Irene Vélez Torres (born August 2, 1982) is a Colombian

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and

doctor Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

political geography Political geography is concerned with the study of both the spatially uneven outcomes of political processes and the ways in which political processes are themselves affected by spatial structures. Conventionally, for the purposes of analysis, ...

. She is currently Director of the Colombian National Environmental Agency. From June 2024-2025 she was the Colombian Cónsul General and Head of Mission in London, UK. From August 11, 2022, to July 19, 2023, she held the position of Minister of Mines and Energy.

Early life

Irene Vélez is the daughter of Hildebrando Vélez, an

environmentalist Environmentalism is a broad Philosophy of life, philosophy, ideology, and social movement about supporting life, habitats, and surroundings. While environmentalism focuses more on the environmental and nature-related aspects of Green politics, g ...

and

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

recognized for his activism in the

Black Communities Black is a racial classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid- to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin and often additional phenotypical ch ...

Process through which he became very close to

Francia Márquez Francia Elena Márquez Mina (born 1 December 1981) is a Colombia, Colombian human-rights and environmental activist, feminist, lawyer and politician who is the 13th and current Vice President of Colombia since 2022. She was born in Yolombó (vill ...

. Vélez Torres studied

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

at the

National University A national university is mainly a university created or managed by a government, but which may also at the same time operate autonomously without direct control by the state. In the United States, the term "national university" connotes the highe ...

, with a master's degree in

cultural studies Cultural studies is an academic field that explores the dynamics of contemporary culture (including the politics of popular culture) and its social and historical foundations. Cultural studies researchers investigate how cultural practices rel ...

at the same university. She completed a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

political Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

geography at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

and has written on natural resource issues and environmental conflicts in Colombia Vélez served as an

environmental Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, referring respectively to all living and non-living things occurring naturally and the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism ...

social leader against mining in Colombia, leading research related to the

environmental impact Environmental issues are disruptions in the usual function of ecosystems. Further, these issues can be caused by humans ( human impact on the environment) or they can be natural. These issues are considered serious when the ecosystem cannot reco ...

illegal mining Illegal mining is mining activity that is undertaken without state permission. Illegal mining is the extraction of precious metals/rocks without following the proper procedures to participate in legal mining activity. These procedures include pe ...

on communities and

energy transition An energy transition (or energy system transformation) is a major structural change to energy supply and consumption in an energy system. Currently, a transition to sustainable energy is underway to limit climate change. Most of the sustainab ...

models, and serving as a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

at the Faculty of

Engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

of the

University of Valle The University of Valle (), also called Univalle, is a public, departmental, coeducational, research university based primarily in the city of Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. It is the largest higher education institution by student populatio ...

Minister of Mines and Energy

In 2022, her name was suggested for Minister of Science and Technology in the government of Gustavo Petro, since she had been appointed as part of the joint team in that area by the previous government. On August 6, 2022, President-elect Gustavo Petro instead appointed her Minister of Mines and Energy. Her appointment caused surprise due to Vélez's environmental activism and lack of connection to the extractivist energy sectors such as oil and coal. However the Petro government proposed an acceleration of the energy transition to make the country less and less dependent on non-renewable extractive energy with an increase in clean renewables. After controversies, including two censure motions, she had to resign in June 2023, over a case of influence-peddling involving a migration officer who was pressured, allegedly, by Vélez to allow the departure of her son for Europe without complying with legal requirements. A charge of influence peddling is pending in the Colombian courts, as of 2024, as is a legal challenge to her appointment to a Consular diplomatic post in London ahead of other qualified candidates.

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Velez Torres, Irene 1982 births Living people Politicians from Bogotá Colombian philosophers 21st-century Colombian politicians 21st-century Colombian women politicians 21st-century Colombian philosophers University of Copenhagen alumni Soy Porque Somos politicians Government ministers of Colombia Women government ministers of Colombia Petro administration cabinet members Ministers of mines and energy of Colombia Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit