Noemí Sanín
Encyclopedia
Marta Noemí del Espíritu Santo Sanín Posada (born 6 June 1949) is a Colombian
lawyer and politician, twice Ambassador of Colombia to the United Kingdom
, as well as Ambassador to Spain
and Venezuela
. She also served as Colombia's Minister of Foreign Affairs
from 1991 to 1994, and was the Conservative Party
presidential nominee in 1998
, 2002
, and 2010
.
in Bogotá
. She later studied post graduate studies in Commercial law and finance and worked for several entities in the financial sector in both state and private sectors.
In 1998 Sanín moved to the United States and established herself in Boston
, where she attended Harvard University
as a Weatherhead Center for International Affairs Fellow.
. Among her achievements as minister of Communications Sanín helped to develop Law 42 of 1985 which modernized Television in Colombia
and legalized and organized the regional TV networks. She also helped in the approval and introductions of cable television. This law also modernized other telecommunication state owned companies such as Telecom, Caprecom and Audiovisuales.
guerrilla group stormed the Palace of Justice building to demand a public prosecution of then president of Colombia, Belisario Betancur. The president ordered the military
to retake the Palace of Justice building. Acting as minister of Communications Sanín decided not to allow the retake to be broadcasted live on television or radio, instead it continued with the usual programming. 28 hours later the retake ended with 55 dead among these 11 judges of the Supreme Court of Colombia
as well as 11 people disappeared. Due to this decision she has been accused by the Colombian Truth Commission of censoring information as a way to keep in the dark the excesses undertaken by the military, which have been well known for decades and are now legally surfacing.
(FARC) guerrilla, to negotiate a peaceful solution to the Colombian armed conflict
.
between 1990 and 1991 appointed by then President of Colombia, Cesar Gaviria
. During her term as ambassador commerce exchange between Colombia and Venezuela increased from US$300 million to US$1350 million a year until the end of her job.
, Latin America's first female Foreign Affairs Minister. During her term as minister she modernized the administrative structure of the ministry. She also achieved a seat for Colombia in the Security Council of the United Nations
and the presidency of Colombia in the G-77. She also achieved the presidency of Colombia in the Non-Aligned Movement
and signed the border dispute resolution Sanín-Robertson treaty which resolved borders with Jamaica
. She also gained the seat as Secretary General of Organization of American States
for Colombia with the appointment of Cesar Gaviria.
also invested in Colombia in the mining and energy, and pharmaceutical sectors. She renounced after only one year after the then Attorney General of Colombia
formally accused President Ernesto Samper
in the Accusations Commission of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia
after his involvement in the "8000 Process scandal". Upon her return, Colombia was facing an economic crisis, political and social instability without precedents and decided to prepare herself for the presidency of Colombia.
did surprisingly well, receiving about 27% of the vote, to finish third behind leaders Horacio Serpa
and Andrés Pastrana, who each received about 35% in the first round. Running on an anti-unemployment campaign, Sanín in fact won the largest amount of votes in the cities of Bogotá
and Medellín
, but fared poorly in the countryside. Her campaign later supported the Great Alliance for Change
led by Andrés Pastrana.
party. With national security overriding the other issues in the campaign, she did far worse than in 1998 and received only 5.8% of the vote. Part of her platform was to denounce Álvaro Uribe's ties with extreme right-wing paramilitary groups.
. As Colombian ambassador to Spain Sanín had to deal with the growing discrimination against Colombians in that country, issues related to illegal Colombian immigrants in Spain and the large number of Colombian citizens imprisoned in the European country. She also promoted numerous cultural exchanges and advocated on behalf of temporary work and technical and education training for Colombians in Spain. On November 19, 2007 President Uribe announced her transfer to the United Kingdom diplomatic mission being replaced by the Vice President of Colombia
, Francisco Santos
.
requested the government of the United Kingdom for Sanín's approval as ambassador of Colombia to the United Kingdom. The move came after the ambassador to the United Kingdom Carlos Eduardo Medellín Becerra
was transferred to the Netherlands after the Ambassador Guillermo Fernández de Soto
resigned alleging family problems. According to the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, Sanín's ambassadorship in the United Kingdom would be temporary, as she entertained presidential aspirations. Her resignation was effective on 23 July 2009.
in the preliminaries, but was unable to gain momentum and was defeated by Juan Manuel Santos
, and Antanas Mockus
among others.
