Year: 2011 Last updated: 26/10/2010 HUMANITARIAN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN (HIP) Title: Colombia The activities proposed hereafter are still subject to the adoption of the financing decision ECHO/WWD/BUD/2011/01000 1. CONTEXT Internal armed conflict in Colombia continues unabated. The conflict involves the Colombian army and a series of irregular armed groups: the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and National Liberation Front (ELN) guerrilla organisations, splinter groups formed by "demobilized" paramilitary and/or criminal gangs. The conflict is largely self-financed through the proceeds of cocaine production, extortions, kidnapping, oil revenues and other business activities. Over the past eight years, a policy of Democratic Security was implemented by the government with the objective of recovering state control over the major part of the territory. Broadly speaking, military activity has shifted away from the north to remote mountain, jungle and border areas in the east and south-west. Despite governmental military advances over guerrilla groups and demobilisation of paramilitaries, massive and individual displacements and, increasingly, confinement of civilians continue to be major consequences of the overall conflict in Colombia. Besides facing intimidation, violence and death threats, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) lose their property, livelihood and, frequently, documentation. Indigenous people and Afro- Colombians are particularly and increasingly affected. The levels of new displacement have remained continuously high. According to Acción Social 1, more than 350,000 people were displaced in 2009 (24% more than in 2008), and a comparable figure is expected for 2010. Currently, according to Human Rights and Displacement Consultancy (CODHES), up to 4.6 million people have been displaced since 1985, while Acción Social quotes a figure of 3.5 million (since 1995). Whichever figure is closer to reality, Colombia's IDP problem continues to be one of scale. Furthermore, the phenomenon of confined, or blocked, communities is increasing. The high number of IDPs is due to various factors, including the rising number of illegal armed groups, classic guerrilla tactics, and indiscriminate aerial crop spraying and manual eradication of illegal crops. Other characteristics of this situation are the presence of mine and remnants of war (ROW) incidents, the increment of intimidation and selective killings and massacres perpetrated against communities, community leaders and trade unionists (which are regularly reported by Human Rights organisations), continued child recruitment, sexual violence as a weapon of war, and direct threats and attacks against the Health sector. 2 The humanitarian crisis is exacerbated by the shrinking of humanitarian space through the blurring of civil-military lines and repeated violations of International Humanitarian 1 Accion Social is the government agency in charge of assisting IDPs in Colombia 2 According to the ICRC during the first semester of 2010 they have reported 14 cases; moreover, the Ministry of Health has reported 17 cases. WWD/COL/2011/Version n 1
Law (IHL) committed by all actors of the armed conflict 3. In March 2009, the situation became even more serious with the adoption of a new presidential Directive which mandated several governmental agencies, including the armed forces to coordinate and develop activities with humanitarian organisations in the field, leading to an increasing militarisation of humanitarian aid. 2. HUMANITARIAN NEEDS (1) Affected people/ potential beneficiaries Approximately 160,000 people have been assisted annually by the European Commission under the European Commission's Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (DG ECHO) Global Plans for Colombia. In Colombia, more than 80,000 will benefit from emergency assistance in 2011 and some 40,000 from early recovery assistance. In neighbouring countries (Venezuela and Ecuador) some 40,000 people will benefit from protection and assistance actions. IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons). Official figures from the Unified Registration System for Displaced Population (RUPD) operated by Acción Social indicate 3,303,979 people displaced between 1 January 1995 and 1 January 2010. The majority of displaced people are living in overcrowded conditions in urban centres but many of them have rural background and skills not adapted to their new context. They are concentrated in the poorest sectors of the cities and live in extremely basic conditions. Women, elderly and children are particularly affected by the armed conflict. According to official sources, 73% of the total IDP population are women and children. Moreover, the recruitment of children by armed groups continues. Between 8,000 and 11,000 children are believed to be participating in illegal armed groups. Confinement - blockades - restrictions of movement and of access to basic services. Despite the serious humanitarian consequences, the phenomenon of confined and blocked populations remains largely invisible and unaccounted for in official reports. The phenomenon is characterised by restrictions on movement and on access to basic services, mainly for rural communities ending up as pawns in a never-ending conflict between ruthless factions. Reasons for this situation include weapons contamination in certain communities (mines and ROW), the use of civilians as human shields by the armed actors, and the armed groups' need to protect drug production areas and drug/arms trafficking routes. Currently the United Nations for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is conducting an assessment on confined and blocked populations. Preliminary data indicate that 50% of the affected population is Afro-Colombian. Refugees-asylum seekers, situation in neighbouring countries. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 500,000 Colombians are refugees or live in a refugee-like situation in Ecuador and Venezuela. They are forced to cross the border in order to avoid being killed or the forced recruitment of their children. Most of them stay in the zone along the border with Colombia. 3 ICRC reports over 1,600 violations of IHL in 2009. WWD/COL/2011/Version n 1 2
