Irene Veléz Torres

Irene Vélez Torres is Colombia’s Acting Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development and former Director-General of the National Environmental Licensing Authority. She previously served as Minister of Mines and Energy (2022–2023), advancing a just energy transition, and as Consul General in the United Kingdom (2024–2025), promoting diplomacy grounded in human and environmental rights. She holds a PhD in Political Geography from the University of Copenhagen, is a Fulbright Scholar, and a Senior Researcher recognized by the Ministry of Science. A former professor at Universidad del Valle, she has led interdisciplinary research on political ecology, mining conflicts, monocultures, and environmental health.