Colombia Crisis Response Plan 2023 - 2024

Last updated: January 22 2024
Funding updated: October 08 2024
$67,935,000
Funding required
8,300,000
People in need
345,697
People Targeted

IOM Vision

In partnership with key strategic actors, IOM will seek to strengthen key institutional and community capacities on preparedness and response to emergency and crisis situations in Colombia, to reduce the risks and vulnerabilities of affected populations (internally displaced persons (IDPs), former combatants, migrants and host communities). Moreover, the mission supports sustainable recovery, community stabilization, peacebuilding and durable solutions at the national and local levels. The IOM Colombia Country Strategy for 2021-2024, supports the three strategic areas prioritized by the Government of Colombia: i) peacebuilding and stabilization; ii) migration as a factor for development; iii) catalysing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Key Operating Modalities
Participation and empowerment Conflict sensitivity Integrated Programming Collaboration and partnership Localization Cash-based interventions
Cross-cutting priorities
Data and evidence Protection Mainstreaming Gender Equality Prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse Disaster Risk Climate Change Law and policy

Objective 1 - Saving lives and protecting people on the move
Objective
Saving lives and protecting people on the move

$29,455,000
Funding required
323,000
People Targeted
126
Entities Targeted
Internal migrant, Internally displaced person, Local population / community
Primary target groups
Description of People and Entities Targeted

Conflict survivors of violence (IDPs, victims and host communities), victims of natural hazards or affected by climate change, at-risk children and adolescents (CH&A), public officials of government entities counterparts related to emergency responses and that respond to spontaneous or organized migration flows, host and rural communities, and IDPs, returnees, and internal migrants.

Funding confirmed 4%
96% Funding gap

Direct health support

IOM will improve access to life-saving primary health care services through:

  • Capacity building of local governments’ health officials and health staff to improve the quality of comprehensive primary health care services including mental health care, sexual and reproductive health, GBV, child nutrition and health, and prevention of the consumption of psychoactive substances. This will be done through trainings of local health staff and health authorities as well as the provision of supplies to hospitals.  
  • Support to local health institutions for the improvement of case management, training of health workers on quality standards for health care and risk management. IOM will partner with universities for the provision of trainings to local hospitals to cover specific technical needs. These trainings will help local hospitals to provide comprehensive and qualified health care services for victims of armed conflict and survivors of GBV, with a tailored approach.
  • Implementation of risk communication and community engagement activities in health community networks. The Community Networks Strategy strengthens local capacities and empowers communities in health care and promotion, and the articulation with local authorities for the response and management of health risks, including infectious diseases, communicable and non-communicable, sexual and reproductive health (SRH), perinatal maternal health and child health. IOM will support the networks to improve their capacities in the areas of health management, organizational structuring, and advocacy, through trainings and the provision of in-kind support for the development of health community initiatives.
  • Strengthen local hospitals’ capacities to ensure the continuity of essential health services by providing medical supplies and other equipment such as personal protective equipment (PPE), secretion aspirators, infusion pumps, nutrition pumps, defibrillators, electrocardiographs, neonatal resuscitators, tensiometers, thermometers, laryngoscopes and stethoscopes. Additionally, IOM aims to provide logistics support for the implementation of care strategies like referral pathways, vaccine campaigns, extramural health sessions, etc.
Funding required
$5,400,000
Funding confirmed
$253,808
Last updated: 08 Oct 2024
Plan types
4%
Funding confirmed
96%
Funding gap

Protection

In order to provide comprehensive protection services for IDPs and vulnerable communities (due to conflict and/or natural hazards/ victims of human trafficking) in consultation and collaboration with local authorities and communities, IOM will:

