International
The regional director of UN Women hopes that the gender agenda in A will not go back. Latina
The new right-wing governments in Latin America have made a political handling of the gender agenda, but have not yet managed to make setbacks in access to basic rights for women, María Noel Baeza, regional director for the Americas and the Caribbean of UN Women, told EFE on Thursday.
“There are many screams, there are many political uses of the gender agenda, but I do not see yet – and I hope not to see it -, that legislative setback,” he said in an interview during a visit to Guadalajara (western Mexico).
He recalled that there have been effects on public policies in countries such as Argentina, with the government of Javier Milei, who eliminated the Ministry of Women and threw back the adolescent pregnancy prevention program, but at the legislative level this and other governments have not been able to close rights already achieved.
The UN official said that there is an organized force of women who are fighting from different countries to resist this rise of conservative sectors.
“As long as the legislative powers do not begin to change the laws, there it would be… there they find us (women) organized and in the street, activists. I hope that doesn’t come, because luckily governments last four years, so that’s changing,” he warned.
Noel Baeza pointed out that in the region there is an interest in advancing issues such as violence, sexual and reproductive rights, access to public and business governance spaces, to respond to the Beijing Platform for Action that 30 years ago laid the foundations for gender equality in the world.
He recalled that through reports managed by the Secretariat of the UN Commission on the Legal and Economic Status of Women, 160 countries are making progress in the challenges posed in terms of education, work or the eradication of violence.
“It was massive, it was impressive. No one wanted to be left behind in reporting, and positively reporting what they are doing. Which translates into positive votes, and is a very important indication that they are moving forward,” he said.
Noel Baeza participates in the VII Ibero-American Summit of Local Gender Agendas and the XV Ibero-American Congress of Municipalists that takes place in Guadalajara until May 30.
The representative of UN Women referred to the fact that Mexico has a president for the first time as an opportunity for there to be substantive changes in public policies focused on girls, adolescents and adults.
“When women enter politics, politics change. That is a very, very very said phrase many times, but it is true. A woman who is in politics begins by changing the reality of what equality means,” he said.
She praised the efforts of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to put women’s rights as a central part not only in public policies, but with budget and concrete actions, which profiles her as a leader in the region.
“All the women in the region are looking at Mexico and we are looking at her to support her in what we can. I think she will try to pay off that debt and of course the most difficult thing will be cultural change to avoid violence,” he concluded.
International
Magnitude 6.4 earthquake rattles northern Chile, no casualties reported
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Chile’s northern Atacama region on Friday, causing power outages and minor landslides but no reported casualties, according to official sources.
The quake occurred at 1:15 p.m. local time (17:15 GMT), 54 kilometers south of the city of Diego de Almagro, according to the National Seismological Center.
President Gabriel Boric posted on X (formerly Twitter) that local authorities had informed him “that no casualties have been reported so far.” He also convened the Risk and Disaster Management Committee (COGRID) “to consolidate information and assess the damage.”
Local media footage showed minor landslides in parts of Copiapó, a city located about 800 kilometers north of Santiago.
“As a result of the earthquake, 23,000 customers are experiencing power outages in the Atacama region,” said Miguel Ortiz, deputy director of emergency management at Chile’s National Disaster Prevention and Response Service. He also noted reports of minor debris fall.
State-run mining company Codelco, the world’s largest copper producer, stated that its operations in the area had not sustained any damage or injuries.
Chile is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, located at the convergence of the Nazca, South American, and Antarctic tectonic plates.
In 1960, the southern city of Valdivia was devastated by a 9.5-magnitude earthquake — the most powerful ever recorded — killing 9,500 people. In 2010, a magnitude 8.8 quake and subsequent tsunami left over 520 dead.
International
U.S. issues new environmental waivers to speed border wall construction in Arizona and New Mexico
The U.S. government announced on Thursday three new environmental waivers that will fast-track construction of the border wall with Mexico in Arizona and New Mexico—adding to a similar waiver granted in April for work in California.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the waivers will speed up the building of about 36 miles (roughly 58 kilometers) of new barrier in the Yuma and Tucson sectors of Arizona and in the El Paso sector of neighboring Texas.
The exemptions lift requirements to comply with several environmental laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which would ordinarily apply to new roads or physical barriers in these areas. According to DHS, the projects “will close critical gaps in the border wall and enhance border-security operations in the El Paso, Tucson, and Yuma sectors of U.S. Border Patrol.”
“These waiver-backed projects are crucial steps toward securing the southern border and reinforcing our commitment to border security,” the department said.
The secretary’s authority to issue such waivers comes from Section 102 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, signed into law by President Bill Clinton. Secretary Noem invoked the same authority in April to accelerate wall construction in California.
U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended 23,912 migrants along the Mexican border between February and April 2025, following Donald Trump’s return to the White House on January 20.
International
Sheinbaum calls for bilateral effort to combat cross-border criminal activity
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated on Thursday that her administration is seeking to collaborate with the Colombian government to address the activities of criminal groups operating in both countries. This follows reports suggesting the involvement of Colombian nationals in an attack that left eight members of Mexico’s National Guard dead last week in the western part of the country.
“We are looking to collaborate with the Government of Colombia to address any criminal activity involving members of criminal groups in Colombia or, in turn, any member of a Mexican criminal group,” Sheinbaum said during her morning press conference.
Her remarks came in response to statements made by Colombian President Gustavo Petro earlier this week. On Tuesday, Petro claimed that former Colombian soldiers were involved in the deadly attack near the border between the Mexican states of Michoacán and Jalisco, where several armed forces personnel were killed.
“A bomb just exploded against the Mexican army in Michoacán, leaving several dead. The army responded by arresting the suspected perpetrators. Most of them are former Colombian soldiers, and some are still active. The press knows about this, but it hasn’t been widely reported. We are exporting mercenaries to the mafia,” Petro stated.
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