A statement by the National Convergence of Women for Panama and the Ministry’s Defense argues that President Jose Raul Mulino’s decision is an institutional setback; on this sense the head of state argues: “In a country where opaque structures, clientelist positions, and superfluous expenses abound, presenting the Ministry of Women as a ‘luxury’ or a ‘duplicity’ is profoundly dishonest.”

For the president, the measure seeks to reduce the size of the state body and centralize functions.

However, Joyce Araujo of the Foundation for Gender Equity believes this action represents a weakening of an entity created after decades of struggle by the Panamanian feminist movement.

She also added that “In a country where 50.4 percent of the population are women, it is necessary to have a voice present in the Cabinet Council, which guarantees political influence and its own budget.”

Feminist groups commented that closing this ministry would constitute a violation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, as well as the Beijing Platform for Action, to which Panama is a signatory, which obliges states to strengthen their mechanisms for gender equality.

In this regard, former Minister of Women’s Affairs Juana Herrera maintained that no technical evaluation has been presented to justify the measure and clarified that this entity has a Public Policy on Equal Opportunities in force for the period 2024–2034.

Amid the controversy, Mulino told the media that the Ministry of Women’s Affairs “is an entity that, because it was created in a hurry, does not generate what it should generate, except for good bureaucracy,” and therefore “it will be transformed into a more useful entity.”

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