  • Strengthen and expand child protection mechanisms through capacity-building of stakeholders (family members, communities and government institutions) to recognize recruitment risks and implement mitigation actions taking into account the best interests of the child principle and in line with international standards.
  • Provide awareness-raising and dissemination activities to strengthen community capacities to protect children, adolescents, and youth; and provide secure and safe spaces for children and adolescents where non-formal education activities take place.
  • Deliver Gender-Based Violence (GBV) response services, including case management through Implementing Partners, with emergency funds, in-kind material assistance, cash transfers, and psychosocial support, while enhancing access for vulnerable populations to these aforementioned services. When necessary, patients are referred to health or mental health professionals.
  • IOM will improve strategies to enhance communities’ knowledge for the prevention of GBV, and promotion of awareness-raising strategies to change harmful social behaviours.
  • Strengthen institutional capacities through trainings, communication strategies, and tools for public officials at the national and local levels on the identification of victims of trafficking (VoTs), provision of assistance, prevention, and prosecution.
  • Implementation of communication strategies (at the local and national levels including border areas) for awareness raising on human trafficking. These strategies include:
    • Roll-out of LibertApp, an application that allows people to consult relevant information on general concepts of human trafficking, its types of stages, methods and means of recruitment, which also helps to report potential cases of human trafficking and georeferencing of potential victims.
    • Tailored communication campaigns implemented in public spaces according to information needs at the local level (e.g theatre companies performing in public spaces to disseminate prevention messages).
    • Pedagogical strategies with students of private and public schools on prevention, types of recruitment, and stages of the crime. 
  • Provide protection services (one-stop-shop) through IOM Reference and Orientation Points, which provide on-time information and guidance concerning risks, psychosocial assistance, psychological and medical services legal advice, access to justice, as well as housing and support to people with specific protection needs through individual protection assistance (IPA).
Funding required
$12,050,000
Funding confirmed
$128,400
Last updated: 08 Oct 2024
Plan types
1%
Funding confirmed
99%
Funding gap

Provision of water, sanitation and hygiene in emergencies

IOM seeks to increase and improve access to critical WASH items in an adequate and timely manner to communities affected by armed conflict and natural hazards through:

  • Infrastructure improvement and equipment of community centres and educative institutions to ensure safe access to basic water services and/or sanitation.
  • Provision of differentiated WASH NFIs and hygiene kits (by age, gender, and/or disability condition) which includes menstrual hygiene management kits.
  • Provision of specific/differentiated menstrual hygiene kits for girls and women (of reproductive age) and implementation of information sessions, based on needs assessments and consultation. 
  • Implement hygiene promotion (HP) activities to provide access to appropriate hygiene practices through diversified communication channels taking into account cultural context, affectation by violence or natural hazards and targeting community groups with large influence to promote those changes. HP complements the hardware activities to ensure proper barriers to infections using community-based, gender-balanced hygiene promoters to disseminate information, including menstrual hygiene management.
  • These actions will have a cross-cutting approach for people with disabilities, and interventions regarding infrastructure improvement and immediate assistance will have reasonable adjustments to be accessible for people with physical, hearing, visual, mental, intellectual, and multiple disabilities. Training for IOM staff to identify and address physical, communication, and attitudinal barriers and conduct accessibility audit faced by people with disabilities will also be provided.
     
Funding required
$550,000
Plan types

Shelter and settlements

IOM will provide shelter for IDPs and victims of armed conflict and populations affected by the impact of natural hazards through:

  • Strengthening the capacities of existing collective shelters and/or creating accommodation opportunities by providing temporary shelter in hotels (this entails the provision of independent rooms for families) or giving rental support.
  • Delivery of essential household items to maintain health, safety, and dignity for people affected by natural hazards and/or armed conflict.
Funding required
$4,500,000
Funding confirmed
$128,400
Last updated: 08 Oct 2024
Plan types
2%
Funding confirmed
98%
Funding gap

Mental health and psychosocial support in humanitarian response

IOM aims to protect the psychosocial well-being and mental health of populations in emergency situations and strengthen community and institutional capacities to address them, through:

  • Training to staff that provides humanitarian assistance on psychosocial approach, promoting actions that strengthen social cohesion and the preservation of culture and identity. 
  • Coordination with national and local health authorities to strengthen the public policy in mental health and strategies of assistance to victims of violence, persons affected by natural disasters and host communities.
  • Training to Community Health Networks on promotion of mental health, timely response and referral to health institutions.
  • Activities on mental health and psychosocial support implemented by field psychosocial teams, that assist families and communities, improving social cohesion and the development of community mechanisms to identify persons that require specialized services on mental health.
Funding required
$2,320,000
Plan types

Basic needs, including food and multi-purpose cash assistance

IOM is committed to provide comprehensive assistance in temporary shelters and as such recognizes the urgent needs of individuals and families affected by natural hazards and armed conflict. These vulnerable groups often face immediate challenges in securing basic necessities during their displacement. To address these challenges and support their wellbeing, IOM's activities include: 

  • Providing meals and personal hygiene kits during their stay and in accordance with their culture.
Funding required
$1,500,000
Plan types

Camp coordination and camp management

In response to the needs of IDPs, victims of armed conflict, and populations affected by natural hazards in Colombia, IOM will adapt its approach in camp coordination and camp management (CCCM) with a heightened focus on the criticality of addressing the immediate needs of displaced populations and considering the establishment of camps only as a last resort by:

  • Strengthening the capacity of local governments and communities in site coordination and management, ensuring a nuanced understanding of camps as a contingency.
  • Ensuring the needs of all displaced population groups are met, advocating for camps only when absolutely necessary, and supporting representative site governance structures/mechanisms in collective centers.
  • Enhancing coordination with CCCM partners and promoting the expansion of activities to other geographical areas in need, while prioritizing non-camp solutions wherever feasible.
  • Engaging in strategic dialogues with relevant partners, national and local authorities, and potential donors to position CCCM as a crucial, yet cautiously applied element in crisis response, emphasizing the priority of non-camp alternatives for the welfare of affected communities.
Funding required
$400,000
Plan types

Emergency preparedness

In order to strengthen disaster preparedness, IOM will:

  • Strengthen the response capacity of communities, local governments and other key actors for the coordination and management of Temporary Shelters, through workshops, meetings, and trainings.
  • Strengthen the capacities of local governments to support schools for preparedness and response through the improvement of facilities, the provision of educational material for risk prevention, the development of evacuation routes, and the implementation of trainings with community members on how to use educational spaces as safe areas.
  • Support the design and implementation of community protection and preparedness plans from a community-based planning approach to strengthen protective initiatives and structures, infrastructure adaptation and qualifications, endowments, and implementation plans in natural hazards or conflict events.
Funding required
$1,900,000
Plan types

Displacement tracking

To contribute to an evidence-based and efficient crisis response in Colombia, IOM aims to:

  • Implement a Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) Wi-Fi project, to track and monitor the displacement of populations and systematically capture, process, and disseminate information regarding migration flows. The implementation of the DTM will support the GoC to have a better understanding of the movements and needs of displaced populations, returnees in resettlement processes and internal migrants of spontaneous or organized flows.
  • Monitor and identify needs and risks regarding the state of protection of the people and the communities affected by the armed conflict, natural hazards and other humanitarian crises, with a tailored approach to groups of special interest (children, women, people with diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC), people with disabilities and ethnic communities). This includes an emphasis on the identification of armed recruitment risks in border zones and access to mental health services and food distribution mechanisms. 
  • Consolidate results into a unified database for trend analysis and risk mapping. Subsequently, deploy a second recollection that allows monitoring changes in the needs and risks of the affected population.

With Wi-Fi support, beneficiaries will be able to communicate with their families and support networks. While connected to Wi-Fi, the internet connection allows the monitoring of flows and the implementation of population characterization surveys in real-time through the completion of short forms and the dissemination of protection-related risks and video messaging.

Funding required
$325,000
Plan types

Support services for response actors

In response to the persistent internal displacement in Colombia and in line with Law 1448/2011, IOM in line with the UN Secretary General’s Action Agenda on Internal Displacement will assist the Colombian government in formulating and implementing a Durable Solutions Strategy, which will include:

  • Strengthening the State's capacity to collect and analyse reliable data on the reality of internally displaced populations and the territories where they reside, providing a solid foundation for informed decision-making, in line with the recommendations of the Data for Solutions to Internal Displacement (DSID) Taskforce.
  • Designing an Operational Model for the management and coordination of state services and national-territorial coordination in the implementation of durable solutions, to ensure a synchronized and effective response at both the national and territorial levels. 
  • Establishing a budget for the strategy, that not only allows for the efficient allocation of public resources but also opens the door to exploring alternative national and international sources of financing.
Funding required
$510,000
Funding confirmed
$430,821
Last updated: 08 Oct 2024
Plan types
84%
Funding confirmed
16%
Funding gap

Multi-sectoral support

Includes funding which supports multi-sectoral interventions or cannot be attributed to a specific activity area.
Funding confirmed
$397,131
Last updated: 08 Oct 2024
IOM Referral and Orientation Point in La Parada, Villa del Rosario – Norte de Santander. © David Murcia / IOM Colombia 2022
IOM Referral and Orientation Point in La Parada, Villa del Rosario – Norte de Santander. © David Murcia / IOM Colombia 2022

Objective 2 - Driving solutions to displacement
Objective
Driving solutions to displacement

$38,480,000
Funding required
45,800
People Targeted
110
Entities Targeted
Former combatant / fighter, Internally displaced person, Local population / community
Primary target groups
Description of People and Entities Targeted

Survivors of conflict, IDPs, victims of the armed conflict, women and girls exposed to GBV risks (including youth and children), host and rural communities, social and community leaders, former combatants, ethnic and rural communities, at-risk children and adolescents, as well as public officials of local and national government entities.

