A mission of eight ambassadors from the European Union will be in Buenaventura this Thursday analyzing the human rights situation in the city, reported El Pais on Tuesday.
The diplomats will discuss the situation in Buenaventura and meet with people of African descent and the indigenous population of the port.
The group, led by the Ambassador of the European Union in Colombia, Maria Antonia Van Gool, will meet with representatives of UNHCR and the Red Cross, representatives of the Afro-descendant and indigenous population of the area, human rights defenders and local and national authorities.
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“With this visit we not only want to express our solidarity with Buenaventura, but also support the efforts of local authorities and civil society to advance the prevention, protection and investigation of violence that affect the public,” said Van Gool.
Officials, involving a total of ten European embassies in the country also want to visit the port area to see the potential economic prospects of the city considering that Buenaventura is the second largest port in the country and the main port in the Pacific.
“The interest of the ambassadors is also to determine the potential of trade and economic growth and to hear how development affects the welfare of the population as well as hoping to make steps towards an equitable society,” said the EU Ambassador in Colombia.
