Charo’s work focuses on defense of collective human rights of Afro-descendant People, particularly Afro-descendant women in Colombia, including their rights to equality and self-determination as well as the protection of Afro-descendant ancestral territories.

During Colombia’s peace negotiations, she worked with the Ethnic Commission for Peace and Defense of Territorial Rights to ensure inclusion of Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities. As a result of their advocacy, the peace agreement between the FARC and Colombian government includes a landmark “Ethnic Chapter”, containing protections for collective and individual human rights of Indigenous and Afro-Colombian Peoples.

Charo is now a member of the Special High Level Body for Ethnic Peoples, and is working to ensure the Colombian Government’s peace implementation plan fully adheres to the provisions of the Ethnic Chapter and other relevant provisions of the Peace Accord, including its gender rights protections.