Funding confirmed 82%
18% Funding gap

Community stabilization

Conflict-affected communities and survivors, including youth suffering from transgenerational trauma, have lost trust in authorities due to the lack of state presence and the proliferation of non-state armed groups. IOM programming aims to:

  • Strengthen social and community resilience capacity: capacity-building of conflict survivors through trainings on effective communication skills, conflict management, and leadership skills, and promotion of their participation in institutional and community spaces.
  • Strengthen strategic communications within communities affected by violence to promote a culture of peace and social cohesion, through trainings in non-violent communication and conflict resolution, co-creation of strategic communication with local organizations, strengthening of local media and campaigns on human rights, and gender equity.
  • Provision of job trainings and improve conflict survivors' and other vulnerable populations' skills for employability and entrepreneurship. Likewise, improve the creation and strengthening of local rural and urban enterprises, to contribute to the social and economic stabilization of affected and host communities.
  • Strengthen the social dialogue strategy to promote the participation of community stakeholders within the development of the public policy for a just energy transition.
  • Provide technical and financial assistance to communities for the development of just energy transition proposals with a territorial approach. 
  • Implement institutional- and community-level improvements, actions, and strategies that promote and defend the exercise of environmental rights in territories and communities affected by climate and environmental damage. Actions include the development of an environmental education strategy and a comprehensive legal framework analysis addressing the protection of participation rights and environmental justice for community leaders, both to be presented to the Ministry of Environment. Additionally, awareness-raising activities will be conducted to underscore the significance of human rights for environmental leaders.
Funding required
$10,000,000
Funding confirmed
$13,861,635
Last updated: 08 Oct 2024
Plan types
100%
Funding confirmed
0%
Funding gap

Health system strengthening

To strengthen the health system in the country, health professionals, as well as local and national entities, will benefit from: 

  • Capacity-building activities, to respond to the specific needs of survivors of violence and survivors of GBV, including: upgrading GoC tools for the implementation of psychosocial rehabilitation measures and supporting the Ministry of Health in the integration of psychosocial care into the general health insurance system. 
  • Improvement of psychosocial services delivered by Government institutions, operationalizing policy instruments and developing mental health and psychosocial support tools for survivors of violence. 
  • A healthcare strategy developed to support the existing healthcare system, aiming to enhance access to health services with a differential, ethnic, and intercultural approach for indigenous peoples in the Amazon. This involves incorporating ancestral knowledge. The strategy includes the implementation of an extramural healthcare approach, with a focus on strengthening the capacities of local communities to manage health risks. Moreover, efforts will be directed at improving institutional capacity to deliver healthcare services to both indigenous and migrant communities during emergency situations. This will be achieved through the provision of medical equipment and the adaptation of infrastructure.
  • Implement knowledge exchange activities on a regular basis between indigenous traditional healers and western health workers around health-disease processes that promote respect for ancestral wisdom on the part of medical personnel and facilitate the care of the indigenous population. This will be done in order to provide adequate health-tailored services for indigenous populations, and the creation of community health networks to promote integration and empower communities.
Funding required
$2,900,000
Plan types

Mental health and psychosocial support in transition and recovery

IOM looks to contribute towards improving the mental health and psychosocial well-being of victims and survivors of conflict through:

  • The implementation of a comprehensive and context-specific mental health and psychosocial community resilience strategy in coordination with the GoC, local authorities and the community, in contribution to the measures of reparation of the government to survivors of violence. This includes family and community-based interventions, through the Comprehensive Health Care Protocol with a Psychosocial Approach to Victims of the Armed Conflict, and the implementation of the Psychosocial Community Rehabilitation Strategy for Coexistence and Non-Repetition within the related National Plan.
Funding required
$2,000,000
Plan types

Peacebuilding and peace preservation

Despite many gains throughout the years, peace and stability are negatively affected by the recidivism of former combatants and institutional weaknesses. In order to contribute to peacebuilding, and aligned with government-led processes, IOM will:

