Senior United Nations leaders, known as the Global Champions on Solutions for Internal Displacement, visited Colombia this week to reaffirm the UN system's commitment to helping millions of internally displaced Colombians rebuild their lives through durable and rights-based solutions.
Colombia is home to one of the world's largest internally displaced populations. More than 7 million have been affected by forced displacement over decades of conflict, violence, and disasters, while an additional 3 million refugees and migrants from Venezuela have sought protection and new opportunities in Colombia.
The UN experts pointed out that addressing internal displacement on this scale requires more than emergency aid. It demands long-term solutions that allow internally displaced families not only to survive, but to live with dignity and safety, and to give them the opportunity to contribute to their host communities.
From Emergency Response to Lasting Solutions
In the context of internal displacement, "durable solutions" means that internally displaced people can finally overcome their experience of forced displacement. This happens when they are able to live in safe conditions, access housing, jobs and basic services, and fully enjoy their rights without discrimination, whether they return to their place of origin, settle elsewhere in the country, or integrate locally where they now live.
In Colombia, durable solutions are increasingly taking shape in cities and urban neighbourhoods, where many forcibly displaced families have rebuilt their lives over the years. Durable solutions include access to legal land tenure, adequate housing, livelihoods, education, health care and social protection, benefiting both forcibly displaced people and the communities that host them.
Colombia has recently taken a major step forward by adopting a National Policy on Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons. The policy signals a shift from treating internal displacement solely as a humanitarian emergency to include development and peacebuilding challenges that require coordinated and sustained action at national and local levels.
Listening to Institutions, Communities and Cities
Global Champions met with government officials, displaced people and civil society groups, UN agencies, donors, and community representatives to discuss implementing policy for real improvements in people's lives. Meetings included the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Housing, Finance and Labour, the National Department of Planning, the Victims' Unit, the Constitutional Court, the National Ombudswomen and local leaders.
In Bogotá, the UN Champions explored city and national integration policies and met with community leaders of Ciudad Bolívar to learn how they address challenges of internal displacement and urban poverty. In Medellín, talks focused on how to scale up planning and investment to enhance housing and services for internally displaced people, based on the lessons learned through the Internal Displacement Solutions Fund (IDSF). In Quibdó, Chocó, the visit to La Victoria neighbourhood highlighted how legalizing informal settlements and improving access to services benefit internally displaced families and host communities.
Linking Solutions to Peace and Climate Action
While new displacements are occurring in the country, the delegation also emphasized the importance of linking durable solutions to the implementation of Colombia's Peace Agreement and to addressing the growing impacts of climate change and disasters, which continue to drive new displacement.
The United Nations reaffirmed its commitment to continue working alongside Colombian institutions, territorial authorities, communities, civil society, international partners and the private sector so that internally displaced people can rebuild their lives with dignity and fully exercise their rights.
The delegation included senior representatives from across the UN system, including Ms. Ugochi Daniels, Deputy Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM); Ms. Shoko Noda, Assistant Secretary-General (ASG), Assistant Administrator & Director of the Crisis Bureau of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); Mr. Raouf Mazou, Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and Ms. Paula Gaviria, UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons. The visit was accompanied by Ms. Mireia Villar Forner, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Colombia and Mr. Elkin Velazquez, Regional Director of UN Habitat for Latin America and the Caribbean. Resident representatives in Colombia of IOM, UNDP and UNHCR were also part of the delegation.
