Aída Quilcué

Aida Marina Quilcué Vivas (born 2 February 1973) is a Colombian politician and Indigenous civil leader who has served as a Senator of Colombia since 2022. A member of the Alternative Indigenous and Social Movement, she has served as a human rights advisor for UNESCO.

In 1990, she was a health promoter for the Indigenous Association of Cauca. In 2009, she served as Senior Advisor to the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca, and subsequently, in 2010, she became the first woman to lead the council.

In 2022, she received the endorsement of the Indigenous Social Alternative Movement as a candidate for the Senate representing the Indigenous constituency, obtaining more than 45,000 votes.

Biography

On 10 February 2026, Quilcue and two of her bodyguards were abducted by unidentified individuals while traveling in an SUV in Cauca Department. They were released hours later following an ultimatum from president Gustavo Petro.

On 9 March 2026, Quilcue was announced as the vice-presidential candidate to be with Iván Cepeda.

Political career Indigenous and social leadership Her political activity originated within the indigenous social movement. In the 1990s, she began her public service as a health promoter for the Association of Indigenous Clinics of Cauca (AIC) During the trial and In subsequent years, Quilcué and her daughter have been victims of death threats and attacks.

She has also held national and international representation roles, as a counselor for the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC) between 2016 and 2020, and as an expert member of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and as a consultant for UNESCO on peace and human rights issues.

Senator of the Republic (2022–2026) In the 2022 elections, she secured a seat in the Senate through the Special Indigenous Constituency under the banner of the MAIS party, receiving over 45,000 votes. In Congress, she is a member of the First Constitutional Commission and the Human Rights Commission. Her legislative initiatives have included bills to prevent and punish political violence and harassment against women, reforms for the recognition of social and critical thinking as a basis for peace education, and defense of transitional justice and the implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement.

Vice-presidential candidacy (2026) On March 9, 2026, the Historic Pact party officially announced Quilcué as the vice-presidential running mate for presidential candidate Iván Cepeda for that year's elections.

Awards and recognition In 2021, Quilcué won the National Award for the Defense of Human Rights in Colombia in the category "Defense for a Whole Life".