Colombian Ambassador Luis Murillo, Mayor William Dau, Cartagena, Delaware State University Afro-Expo Cartagena, Oct 2023
Colombian Ambassador to the US
Recognizing African influence and presence in Colombia and the Diaspora
WASHINGTON, DC, USA, January 30, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Ambassador Luis Murillo is Colombia’s first Ambassador of African descent. He has a calming presence, a humbling spirit and a passion for Colombia. He brings tremendous knowledge to the position being a former consultant for the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and an external consultant for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
He is an effective communicator, skilled advocate for marginalized Colombians, and the environment. Ambassador Murillo previously served as Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development. As Minister, he more than doubled national conserved lands and waters from 13 million hectares to 31 million hectares to fight deforestation and to protect the rich biodiversity of the area. He was also instrumental in the signing of the framework for the implementation of the historic 2016 peace accord.
Murillo co-founded the Afro InterAmerican Forum on Climate Change (AIFCC) in conjunction with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Congressman Gregory W. Meeks, and former Vice President of Costa Rica, Epsy Campbell at the 2021 annual United Nations Conference on Climate Change, COP-26, Glasgow, Scotland. AIFCC aims to develop Environmental Solutions Initiatives to address environmental deterioration and poverty of Afro-descendant and indigenous communities throughout the Western Hemisphere.
The Ambassador says he will “focus on 1) securing support for implementation of the Colombian Peace Plan; 2) ensuring Colombia is a leader in the debate for climate change solutions; and 3) to ensure that Colombians living in the United States who may be out of status receive timely comprehensive humane remedy to bring them back into the mainstream society”.
The city of Cartagena, Colombia's Mayor William Jorge Dau is committed to restoring the public trust and bring respectability back to the office of the Mayor. According to Dau, he is the “11th serving mayor in only eight (8) years and the first to serve a full-term in over a decade”. He is a believer in public service and serves with determination and integrity. While in Washington, Mayor Dau is focused on four (4) issues that he believes will advance Cartagena’s growth, development, diversity, and bring investment to the city: 1) ending extreme poverty in Cartagena; 2) Anti-corruption; 3) fighting climate change; and 4) Afro-Expo Cartagena, October 4th – 9th, 2023, where African descendants from around the world and continental Africans are invited to Cartagena to connect with the Colombian and Western Hemispheric African Diaspora. Together they will leverage the fact that Cartagena is one of the main hubs of African heritage and culture in the Americas, attend seminars, workshops, and engage in commerce . To ensure the success of the Expo, the Ambassador and Mayor are working in coordination with the Afro-Inclusion Equity Development Initiative (AIED), Delaware State University's Global Institute and is looking to include other HBCUs, universities and institutes, corporate partners, and others.
“Afro-Expo Cartagena is produced by the Afro-Inclusion Equity Development Initiative which aims to unite African people for the development of Africa and its Diaspora in response to the UN Decade of People of African Descent, the priorities and goals of the African Union Agenda 2063 and in response to the call for the activation of the 6th Region by the 2012 amendment of the African Union Constitutive Act creating the 6th Region” says Robert Asprilla, the event organizer. He continues, “our aim is to position the city of Cartagena and its Afro Expo as the premier cultural destination for anyone interested in Afro-Latino and African Descendant culture. We will position the Afro-Colombian community as leaders of the rich African cultural traditions and as such demonstrating the undeniable links to the Continent and its global Diaspora”.
As a result of years of tireless sustained advocacy by Afro-Colombian Robert Asprilla to educate the U.S. Congress, US Think Tanks, organizations, mobilize the Afro-Colombian Diaspora, and coordinate the Afro-Colombian communities in Colombia, Ambassador Murillo and Mayor Dau are opening the doors to the city and inviting everyone to Afro Expo Cartagena, October 2023. Together they have assembled a team of experts to coordinate activities with all interested parties. The Expo will feature panel/forums, artisan’s, trade missions, a film festival, musical talent from around the African Diaspora and from the Continent of Africa and much more.
Ian Campbell
Manchester Global Solutions, Inc.
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