A report from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warns that violence in Colombia threatens the protection and integration of displaced populations.
The document cautions that escalating violence and humanitarian needs in the country could reverse years of progress in protecting and integrating displaced communities, primarily affecting the most vulnerable, including children and women.
Colombia has one of the largest uprooted populations in the world, with over seven million internally displaced people, nearly three million Venezuelan refugees and migrants, and more than 500,000 Colombian returnees.
UN report warns violence in Colombia threatens protection of displaced people
A recent UNHCR report states that renewed violence in certain regions of Colombia—such as Catatumbo in the northeast, Cauca in the southwest, and Choco in the northwest—is jeopardizing the safety of displaced individuals.
The UN agency emphasizes that despite years of assistance to these communities, intensifying violence, coupled with a lack of financial resources, risks undoing years of efforts to protect and reintegrate displaced populations.
“As funding runs out, UNHCR is forced to suspend essential services, threatening to reverse years of progress and leave the most vulnerable without the desperately needed support,” the agency’s spokesperson warned on Friday.
During a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, William Spinder explained that the agency’s programs—which support conflict-affected communities, facilitate the safe return of internally displaced families, and formalize informal urban settlements—are being scaled back or halted.
“These cuts undermine progress toward stability, local integration, and self-reliance for refugees and internally displaced people,” he detailed.
Spinder added that suspending aid could force displaced individuals and refugees to move again in search of safety and stability, while returnees may find inadequate conditions to resettle.
Catatumbo: one of Colombia’s most affected regions
UNHCR highlights that the Catatumbo region along the Colombia-Venezuela border is among the hardest hit by funding shortages.
Recent clashes between illegal armed groups in the area have displaced over 63,000 people, marking “the largest mass displacement incident recorded in Colombia’s history,” the spokesperson noted.
Amid escalating violence, UNHCR has halted distributions of basic relief items—including mattresses, blankets, hygiene kits, solar lamps, and mosquito nets—despite ongoing conflict exacerbating risks for vulnerable populations.
The agency also warns that long-term stabilization efforts are at risk after suspending support for the government-led legalization of informal settlements.
“This initiative ensures solutions through property rights and provides access to water, electricity, and safe housing for over 105,000 people. Without this support, many remain in precarious living conditions with no clear path to recovery,” Spinder stated.
Appeal to international community for increased funding
Funding shortfalls also endanger child protection programs, leaving children vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups.
Similarly, documentation for over 500,000 Venezuelans is at risk.
“Without identification, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans will struggle to settle, access healthcare, education, and legal employment, drastically increasing their vulnerability to exploitation and abuse,” Spinder emphasized.
UNHCR urgently called on the international community to boost support and provide necessary funds to sustain its operations in Colombia. The agency requires US$118.3 million to continue its work this year.
However, needs extend far beyond: the Regional Response Plan for Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants requires $1.4 billion but has secured only 4.6% of that amount.
Peace Agreement: a tool to prevent further conflict cycles
Meanwhile, this week, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Colombia, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, presented the latest quarterly report on Colombia to the UN Security Council. The report highlights achievements, challenges, and opportunities in implementing the 2016 Peace Agreement with the former FARC.
Ruiz Massieu stressed that amid resurgent violence, “the Peace Agreement remains a valid and crucial instrument for Colombia’s structural transformation.”
However, the report notes that recent violence and worsening humanitarian crises in Catatumbo reflect accumulated shortcomings in the Agreement’s implementation.
“Had the Agreement been implemented more comprehensively over the past eight years, we would not face situations like those in Catatumbo or Cauca today,” Ruiz Massieu declared during his Security Council address on Tuesday, April 22, attended by Colombian Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia.
Regarding structural reforms outlined in the Peace Agreement—such as comprehensive rural reform—Ruiz Massieu reported slower-than-expected progress. “While there have been advances in land formalization, historic rural inequality remains an unresolved challenge,” he said.
Notice to the Government of Colombia
Similarly, the report is unequivocal in its assessment of the current government’s policies, stating that “the partial failure of the voluntary substitution of illicit crops, due to the state’s lack of compliance, has limited its impact.”
However, the UN representative also stated that Colombia’s commitment to peace is unwavering and called on the Security Council and the international community to maintain their steadfast support for the process, emphasizing that their backing “becomes the cornerstone” for ensuring the sustainability of peace.
For her part, Colombia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Laura Sarabia, highlighted in her remarks a series of advances in the implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement.
Among the most notable achievements, Sarabia cited the allocation of over 133,000 hectares of land, territorial funding exceeding US$2.4 billion for municipalities historically affected by the conflict, and the active reintegration of more than 12,000 signatories of the Agreement.
“We do not come to ask for leniency, but to renew Colombia’s commitment to peace. With the support of this community, we will make peace a legacy, not an unfulfilled promise (…) To speak of peace in Colombia is to speak of dignity, memory, and the future (…) May Colombia’s peace unite us,” concluded the head of Colombian diplomacy.