, Antioquia to Jaime Sanín Echeverri and Noemí Posada Saldarriaga, their third child out of fifteen children. Her father was a hardline conservative writer, journalist and a vice-president of the Colombian Language Academy
; her mother a teacher and housewife. She married young at the age of 19 to Diego Durán Cabal, and together they had one daughter, María Jimena. She divorced in 1975 and remarried to Mario Alberto Rubio Caicedo, a lawyer from Bogotá, but the marriage ended in 1999 leaving no children.
Colombian people
Colombian people are from a multiethnic Spanish speaking nation in South America called Colombia. Colombians are predominantly Roman Catholic and are a mixture of Europeans, Africans, and Amerindians.-Demography:...
lawyer and politician, twice Ambassador of Colombia to the United Kingdom
Ambassador of Colombia to the United Kingdom
The Ambassador of Colombia to the United Kingdom is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Colombia to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, accredited as Concurrent Non-Resident Ambassador to Ireland....
, as well as Ambassador to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. She also served as Colombia's Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Colombia)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also known as the Chancellery, is the national executive ministry of the Government of Colombia responsible for the foreign relations of Colombia through its diplomatic missions abroad by formulating foreign policy relevant to the matters of the State, it is...
from 1991 to 1994, and was the Conservative Party
Colombian Conservative Party
The Colombian Conservative Party , is a conservative political party in Colombia. The party was unofficially founded by a group of Revolutionary Commoners during the Revolutionary War for Independence from the Spanish Monarchy and later formally established during the Greater Colombia...
presidential nominee in 1998
Colombian presidential election, 1998
Presidential elections were held in Colombia on May 31, 1998 for the first round, and the second round was held on June 21, 1998. The election was won by Andrés Pastrana....
, 2002
Colombian presidential election, 2002
Presidential elections were held in Colombia on 26 May 2002. They were won by Álvaro Uribe. Íngrid Betancourt, the candidate for the Oxygen Green Party, was kidnapped while campaigning. She was rescued safely in July 2008, six and a half years later....
, and 2010
Colombian presidential election, 2010
The Colombian presidential election of 2010 took place under a two-round system, with an initial vote held on May 30 and a second poll held three weeks later on June 20. A referendum proposal that would have allowed incumbent President Álvaro Uribe the opportunity to run for a third term was...
.
Education
Sanín studied law at the Pontifical Xavierian UniversityPontifical Xavierian University
The Pontificia Universidad Javeriana is a private higher education institution founded in 1623. It is one of the oldest, most traditional, and prestigious Colombian universities, directed by the Society of Jesus, with its main facilities in Bogotá and a second campus in Cali...
in Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
. She later studied post graduate studies in Commercial law and finance and worked for several entities in the financial sector in both state and private sectors.
In 1998 Sanín moved to the United States and established herself in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, where she attended Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
as a Weatherhead Center for International Affairs Fellow.
Political career
In 1976 Sanín was appointed as Vice President of Operations and Credit in the Corporación de Ahorro y Vivienda, (Colmena) (Savings and Housing Corporation) until 1979. She was later appointed President of this institution with only 30 years of age and became the first woman in Latin America to ever manage a financial corporation. Her most notable achievements as President of Colmena was to have financed a large portion of the low-income sector of Colombia and expanded the national network of branches from 36 to 63 until the end of her terms in 1983. She also promoted a savings culture among the corporations' clients.Minister of Communications 1983
Sanín served as Minister of Communications between 1983 and 1986, appointed by President of Colombia, Belisario BetancurBelisario Betancur
Belisario Betancur Cuartas is a Colombian statesman, who as a member of the Colombian Conservative Party was President of Colombia from 1982 to 1986.- Biographic data :...
