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Susana Muhamad

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Muhamad and the second or maternal family name is González.
Susana Muhamad
Muhamad in 2024
Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development
In office
August 7, 2022 – February 9, 2025
PresidentGustavo Petro
Preceded byCarlos Eduardo Correa
Councilor of Bogotá
In office
January 1, 2020 – July 14, 2022
Secretary of Environment of Bogotá
In office
July 2, 2014 – January 1, 2016
MayorGustavo Petro
Preceded byNéstor García Buitrago
Succeeded byFrancisco Cruz Roble
In office
June 27, 2012 – July 13, 2013
MayorGustavo Petro
Preceded byMargarita Flórez Alonso
Succeeded byNéstor García Buitrago
Secretary General of Bogotá
In office
July 30, 2013 – July 2, 2014
MayorGustavo Petro
Preceded byOrlando Rodríguez
Succeeded byMartha Lucía Zamora
Personal details
Born
María Susana Muhamad González

(1977-04-21) April 21, 1977 (age 47)
Bogota, D.C., Colombia
Political partyHumane Colombia
Alma materUniversity of The Andes
Stellenbosch University[1]
Profession

María Susana Muhamad González (born April 21, 1977) is a Colombian political scientist, environmentalist and politician belonging to the Humane Colombia party. She held the position of Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development in the government of Gustavo Petro from August 7, 2022[2] until her resignation on February 9, 2025. She has called for phasing out fossil fuels including coal, which Colombia exports.

Muhamad was the Director for Climate Action Planning for Latin America in the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.[3] Her work centers on formulating policies to strengthen Colombia’s environmental agenda. These efforts include promoting adherence to international agreements on climate change and biodiversity, advocating for the protection of environmental activists, and pursuing measures to reduce deforestation in the Amazon region.[3] She presided the 2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16) in Cali.

Early life and education

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Muhamad is of Palestinian ancestry.[4] She was born in and hails from Bogotá.[5]

Muhamad has a degree in political science from the University of the Andes, and a Master's of Management and Planning of Sustainable Development from the Stellenbosch University in South Africa.[6]

Academic career

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Muhamad worked as a sustainable development consultant for Shell Global Solutions International in The Hague, the Netherlands. She served as President of AIESEC in Colombia in 2000[7] and has been active in environmental advocacy, collaborating with local communities, non-governmental organizations, and human rights movements.[5][8]

Her research addresses the interplay between development and sustainability, examining how globalization influences material progress while heightening the need to protect natural resources for future generations. She has analyzed tensions in Western civilization over the past two centuries through various philosophical perspectives and the viewpoints of different stakeholders.[9]

Within Bogotá, she spearheaded a participatory initiative to regulate outdoor advertising in response to public concerns about its proliferation.The project engaged academia, city council members, government agencies, and industry representatives, aiming to formalize environmentally responsible for practices around outdoor advertising around Bogotá.[10]

In El Agua en la Ciudad y los Asentamientos Urbanos, she proposes rethinking Bogotá’s water management to address vulnerabilities stemming from urban development using strategic environmental assessment. Her recommendations include viewing infrastructure upgrades through a sustainability lens, emphasizing biodiversity preservation and reduced exposure to extreme weather events.[11]

Political career

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Muhamad was secretary of the environment and general secretary of the Mayor's Office of Bogotá. In 2019 she was elected city councilor, a position she held until the first semester of 2022.[citation needed]

In 2021, Muhamad was elected as vice president of the national coordination board of the Colombia Humana party, after this political movement officially received its legal status.[4]

Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development

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On July 5, 2022, then president-elect Gustavo Petro announced the appointment of Muhamad as Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development.[12] Muhamad stated that the environmental sector had been marginalized in previous administrations and advocated for broader community involvement in conservation efforts. She cited Colombia’s position as the second most biodiverse country in the world as evidence of the importance of prioritizing environmental policy.[13] As minister, she supported Colombia’s ratification of the Escazú Agreement.[14]

In September 2024, Muhamad presented a proposal to replace government revenue generated from fossil fuel investments. The initiative, estimated at $40 billion USD and modeled after Just Energy Transition Partnerships, called for expanding electric transportation, developing renewable energy projects, and funding biodiversity protection. The plan was set to be led by the Inter-American Development Bank, with the United States serving as an informal coordinator.[15] Following the election of President Donald Trump in November 2024, concerns emerged about the plan’s stability. Muhamad sought to secure a deal of up to US$10 billion with the Biden administration before Trump took office and suggested China as a possible alternative source of funding.[16] Funds allocated by the US through USAID that would have gone to the country were subsequently frozen as part of the change in US policy priorities.[17]

