On November 19, 2022, the Minister of Labor, Gloria Inés Ramírez, announced that negotiations for an increase in the minimum wage for 2023, will commence on November 30. First figures will be publicly disclosed between December 5 and 6, 2022, and the first legal deadline for the issuance of the minimum wage decree will be December 30.
Guerilla Activity
On August 19, 2022, the ELN released six members of the Armed Forces who had been kidnapped in the department of Arauca.
On October 4, 2022, President Petro announced the resumption of peace talks with the ELN.
On November 4, 2022, President Petro signed the extension of Law 418 of 1997 of Total Peace, which allows the Government to continue with negotiations with armed insurgents and criminal organizations.
On November 19, 2022, a confrontation on the Putumayo border was attributed to FARC dissident illegal armed groups “Comando de la Frontera” and “Frente Carolina Ramírez”.
On November 21, 2022, the Government resumed peace talks with the ELN in Caracas, Venezuela, after a suspension of almost four years and after the country re-established diplomatic relations with Venezuela.
Criminal Activity
The level of criminal activity in Colombia has generally shown a decreasing trend since August 2002. As of September 2022, 10,315 incidents of homicide were reported, a decrease of 3.1% compared to the same period in 2021, during which 10,641 incidents of homicide were reported. During the third quarter of 2022, 133 incidents of kidnapping were reported, compared to 132 incidents of kidnapping reported in the same period in 2021. Incidents of terrorism increased 128% from 190 in the third quarter of 2021 to 433 compared to the same period of 2022.
Unconventional Reservoir Projects
On October 20, 2022, the Government announced that more than 330 current contracts for the exploration and extraction of hydrocarbons will have guarantees for their continuity and execution.
On November 3, 2022, the Minister of Mines and Energy, Irene Vélez, reassured the public that the Government will not end all mining and oil exploration and extraction in Colombia including regions such as the Magdalena Medio. Instead, the Government plans to facilitate what will be an energy transition guaranteeing the reliability and stability of the energy system, the sources of employment and the economic resources coming from the sector.
On November 9, 2022, The Government, headed by the Minister of Mines and Energy presented the “Construction of principles, methodology and launch of the Social Dialogue to define the Roadmap for the Just Energy Transition in Colombia, in the context of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change COP27, in Egypt. The roadmap for the energy transition designed to be built through technical analysis and existing regulations such as Law 2099 of 2021 and CONPES 4075 of 2022.
On November 16, 2022, during the “V Cumbre del Petróleo, Gas y Energía”, the Minister of Mines and Energy indicated that the Ministry established a technical committee together with the National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH) and the Colombian Oil and Gas Association (ACP), to analyze 380 contracts currently in place and identify bottlenecks for those which are halted, due to public order, social conflict or environmental procedures, among others. Such review will be conducted in order to guarantee exploratory activities agreed to in the referred contracts, as well as to benefit from the contribution of contracts in the development and production phases.
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