the privilege to be the country in the world with the greatest biodiversity.”
Santos affirmed that the new environment minister would be taking on a very challenging role in maintaining national development for the country but in a way that does not come at the cost of the environment. “We are going to combine the preservation of this great wealth that is the natural environment with the development of the rest of the country” said the president.
Santos claimed that issues of the environment would be issues of priority on the political agenda.