The national legal frameworks for refugee protection are developed in Ecuador and Venezuela, but their practical implementation substantially differs in those two countries. The main protection challenges for Colombian people in need of international protection (PNIP) in Venezuela and Ecuador are: the slow process of recognition of the refugee status, lack of documentation, restrictions on freedom of movement, arbitrary detention, exploitation, poor access to basic needs and services including extremely low access to employment, and continuous insecurity due to violence, intimidation and fear. Indigenous communities and Afro-Colombian population. Indigenous and Afro Colombian communities represent 3% and 10% of the national population respectively. There is however a disproportionately high number of indigenous and Afro-Colombian persons affected by the conflict. For instance, during the period January- September 2010, 34.5 % of the population assisted by ICRC were indigenous and Afro-Colombians. According to UNHCR, from 2008 to 2009 there was a 63% increase in the number of murders of indigenous people. (2) Description of most acute humanitarian needs. Protection: Protection in Colombia s complex conflict is understood in terms of basic physical security. Direct threats, violence including sexual violence, restriction of free movement, including through the deployment of landmines, and forced recruitment continues to threaten the civilian population and cause new displacements. Inclusion in the official registration system, which is the basis of the attribution of rights to IDPs, needs to be improved in order to decrease the number of displaced populations who are left out of the system. In addition, the conflict-affected rural population has important protection needs which have to be met. Finally, the assistance provided by the state is still not complete: it is relatively adequate in most of the capitals and main cities of most departments, while it is almost inexistent in others, particularly in isolated areas of the same departments. Emergency needs: Immediately after displacement, people often arrive in a new neighbourhood with only the essential goods they could transport. Hence, their most basic needs typically remain uncovered. Emergency food and non-food assistance is therefore deemed essential. The displaced populations - mainly farmer families - who move to urban centres are food-insecure. Restrictions on movement and on access to basic goods and services imposed by illegal armed actors on rural communities negatively impact their food security and nutritional situation. This forms part of Acción Social's responsibilities but is only provided to IDPs who are registered. It should be noted that the Government admits an under-registration of 24%. Especially in rural areas, IDPs are afraid to register, find the procedures too cumbersome or do not have confidence in the official aid programmes 4. Furthermore, the official Information System for Displaced Population ("SIPOD") usually does not register intra-urban displacements or displacements due to the actions of illegal armed groups (other than the guerrilla) or due to fumigation/manual eradication. There is also a sharp increase in the rejection rate in the registration system (the rejection rate increased from 28.6% in 2008 to 45.8% in 2010). Emergency needs are also related to the delays to declare forced displacement, getting officially registered and receive emergency assistance, a process that usually takes several months. 4 CODHES, "Más o menos desplazados", 12 September 2006 WWD/COL/2011/Version n 1 3
Other humanitarian needs: Registered IDPs have access to the health system although the system is not always operational in rural areas. Non-registered IDPs can only access the system through informal payments which they often cannot afford because their income and savings have been depleted. Access to primary health care is limited for rural conflict-affected populations, mostly because public health care services do not function regularly in the concerned areas. Access to safe water and sanitation is generally acceptable in Colombia. However, it is usually highly limited in cases of illegal occupation by displaced people in urban areas and in many conflict-affected rural areas, where the systems have often deteriorated due to the conflict. According to the latest report by the National Verification Survey, only 7.5% of all families officially registered as IDPs were living in housing conditions "with dignity". In addition, displacement is a traumatic experience. According to the Ministry of Health, 40% of the population affected by conflict is at risk of contracting psychological problems. In spite of the seriousness of the problem, only few psychological service structures exist and treatment is not included in the assistance offered by the government. Colombia is a highly disaster-prone country, the vast majority of damage being caused by hydro-meteorological events, notably floods and landslides. Given Colombia's welldeveloped response capacity, most disasters can