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Colombia

Decades of armed conflict have left many victims in Colombia. Pressing humanitarian challenges include supporting communities affected by violence and helping the families of missing people.

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An ICRC staff member talks to the indigenous community of Peñas Blancas in Colombia.

Our work in Colombia

  • We listen to the victims of armed conflict and violence in confidence. When the government is unable to provide assistance, we help victims by providing emergency aid to cover their basic needs and livelihood support.
  • We help migrants, especially in areas affected by armed conflict and other violence. We also provide advice to prevent people from going missing on migration routes, and when they do, we help to trace them and put them back in touch with their families.
  • We engage in confidential dialogue with all the parties involved in the conflict and armed violence to remind them of the importance of respecting the principles of humanity.
  • We improve communities’ access to water, sanitation, health care and education.
  • We talk with the authorities to ensure that conditions in prisons and other places of detention meet humanitarian standards.
  • We promote safe behaviour in rural and urban areas to reduce the risk of accidents caused by anti-personnel landmines, improvised explosive devices, explosive remnants of war and light weapons.
  • We join forces with the Colombian Red Cross to expand our presence throughout the country and increase assistance for victims.

In Colombia, the ICRC has its headquarters in Bogotá and 12 other offices across the country.

Piñuña Negro river. ICRC President, Peter Maurer, and an ICRC team on the way in pirogue to some nearby small communities in FARC controlled zone.

The impact of our work - In 2022

334,000

people benefited from our work in Colombia

32,791

people affected by armed conflict received food and livelihood support, which improved their economic security.

11,324

doses of vaccine were administered with our support in areas affected by armed conflict and violence.

41,495

people have improved sanitary conditions, access to water and community facilities at schools and health centres.

183

relatives of missing people received information about the whereabouts of their loved ones, thanks to our support; 118 of the missing people were found alive.

Our services in Colombia

  • We provide support and advice to the families of missing people to help them find out what happened to their loved ones. Through its Restoring Family Links services, the ICRC provides support and advice to the families of people missing in connection with armed conflict, other violence or migration, responds to tracing requests and delivers messages within and outside Colombia. For further information, you can contact us at bog_tracing@icrc.org.

  • We provide medical, psychological and economic support to the victims/survivors of sexual violence and advise them on how to get government assistance.

  • We help people with disabilities, including victims of explosive devices, to ensure they get the physical rehabilitation they need.

  • We promote respect for health care (health-care personnel, vehicles and facilities) by engaging in dialogue with weapon bearers.

  • We support health-care workers who work in areas affected by conflict or other violence. We provide first aid training for communities. We support institutions so that they are able to improve the assistance they provide to victims.

  • You can contact us free of charge by calling #919 from a Claro, ETB, Movistar or Tigo mobile phone. You can also call us on the standard-rate Bogotá landline number +57 601 2007140. The opening hours for the “CICR te escucha” (ICRC hears you) hotline are 8.30am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 5pm, Monday to Friday. You can reach us via WhatsApp or Signal on +57 313 252914 and schedule a call back from our “CICR te escucha” hotline.

Contact us

Address

Calle 96 #11B-37
Bogotá, D.C.

Telephone

+57 1 313 86 30
Write to us

Media contact

Laura Santamaría

Telephone

+57 311 491 0789
Contact

Community Contact Centre

Telephone

+576012007140 / #919 / WhatsApp/Signal:+573132529114

Opening Hours:

8am - 4pm
Monday - Friday

Write to us

Our work with the Colombian Red Cross

In Colombia, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) helps people affected by armed conflict and other violence, doing everything it can to protect their lives and dignity and alleviate their suffering, often in partnership with the Colombian Red Cross.

Go to the Red Cross page