On February 4, 2025, Muhamad—together with Vice President Francia Márquez and planning chief Alexander Lopez—publicly criticized the nominations of Armando Benedetti and Laura Sarabia to Petro’s government during a televised cabinet meeting, citing policy disagreements.[18] Five days later, Muhamad resigned in protest against Benedetti’s appointment, alleging instances of violence against women. She stated that she would continue to serve as president of the 2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference.[19]

Fracking

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One of the issues on which Muhamad focused, which has also been one of the most questioned by the opposition, is fracking. The government seeks to eliminate fracking as a means of extracting oil, since this method of extraction causes irreparable damage to the environment as well as to the atmosphere and water reserves.[20] In June 2023, she made an appearance with Frankie, the activist dinosaur icon from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), delivering an urgent message to the House of Representatives to address the climate crisis and avoid extinction.[21] There was a call to halt the use of fossil fuels worldwide and to ban fracking in Colombia to prevent further expansion of the extractive frontier.[21]

Animal welfare

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In January 2023, Muhamad announced the creation of a division of animal protection within the ministry's Directorate of Forests, Ecosystems, and Biodiversity, as part of policies supporting animal welfare.[22] This initially led to fears of inaction among conservationists regarding the country's invasive hippopotamus population.[23]

On November 2, 2023, Muhamad revealed plans to control the growing hippopotamus population, estimated to be close to 200 individuals living along the Magdalena River. These involved neutering 40 hippopotamuses per year, as well as culling an unspecified number and relocating some to other countries, including Mexico, India and the Philippines.[24] While experts stated the potential danger of the hippopotamuses for the local ecosystem and agreed with the need to control the population, the plans were criticized for relying too much on the less effective sterilization methods. The risk of legal challenges being brought against culling due to public outcry was also mentioned, as were the logistical costs of exporting the hippopotamuses to other countries, which Muhamad said would be covered by the institutions that will receive the animals.[25] The plans were also criticized by animal rights activists, stating that sterilization would pose risks to both animals and veterinarians,[26] and opposing the culling of healthy individuals.[27]

2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference

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Susana Muhamad (third from left) and members of the Colombian delegation pose for a photo at the opening ceremony of the COP16.
Susana Muhamad (third from left) and members of the Colombian delegation pose for a photo at the opening ceremony of the COP16.

Muhamad served as the president of the 2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16) in Cali, lasting from October 21 to November 1.[28] On the inaugural day of the meeting, Muhamad presented Colombia's own National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plan, called Plan de Acción por la Biodiversidad 2030 ("Plan of Action for Biodiversity 2030").[29][30] The document — which was estimated to require a total investment of 76.5 billion pesos, roughly corresponding to over $17.8 billion —[29] set six national goals and 191 targets needed to fulfill the 2022 Global Biodiversity Framework by the end of the decade.[29][31]

