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European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations
News article20 December 2022Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO)

Colombia: EU releases €3.2 million in humanitarian aid

View of people in boats on a river, in the background some houses
© European Union, 2022

The Commission has released €3.2 million in additional humanitarian assistance for Colombia to respond to critical humanitarian needs in the country due to the ongoing armed conflict, widespread violence and the impact of natural hazards, among other causes. This brings EU humanitarian funding for Colombia in 2022 to €37 million, of which €15 million are dedicated to respond to the country's humanitarian needs and €22 million to tackle the impact of the Venezuelan crisis.

The new funding aims to address the most urgent humanitarian needs of the affected population, targeting in particular the areas of Catatumbo, Arauca and Buenaventura, with a focus on indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities. Aid programmes will ensure protection, health, education and access to basic services.

Over 7.7 million people in Colombia are in urgent need of humanitarian aid. Climate patterns such as La Niña phenomenon, which affected at least 900,000 people so far in 2022, further exacerbate the situation. An increase in poverty is also expected in Colombia as a result of rising food prices and loss of employment. As an additional layer of vulnerability, the number of people in a condition of global food insecurity has doubled between 2019 and 2022.