. Among her achievements as minister of Communications Sanín helped to develop Law 42 of 1985 which modernized Television in Colombia
Television in Colombia
Television in Colombia or Colombian television is a media of Colombia. It is characterized for broadcasting telenovelas, series, game shows and TV news. Until 1998 it was a state monopoly...
and legalized and organized the regional TV networks. She also helped in the approval and introductions of cable television. This law also modernized other telecommunication state owned companies such as Telecom, Caprecom and Audiovisuales.
Palace of Justice siege
On November 6, 1985 an urban commando of the 19th of April Movement19th of April Movement
The 19th of April Movement or M-19, was a Colombian guerrilla movement. After its demobilization it became a political party, the M-19 Democratic Alliance , or AD/M-19.The M-19 traced its origins to the allegedly fraudulent presidential elections of 19 April 1970...
guerrilla group stormed the Palace of Justice building to demand a public prosecution of then president of Colombia, Belisario Betancur. The president ordered the military
Military of Colombia
The Military Forces of Colombia are the armed forces of the Republic of Colombia.-Services:The Military of Colombia consists of:* National Army of Colombia * Colombian National Armada - Marines, Navy and Coast Guard attached* Colombian Air Force...
to retake the Palace of Justice building. Acting as minister of Communications Sanín decided not to allow the retake to be broadcasted live on television or radio, instead it continued with the usual programming. 28 hours later the retake ended with 55 dead among these 11 judges of the Supreme Court of Colombia
Supreme Court of Colombia
The Supreme Court of Colombia in Bogotá is the highest judicial body in civil and penal matters and issues of criminal and civil procedure in Colombia...
as well as 11 people disappeared. Due to this decision she has been accused by the Colombian Truth Commission of censoring information as a way to keep in the dark the excesses undertaken by the military, which have been well known for decades and are now legally surfacing.
Peace negotiator in Casa Verde
President Betancur appointed Sanín as representative of the government in the first commission that visited Casa Verde, the then headquarters of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of ColombiaRevolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army is a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization based in Colombia which is involved in the ongoing Colombian armed conflict, currently involved in drug dealing and crimes against the civilians..FARC-EP is a peasant army which...
(FARC) guerrilla, to negotiate a peaceful solution to the Colombian armed conflict
Colombian Armed Conflict
The Colombian armed conflict or Colombian Civil War are terms that are employed to refer to the current asymmetric low-intensity armed conflict in Colombia that has existed since approximately 1964 or 1966, between the Colombian government and peasant guerrillas such as the Revolutionary Armed...
.
Ambassador of Colombia in Venezuela 1990
Sanín served as Ambassador of Colombia to VenezuelaVenezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
between 1990 and 1991 appointed by then President of Colombia, Cesar Gaviria
César Gaviria
César Gaviria Trujillo is a Colombian politician and a Latin American statesman. He served as President of Colombia from 1990 to 1994, and Secretary General of the Organization of American States from 1994 until 2004.-Early life:...
. During her term as ambassador commerce exchange between Colombia and Venezuela increased from US$300 million to US$1350 million a year until the end of her job.
Minister of Foreign Affairs 1991
On 8 November 1991, President Gavitia reshuffled his cabinet and named named Sanín Minister of Foreign AffairsMinistry of Foreign Affairs (Colombia)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also known as the Chancellery, is the national executive ministry of the Government of Colombia responsible for the foreign relations of Colombia through its diplomatic missions abroad by formulating foreign policy relevant to the matters of the State, it is...
, Latin America's first female Foreign Affairs Minister. During her term as minister she modernized the administrative structure of the ministry. She also achieved a seat for Colombia in the Security Council of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and the presidency of Colombia in the G-77. She also achieved the presidency of Colombia in the Non-Aligned Movement
Non-Aligned Movement
The Non-Aligned Movement is a group of states considering themselves not aligned formally with or against any major power bloc. As of 2011, the movement had 120 members and 17 observer countries...
and signed the border dispute resolution Sanín-Robertson treaty which resolved borders with Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. She also gained the seat as Secretary General of Organization of American States
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...
for Colombia with the appointment of Cesar Gaviria.