References

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  1. ^ "Perfil H.C. María Susana Muhamad". March 4, 2022.
  2. ^ Vega, Lina María (August 5, 2022). "Carolina Corcho, Cecilia López y Susana Muhamad se suman al gabinete de Petro". wradio.com. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Twenty-five trailblazing women leading the fight against climate change". Reuters. 2023.
  4. ^ a b "María Susana Muhamad González". minambiente.gov.co. June 24, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Susana Muhamad". lasillavacia.com. August 9, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  6. ^ "Questions d'environnement - Qui est Susana Muhamad, présidente de la COP16 biodiversité?". RFI (in French). October 21, 2024. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
  7. ^ "Conozca los perfiles profesionales y políticos de los miembros del nuevo gobierno" (in Spanish). August 8, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
  8. ^ "Presidente Petro, feliz con la ministra Susana Muhamad por reconocimiento que recibió por su trabajo en la COP27". semana.com. November 22, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  9. ^ Muhamad, Susana M. (2018). Desarrollo sostenible. Bogotá: Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina. ISBN 978-958-5462-87-8.
  10. ^ Melo Méndez, Carlos; Arévalo, Carlos Riaño (January 1, 2013). "Propuesta de redefinición de conceptos básicos asociados a contaminación visual: contaminación visual, paisaje urbano, publicidad exterior visual, publicidad exterior en movimiento, tipología de elementos publicitarios". Ingeniería Ambiental y Sanitaria.
  11. ^ Sadler, Barry; Dusik, Jiri; Fischer, Thomas; Partidario, Maria; Verheem, Rob; Aschemann, Ralf, eds. (September 10, 2012). Handbook of Strategic Environmental Assessment (0 ed.). Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781849775434. ISBN 978-1-136-53915-2.
  12. ^ "Susana Muhamad: este es el perfil de la nueva minAmbiente, designada por Gustavo Petro". semana.com. July 5, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  13. ^ "Las propuestas de Susana Muhamad, ante la crisis que vive "La Mojana"". confidencialcolombia.com. November 28, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  14. ^ "Aprobado Acuerdo de Escazú a 63 días de iniciar Gobierno del presidente Petro". minambiente.gov.co. October 10, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  15. ^ Rathi, Akshat; Ainger, John (September 26, 2024). "Colombia Looks to Future Without Oil in $40 Billion Transition Plan". Bloomberg. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
  16. ^ Ainger, John (November 19, 2024). "Colombia Races for US Climate Funds But Has China as Back Up". Retrieved February 19, 2025.
  17. ^ White, Natasha; Rathi, Akshat (January 31, 2025). "Trump's Return Forces Colombia to Rethink $40 Billion Green Plan". Bloomberg. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
  18. ^ "Televised Cabinet Quarrel Destabilizes Colombia's Government". Bloomberg. February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  19. ^ "Colombian President Petro reshuffles cabinet after environment minister resigns". Reuters. February 10, 2025. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  20. ^ "Triunfo agridulce para el Gobierno: avanzó prohibición del fracking en el Congreso, pero con transición". semana.com. December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  21. ^ a b "No al fracking en Colombia, mensaje de la Ministra de Ambiente y el dinosaurio Frankie al interrumpir Plenaria en el Congreso". GOV.CO. 2023.
  22. ^ Rico Muñoz, Alejandra (February 8, 2023). "MinAmbiente creará Grupo Especial para la protección y bienestar animal en el PND" (in Spanish). Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  23. ^ Mega, Emiliano Rodríguez (March 2, 2023). "Pablo Escobar's 'cocaine hippos' spark conservation row". Nature. 615 (7952): 382–383. Bibcode:2023Natur.615..382M. doi:10.1038/d41586-023-00606-z. PMID 36864146. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  24. ^ "Colombia Hopes Sterilization, Transfer, Euthanasia Will Curb Hippos". Voice of America. November 3, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  25. ^ Taylor, Luke (November 10, 2023). "Colombia begins sterilizing its invasive hippos: what scientists think". Nature. 623 (7988): 678. Bibcode:2023Natur.623..678T. doi:10.1038/d41586-023-03516-2. PMID 37949991. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  26. ^ "Colombia to cull some of Pablo Escobar's hippos". ABS-CBN News. November 3, 2023.
  27. ^ Levenson, Michael (November 18, 2023). "Colombia to Sterilize Pablo Escobar's 'Cocaine Hippos'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  28. ^ Delcas, Marie (October 22, 2024). "COP16 in Cali: Susana Muhamad, a rising star of Colombia's environmental movement". Le Monde.
  29. ^ a b c Londoño Laura, Nátaly (October 21, 2024). "COP16: Colombia presentó su Plan de Acción por la Biodiversidad 2030". El Colombiano (in Spanish). Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  30. ^ "COP16: Colombia presenta oficialmente su plan de acción para proteger la biodiversidad al 2030". minambiente.gov.co (in Spanish). Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible. October 21, 2024. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  31. ^ Piccolo, Riccardo (October 22, 2024). "Cos'è la Cop16 in Colombia e cosa deve ottenere?". Wired Italia (in Italian). Retrieved October 26, 2024.
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Wikiquote has quotations related to Susana Muhamad.
Political offices
Preceded by
Margarita Flórez
 Secretary of Environment of Bogotá
2012-2013 		Succeeded by
Néstor García Buitrago
Preceded by
Orlando Rodríguez
 Secretary General of Bogotá
2013-2014 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Néstor García Buitrago
 Secretary of Environment of Bogotá
2014-2016 		Succeeded by
Francisco Cruz Roble
Preceded by
Carlos Eduardo Correa
 Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development
2022–present 		Incumbent
Order of precedence
Preceded byas Minister of National Education Order of precedence of Colombia
as Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development
since August 7, 2022 		Succeeded byas Minister of Housing, City and Territory
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