UN humanitarian chief: More action to address the humanitarian situation in Colombia

(Bogota/New York, 25 February, 2009): On his last day in Colombia, United Nations Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes highlighted the continued severity of humanitarian needs in Colombia, particularly high levels of displacement due to conflict and natural disasters.

"I had an honest and constructive dialogue with the Government on the humanitarian situation in Colombia," he said." There has been good progress on laws about internally displaced persons (IDPs), and resources are being made available to address their needs," he noted. "But more is still needed." He hoped that the budget of La Agencia Presidencial para la Acción Social y la Cooperación Internacional, or ACCIÓN SOCIAL, would be maintained, if not increased, despite the financial crisis.

"We also need to work together more not only on responding to but also preventing displacement," Mr. Holmes added.

In his visit to Chocó in northwest Colombia, the ERC met with representatives of displaced Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities caught up in the conflict in their territories, often in very remote areas. "These communities face many risks, including forced recruitment, particularly of children, and many of them are being displaced or confined to their villages," said Mr. Holmes.

The difficulties of indigenous communities were illustrated by the recent massacre of members of the Awá indigenous community. The ERC condemned the massacre and appealed for a peaceful return to the communities of the bodies of those killed. He reiterated his concern about the future of these communities at a meeting with President Alvaro Uribe in Bogotá on 25 February, in which he encouraged the Government of Colombia to ratify the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Populations. The ERC also raised concerns about the need for free public discussion of these issues, and specifically about the need for human rights defenders to be able to speak out as part of the normal democratic debate.

Stressing the likely effects of climate change in Colombia, and the risks posed by increasing disasters such as floods, Mr. Holmes stressed the importance of investing in disaster risk reduction and stated that the UN is interested in working even more closely with the Government on this, as well as on natural disaster preparedness and response.

The ERC noted that the UN and the humanitarian community should increase their capacity and presence on the ground to meet humanitarian needs, and also need to increase their access in insecure areas, in accordance with humanitarian principles. He urged international donors to increase humanitarian funding for Colombia in line with the recent increased funding from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).

"I hope that my visit has helped underscore the plight of those in need," he concluded at the end of his three-day visit to Colombia.

For further information, please call: OCHA-New York: Stephanie Bunker, +1 917 367 5126, mobile +1 917 892 1679, bunker@un.org; Nicholas Reader, +1 212 963 4961, mobile +1 646 752 3117, reader@un.org OCHA-Geneva: Elisabeth Byrs, +41 22 917 2653, mobile +41 79 473 4570, byrs@un.org OCHA press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org or www.reliefweb.int For more information about CERF, please see http://cerf.un.org