Ambassador of Colombia to the United Kingdom 1994
In 1994 Sanín was appointed consul of Colombia to the United Kingdom. Sanín promoted the visit of four ministers of Great Britain to Colombia and helped to negotiate new airline routes between the United Kingdom and Colombia. British investors and companies such as RTZRio Tinto Group
The Rio Tinto Group is a diversified, British-Australian, multinational mining and resources group with headquarters in London and Melbourne. The company was founded in 1873, when a multinational consortium of investors purchased a mine complex on the Rio Tinto river, in Huelva, Spain from the...
also invested in Colombia in the mining and energy, and pharmaceutical sectors. She renounced after only one year after the then Attorney General of Colombia
Attorney General of Colombia
The Office of the Attorney General of Colombia is the Colombian institution part of the Colombian judicial branch of Government with administrative autonomy designed to prosecute offenders, investigate crimes, review judicial processes and accuse penal law infractions against judges and courts of...
formally accused President Ernesto Samper
Ernesto Samper
Ernesto Samper Pizano is a Colombian politician. He served as the President of Colombia from August 7, 1994 to August 7, 1998, representing the Liberal Party. He was involved in the 8000 process scandal, which takes its name from the folio number assigned to it by the chief prosecutor's office...
in the Accusations Commission of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia
Chamber of Representatives of Colombia
The Chamber of Representatives is the lower house of the Congress of Colombia.The Chamber has 166 elected members for four-year terms.-How the Chamber is elected:...
after his involvement in the "8000 Process scandal". Upon her return, Colombia was facing an economic crisis, political and social instability without precedents and decided to prepare herself for the presidency of Colombia.
Presidential candidate 1998
In the 1998 presidential elections, Sanín supported by her founded political movement Yes ColombiaYes Colombia
Yes Colombia is a centrist political party in Colombia. It was founded by Noemí Sanín .At the last legislative elections, 10 March 2002, the party won as one of the many small parties parliamentary representation....
did surprisingly well, receiving about 27% of the vote, to finish third behind leaders Horacio Serpa
Horacio Serpa
Horacio Serpa Uribe is a Colombian politician and lawyer. Horacio Serpa has run as the Colombian Liberal Party candidate for President of Colombia on three occasions; in 1998, 2002, and 2006...
and Andrés Pastrana, who each received about 35% in the first round. Running on an anti-unemployment campaign, Sanín in fact won the largest amount of votes in the cities of Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
and Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
, but fared poorly in the countryside. Her campaign later supported the Great Alliance for Change
Great Alliance for Change
The Great Alliance for Change was a political alliance between parties in Colombia during the Presidential elections of 1998 that supported the presidency of Andres Pastrana Arango against the campaign of Colombian Liberal Party presidential candidacy of Horacio Serpa, back then supported by the...
led by Andrés Pastrana.
Presidential candidate 2002
In 2002, she ran again for president, this time as a member of her own movement, the Yes ColombiaYes Colombia
Yes Colombia is a centrist political party in Colombia. It was founded by Noemí Sanín .At the last legislative elections, 10 March 2002, the party won as one of the many small parties parliamentary representation....
party. With national security overriding the other issues in the campaign, she did far worse than in 1998 and received only 5.8% of the vote. Part of her platform was to denounce Álvaro Uribe's ties with extreme right-wing paramilitary groups.
Ambassador of Colombia in Spain 2003
In 2003, Sanín became Colombia's Ambassador to Spain. She decided not to run for the 2006 Colombian presidential electionsColombian presidential election, 2006
The 2006 Colombian presidential election was held on 28 May 2006. Álvaro Uribe was re-elected as President of the Republic and will serve another four-year term, starting on 7 August 2006...
