Francia Elena Márquez Mina (born 1 December 1981)[7] is a Colombian human-rights and environmental activist and lawyer, who is the 13th and current Vice President of Colombia.

[9] In August 2020, Márquez announced her candidacy in the 2022 Colombian presidential election and sought the nomination for the Historic Pact for Colombia coalition.

Márquez led a protest march of 80 women who trekked 560 kilometres (350 miles) to the capital city of Bogotá, and demanded the removal of all illegal miners from their community.

[citation needed] From 1994 when she turned 13, Márquez began participating in the fight against mining exploitation and the protection of the Ovejas River, which was a large and important source of water for her community.

[20] Other companies, such as AngloGold Ashanti, which sought to extract gold in the region, threatening the cleanup of the river, began to invest in the community by building roads and donating school supplies.

[20][21]During the presidencies of Álvaro Uribe and Juan Manuel Santos, there was an increase in the invitation of international mining companies to extract natural resources in Colombia.

In 2009, Márquez helped lead protests against attempts by the government to evict Afro-Colombians, especially artisanal miners, from ancestral land near the town of La Toma.

The following year, Márquez's community faced environmental damage from illegal miners drilling boreholes near the Ovejas river, poisoned due to mercury use.

Márquez again sought legal action and worked with other community members to combat environmental damage caused by illegal miners.

Government officials decided to take action against illegal mining and established a task force in 2015 to deal with the issue, a first in Colombian history.

Márquez's efforts and later successes earned her praise internationally and helped inspire other communities in the region to combat illegal mining.

[8][13] In December 2014, Márquez travelled to Havana, Cuba, to participate in the peace negotiations between the administration of president Juan Manuel Santos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

The Estamos Listas[28] movement and fellow primary candidate Angelá María Robledo offered their support for Marquez's campaign.

Petro announced that if victorious, Márquez's role as vice president would include bolstering equality for ethnic groups and regions facing exclusion.

In one instance, while campaigning, Márquez was targeted by laser beams from a nearby building, prompting security guards to shield her from what appeared to be an assassination attempt.

In response to this and many other similar situations, 90 elected officials and prominent individuals from over 20 countries signed an open letter expressing concern and condemnation of attempts of political violence against Márquez and Petro.

[36][37] On election day, which occurred on 29 May, Márquez's Historic Pact ticket placed first, advancing to the runoff, since no candidate received over 50% of the vote.

[43] On the other hand, due to the approval needed by Congress to establish the ministry of equality, Márquez may not assume the leadership of the proposed department until mid-way through her term as vice president.

[50][51] "Our central commitment is to guarantee the life of the entire Colombian population, take care of those who have assumed the defense of human rights as their main cause, protect the communities that are in the middle of the crossfire".

[70] During her intervention in the Seventh Commission of the Senate, she defended the "Youth in Peace" program,[71] used by the Gustavo Petro administration, with the purpose of dismantling the country's criminal organizations.

[75] Later on Monday, 11 September, Márquez received an official visit from the Deputy President of Kenya, Rigathi Gachagua, who would later participate in the World Forum of Coffee Producers and Roasters.

[78][79] On Wednesday, 29 November 2023, Márquez held a meeting with the Duchess of Edinburgh,[80] at the Center for Memory, Peace and Reconciliation with women victims of the conflict to learn more about their reality and needs.