Colombia

Supporting communities facing conflict, migration and natural disasters

Suffering from the impact of Covid-19, Colombia is currently experiencing a multi-faceted humanitarian crisis with seven million people in need due to conflict, migration, and natural disasters. 

GOAL initially received strategic support and funding from Irish Aid during its initial response phase in 2019. GOAL now is coordinating its emergency response with local authorities, international organizations, grassroots organizations, community leaders and United Nations agencies.

GOAL is providing support to a number shelters and settlements sites and is strengthening urban resilience through its flagship Barrio Resiliente programme. The project is being implemented by a consortium, with GOAL as lead agency, and targets neighborhoods in four regions: La Guajira, Norte de Santander, Bucaramanga Municipality in Santander, and Baranquilla municipality in Atlantico.

Baranquilla and Bucaramanga, in particular, have experienced rapid expansion as a result of the migrant crisis. GOAL’s Barrio Resiliente approach aims to reduce urban disaster risk by strengthening local government and community capacities. The approach was first developed by GOAL in Honduras where it resulted in a measurable reduction in disaster risk in urban areas. It is being adapted to the Colombia context in collaboration with key municipal actors and piloted in prioritised neighborhoods prone to flooding and landslides and other hazards (as happened during the heavy rains in Nariño, Antioquia and in Calle del Cauca in 2021) 

Supporting Blue and Green economies

To support longer term solutions to the migrant crisis, GOAL is supporting inclusive economic development through its ‘Resilience of the Blue Economy’ and ‘Green Economy’ programmes.

These well-established programmes are now being adapted and applied in response to the migrant crisis in Colombia. The Resilience of the Blue Economy Programme was developed by GOAL with the aim of making fisheries markets more inclusive and resilient by addressing key constraints including: inadequate infrastructure for cold chain management; lack of access to capital and financial services; poor and non-existent extension and business development services; poor governance of natural resources leading to the “tragedy of the commons” including overfishing and habitat loss; limited adherence to market demand (food hygiene standards, stability of supply chains) and poor market coordination and linkages.

GOAL’s resilience of the Green Economy Programme is an economic model that results in improved well-being and social equality, while significantly reducing the risks related to climate variability and the loss of natural resources and biodiversity. Through this approach, GOAL will improve and rebuild natural capital as a critical economic asset and a source of benefits for the population of Colombia.