. As Colombian ambassador to Spain Sanín had to deal with the growing discrimination against Colombians in that country, issues related to illegal Colombian immigrants in Spain and the large number of Colombian citizens imprisoned in the European country. She also promoted numerous cultural exchanges and advocated on behalf of temporary work and technical and education training for Colombians in Spain. On November 19, 2007 President Uribe announced her transfer to the United Kingdom diplomatic mission being replaced by the Vice President of Colombia
Vice President of Colombia
The Vice President of Colombia is the first in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of Colombia upon leaves of absence or death, resignation, or removal of the President, as designated by the Colombian Constitution of 1991 which also reinstated the vice president figure...
, Francisco Santos
Francisco Santos
XeskoFrancisco Santos's primary nom d'art or alter ego.Alan J. BantaThe heteronym Alan J. Banta is described as a civil engineer, born in the year of 1952 in Kakamas, a village located in the Northern Cape, South Africa but living and working in Angola. After independence, in 1975, remained in the...
.
Ambassador of Colombia in the United Kingdom 2007
On November 19, 2007, President Álvaro UribeÁlvaro Uribe
Alvaro Uribe Vélez was the 58th President of Colombia, from 2002 to 2010. In August 2010 he was appointed Vice-chairman of the UN panel investigating the Gaza flotilla raid....
requested the government of the United Kingdom for Sanín's approval as ambassador of Colombia to the United Kingdom. The move came after the ambassador to the United Kingdom Carlos Eduardo Medellín Becerra
Carlos Eduardo Medellín Becerra
Carlos Eduardo Medellín Becerra is a Colombian lawyer and diplomat and has served as Minister of Justice of Colombia and as Ambassador of Colombia to the United Kingdom.-Minister of Justice and Law:...
was transferred to the Netherlands after the Ambassador Guillermo Fernández de Soto
Guillermo Fernández de Soto
Guillermo Roque Fernández de Soto Valderrama is a Colombian lawyer and diplomat, who has served as Secretary General of the Andean Community of Nations, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, and Ambassador of Colombia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands....
resigned alleging family problems. According to the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, Sanín's ambassadorship in the United Kingdom would be temporary, as she entertained presidential aspirations. Her resignation was effective on 23 July 2009.
Presidential candidate 2010
In 2010, she ran again for president, this time as a member of the conservative party. She defeated Andrés Felipe Arias LeivaAndrés Felipe Arias Leiva
Andrés Felipe Arias Leiva is a Colombian economist who served as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Colombia from 2005 to 2009, and was a candidate for the Conservative Party nomination in the 2010 Colombian presidential election, ultimately losing to Noemí Sanín.-Political career:On...
in the preliminaries, but was unable to gain momentum and was defeated by Juan Manuel Santos
Juan Manuel Santos
Juan Manuel Santos Calderón is a Colombian politician who has been the President of Colombia since 7 August 2010. He previously served as Minister of Foreign Trade, Minister of Finance, and Minister of National Defense.-Career:...
, and Antanas Mockus
Antanas Mockus
Aurelijus Rutenis Antanas Mockus Šivickas is a Colombian mathematician, philosopher, and politician.The son of Lithuanian immigrants, he left his post as the president of the National University of Colombia in Bogotá in 1993, and later that year ran a successful campaign for mayor...
among others.
Personal life
Sanín was born on 6 June 1949 in MedellínMedellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
, Antioquia to Jaime Sanín Echeverri and Noemí Posada Saldarriaga, their third child out of fifteen children. Her father was a hardline conservative writer, journalist and a vice-president of the Colombian Language Academy
Academia Colombiana de la Lengua
The Academia Colombiana de la Lengua is an association of academics and experts on the use of the Spanish language in Colombia...
; her mother a teacher and housewife. She married young at the age of 19 to Diego Durán Cabal, and together they had one daughter, María Jimena. She divorced in 1975 and remarried to Mario Alberto Rubio Caicedo, a lawyer from Bogotá, but the marriage ended in 1999 leaving no children.