Update: Joint statment issued: More than 30 states gather in Bogotá to halt the Gaza genocide

[IlonaM]

Direct link (sorry duplicated!): 

Today, more than 30 states from around the world will gather in Bogotá, Colombia, for the “Emergency Conference” to halt the Gaza genocide: the most ambitious multilateral response since Israel began its campaign of devastation two years ago.

Bringing together a broad coalition of governments — from Algeria to Brazil, China to Spain, Indonesia to Qatar — the conference aims, in the words of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, “to move from condemnation to collective action.”

At 10:30 Bogotá, 11:30 New York, 16:30 London and 17:30 Paris, we invite you to join this historic gathering's opening ceremony live from the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

You will hear testimony from Dr. Thaer Ahmed, who will recount his experience of working in Rafah and Khan Younis amidst Israel’s genocide. Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, will detail her government’s concrete commitments to uphold international law.

After she was sanctioned by the Trump administration, UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese will deliver a powerful message about the failure of the international system to protect the Palestinian people — and urge immediate and coordinated action by principled states.

“Here in Bogotá, a growing number of states have the opportunity to break the silence and revert to a path of legality by finally saying: enough. Enough impunity. Enough empty rhetoric. Enough exceptionalism. Enough complicity,” Albanese will say.

Today, the call from Bogotá will echo around the world. Join us.

In solidarity, 

The Progressive International Secretariat

 

Edited yesterday at 14:29 by IlonaM
update

[IlonaM]

 

Direct link to livestream of closing ceremony and joint statement:  Today, the conference comes to a close with a joint statement — a historic declaration of collective action in defence of international law and human dignity. At 10:30 Bogotá, 11:30 New York, 16:30 London, 17:30 Paris, 21:00 New Delhi, join the closing ceremony live from the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The ceremony will feature Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia; Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories; Zane Dangor, Director General of South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation; Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, Executive Secretary of The Hague Group; and Fillemon Wise Immanuel, Minister of Justice and Labour Relations of Namibia. The centrepiece of the ceremony will be the reading of the Joint Statement — the result of deliberation among participating governments. This statement will echo far beyond Bogotá. It marks a turning point in the global campaign to hold Israel accountable, protect the Palestinian people, and restore the rule of international law. Join us to witness this historic moment. In solidarity, The Progressive International Secretariat

[alice]

Thank you 

[IlonaM]

Still waiting for live feed to start, but here are a couple of Guardian articles about the conference:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/08/governments-stand-up-to-israel-colombia

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/15/united-nations-francesca-albanese-colombia-conference-israel-palestine

Live feed now started at 1740c

Edited July 16 by IlonaM

[IlonaM]

Remarks of Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, at the Hague Group Emergency Conference of States in Bogotá, Colombia (15-16 July 2025):

https://progressive.international/wire/2025-07-16-francesca-albanese-a-revolutionary-shift-is-underway/en

[IlonaM]

Direct link to joint statement : https://thehaguegroup.org/meetings-bogota-en/?link_id=2&can_id=2d0a0048aad3d4915e3e761ac87ffe47&source=email-pi-briefing-no-26-the-bogota-breakthrough&email_referrer=email_2819587&email_subject=pi-briefing-no-26-the-bogot_-breakthrough&&

 

No. 26 | The Bogotá Breakthrough

“The era of impunity is over.” That was the message from Bogotá, Colombia, where governments from across the Global South and beyond took the most ambitious coordinated action since Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza began 21 months ago.

Convened by The Hague Group and co-chaired by the governments of Colombia and South Africa, the Emergency Conference on Palestine brought together 30 states for two days of intensive deliberation — and emerged with a concrete, coordinated six-point plan to restrain Israel’s war machine and uphold international law.

States took up the call from their host, Colombian President and Progressive International Council Member Gustavo Petro, who had urged them to be “protagonists together.”

Twelve governments signed onto the measures immediately. The rest now have a deadline: 20 September 2025, on the eve of the United Nations General Assembly.

The unprecedented six measures commit states to:

    Prevent military and dual use exports to Israel.

    Refuse Israeli weapons transfers at their ports.

    Prevent vessels carrying weapons to Israel under their national flags.

    Review all public contracts to prevent public institutions and funds from supporting Israel’s illegal occupation.

    Pursue justice for international crimes.

    Support universal jurisdiction to hold perpetrators accountable.

“We came to Bogotá to make history — and we did,” said Colombian President Gustavo Petro. “Together, we have begun the work of ending the era of impunity. These measures show that we will no longer allow international law to be treated as optional, or Palestinian life as disposable.”

The measures are not symbolic. They are grounded in binding obligations under international law — including the International Court of Justice’s July 2024 advisory opinion declaring Israel’s occupation unlawful, and September 2024’s UN General Assembly Resolution ES-10/24, which gave states a 12-month deadline to act. UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory Francesca Albanese called them “a momentous step forward.”

“The Hague Group was born to advance international law in an era of impunity,” said South Africa’s Foreign Minister, Ronald Lamola. “The measures adopted in Bogotá show that we are serious — and that coordinated state action is possible.”

The response from Washington was swift — and revealing. In a threatening statement to journalists, a US State Department spokesperson accused The Hague Group of “seeking to isolate Israel” and warned that the US would “aggressively defend our interests, our military, and our allies, including Israel, from such coordinated legal and diplomatic” actions.

But instead of deterring action, the threats have only clarified the stakes. In Bogotá, states did not flinch. They acted — and they invite the world to join them.

The deadline for further states to take up the measures is now two months away. And with it, the pressure is mounting for governments across the world — from Brazil to Ireland, Chile to Spain — to match words with action. As Albanese said, “the clock is now ticking for states — from Europe to the Arab world and beyond — to join them.”

This is not a moment to observe. It is a moment to act.

Share the Joint Statement from Bogotá and popularise the six measures. Write to your elected representative and your government and demand they sign on before 20 September.

History was made in Bogotá. Now, it’s up to all of us to ensure it becomes reality, that Palestinian life is not disposable and international law is not optional.

The era of impunity is coming to an end. Palestine is not alone.

In solidarity,

The Progressive International Secretariat