He was the 69th Governor of Valle del Cauca from 2004 to 2008, and served as the second Minister of Labour and Social Protection under the administration of President Andrés Pastrana Arango.

He was Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations Office at Geneva from 29 January 2009 until his resignation in March 2010, in preparation for his election to the Vice Presidency.

During the government of President Andrés Pastrana Arango Garzon was appointed Ministry of Labour and Social Protection from 2000 until 2002.

Garzon then participated as member of the facilitating Commission for the Humanitarian Accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia guerrilla group (FARC).

[1] In 2014, Garzón was offered the post of Ambassador to Brazil, but rejected it on the grounds that his German Shepherd dog would not be able to adapt to the Brazilian climate.