The Hague Group, founded on Jan. 31, 2025 by Colombia and South Africa, is holding an emergency ministerial summit today and tomorrow in Bogotá, Colombia, to map out specific legal and political measures aimed at halting genocide in Gaza and ending Israel’s occupation. Aside from Colombia and South Africa, original founding members included Bolivia, Cuba, Honduras, Senegal, Malaysia and Namibia. The group’s membership has expanded, and representatives of 30 nations are attending the two-day summit.
The news outlet bne IntelliNews enthusiastically described the gathering as the “Global South’s legal break with the West over Gaza.” Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, who is participating in the conference, called it “the most significant political development in the past 20 months,” The Guardian reported.
Colombia’s Vice Minister of Multilateral Affairs Mauricio Jaramillo Jassir explained that the group’s primary goal is to propose practical legal and political measures to stop the genocide in Gaza, adding that this isn’t just a political matter, but one of defending international law, the right to self-determination, and Colombia’s commitment to the Genocide Convention. He stressed that now is the time to go beyond declarations and move into collective action.