  • Support national and local institutions and other stakeholders to develop a comprehensive, sustainable, and inclusive socioeconomic reincorporation process of former combatants and their families, through the implementation of productive collective or individual projects and strategies for sustainability, and other income-generation opportunities, including the use of a tailored approach that takes into account vulnerabilities and needs based on gender and ethnicity.
  • Implement community-level awareness actions for the prevention of stigmatization of former combatants and youth, and the restoration of the social fabric based on the communities’ initiatives, to foster inclusion.
  • Support the GoC’s efforts to build trust, improve coexistence and reduce rural violence in Colombia. 
  • Support local communities in developing locally-led sustainable, peacebuilding and violence prevention, initiatives.
  • Strengthen institutions responsible for the implementation of peace policy, focusing on the most delayed actions on gender and the Ethnic Chapter within the Peace Accord, both at the local and the national level. 
  • Support the capacity development and empowerment of Human Rights Organizations and social leaders, with a focus on women, people with diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and sexual characteristics (SOGIESC) individuals, and ethnic community members and strengthening their organizational and participative processes.
  • Strengthen the skills of targeted GoC partners and civil society organizations to contribute to the dialogues that may lead to new demobilization processes, in the framework of the Total Peace Policy.
     
Funding required
$7,000,000
Funding confirmed
$6,522,761
Last updated: 08 Oct 2024
Plan types
93%
Funding confirmed
7%
Funding gap

Transitional justice

IOM is committed to the reparation of victims of armed conflict and the implementation of the transitional justice components of the Peace Agreement, and as such, will:

  • Support institutions protecting victims’ rights to advance in reconciliation, by strengthening the skills of public officers that provide services to victims, former combatants and conflict-affected communities.
  • Strengthen the technical capacity and performance of Victims’ Organizations in five areas: administrative, technical, advocacy, dialogue, and sustainability.
  • Strengthen the targeted communities´ ability to promote truth-telling and memory-building as a means to foster community healing and collective action for non-repetition, achieved through dialogue, empowerment, and mutual respect.
  • Facilitate dialogue between the GoC, communities, producer organizations and the private sector, for the consolidation of market-led regional development multi-actor partnerships that leverage economic opportunities and target private social investment for victims.
  • Support the Victims Unit to implement regulatory, technical, and institutional adjustments for the comprehensive reparation of victims; promote the participation and advocacy of victims in decision-making for their comprehensive reparation; and ensure that victims progress in the reparation processes through actions established in the individual or collective reparation measures.
  • Assist territorial entities and organizations in the implementation of the victims’ law and the improvement of follow-up capacities, following commitments of the Peace Agreement.
  • Strengthen the restorative justice approach as a care and prevention strategy for criminal recidivism of adolescents and young adults.
Funding required
$14,800,000
Funding confirmed
$11,202,104
Last updated: 08 Oct 2024
Plan types
75%
Funding confirmed
25%
Funding gap

Land and property

In accordance with the peace agreements regarding point 1. “Comprehensive rural reform,” IOM will give technical assistance to the GoC on the regularization of property rights, especially in:

  • Property identification pre-classification, validation, routing, and definition of the legal route for property care to resolve the requirements of rural farmer women and men regarding land tenure relationships.
Funding required
$780,000
Plan types

Adaptation and disaster risk reduction

Because of the recurrent hazards that Colombia suffers due to climate change, IOM is looking to support the GoC, including to:

  • Develop awareness-raising and educational strategies to protect, preserve and promote the sustainability of renewable natural resources.
  • Provide vulnerable communities with tools to develop resilient and sustainable adaptation plans, and improve their capacities in the use of land, following Territorial Arrangement and the Social Organization Rural Plans.
  • Generate evidence on climate change needs, good practices and the relationship between environment and migration to support policymaking efforts and increase the ability of the GoC to engage in regional dialogues on the subject.
  • Assist in the formulation of a comprehensive policy that encompasses guidelines for effective human settlement planning. This policy will involve the implementation of procedures and financial mechanisms to facilitate the resettlement of populations residing in high-risk, non-mitigable areas due to climatic hazards. Additionally, it will include an analysis of disasters associated with various threatening phenomena.
Funding required
$1,000,000
Plan types

Transversal support

Funding confirmed
$98,327
Last updated: 08 Oct 2024
Operational presence in

Colombia

11
International staff and affiliated work force
497
National staff and affiliated work force
8
IOM field office

The map used here is for illustration purposes only. Names and boundaries do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by IOM.

Figures are as of 31 December 2023. For more details of IOM's operational capacity in country, please see the IOM Capacity section.

With thanks to our current donors