be dealt with through national resources. However, in some cases local or national response capacity is not sufficient and international assistance is required, including for reasons of access. In addition, population affected by the conflict might be also hit by natural disasters, as they usually settle in zones at risk. 3. HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (1) National/local response and involvement The government has made some progress in its policy towards IDPs and increased the corresponding resources. However, the government does not recognise the internal conflict or the humanitarian crisis resulting from it. The government response to the humanitarian needs of IDPs continues to show serious gaps despite the increased funding and planning at central level. Colombia has a sound legal protection framework which complies with international treaties and standards. The country's first law ("Law 387") to help the victims of forced displacement was adopted in July 1997. In a landmark judgment in 2004, the Constitutional Court declared the government's failure to appropriately enforce the rights of the conflict-affected population. In response to the Court s requirements, the Government adopted a new National IDP Plan. In April 2008, a law was passed (Law 1190), to increase the coordination between national and local authorities (and the private sector) to provide assistance to IDPs. The situation is however paradoxical: While the country has a sophisticated legal protection framework and considerable financial resources earmarked for assistance to IDPs, the emergency humanitarian and protection needs of many victims of the conflict remain uncovered, mainly outside the major cities, where access of the state is precarious. The lack of assistance is also due to under-registration. (2) International Humanitarian Response An Inter Agency Standing Committee is in place, with the participation of UN agencies and international NGOs, as well as some observers: ICRC, MSF and DG ECHO. A significant part of the support of most major WWD/COL/2011/Version n 1 4
humanitarian and cooperation donors present in Colombia is through bilateral agreements. The international donor community s support is mainly addressed to rehabilitation and development, although there is still a part of that support directed to humanitarian activities. DG ECHO plays a significant role in overall international humanitarian aid effort to Colombia. According to the OCHA Financial Tracking System, the total of international humanitarian aid to Colombia in 2009 amounted to USD 57.9 million, being the top five donors DG ECHO (28.4%), Norway (12%), Germany (11%), the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) (9.3%) and USA (9.1%). Other than the European Union, which provides both social and economic assistance to Colombia, the United States remains the most influential foreign actor in Colombia. In 2009 the US provided approximately USD 663 million to the Colombian government, slightly less than in previous years. The assistance still consists primarily of military and police aid, but increasing amounts consist of social and economic assistance. (3) Constraints and DG ECHO response i) Access/humanitarian space. Although insecurity is a major problem in rural conflict areas and marginal urban zones in Colombia, the humanitarian community has rarely been targeted in the past and there is in general respect for international humanitarian actors. Access to the civilian population in areas in which the conflict is most acute is difficult and usually depends on local commanders. In addition, a presidential decree forbids any international organization - with the exception of ICRC 5 - to establish contact with illegal armed groups. In some areas, humanitarian organizations may be advised by irregular armed groups not to operate. In spite of these difficulties, actions funded under past Global Plans have generally achieved satisfactory access to the beneficiary population. All groups regularly continue committing violations of IHL, usually with high levels of impunity. Blurring of lines between civilian and military actors in conflict areas is a worrying development which is likely to increase risks for aid workers and to compromise humanitarian principles in Colombia. More advocacy for humanitarian space and IHL should therefore be pursued. Also, in addition to financing projects which address protection needs, DG ECHO will continue to lobby the Government, through high-level meetings and via the EU Delegation and Member States, to respect their obligations under IHL. ii) Partners. DG ECHO's partners in Colombia are present in the departments most affected by the conflict. In the neighbouring countries, DG ECHO s main partner, UNHCR, is providing assistance and protection to Colombian refugees along the borders in Ecuador and Venezuela. iii) Absorption capacity on the ground and efficiency of operations. The absorption capacity is good and requires a careful selection of the partners. The evaluation of previous Global Plans confirmed that DG ECHO's intervention strategy in Colombia continues to be fully relevant. 5 The ICRC has been authorized by the Government to engage in a dialogue on humanitarian issues and possible IHL violations. The role of the Colombian Red Cross is regulated by Law 852 of 2003. WWD/COL/2011/Version n 1 5
(4) The envisaged DG ECHO response: Given the evolution of the conflict, the level of aid and protection will be similar to 2010. The three main DG ECHO priority criteria in Colombia are: a) to focus on newly displaced populations (less than 12 months), b) to identify conflict-affected areas and/or communities inaccessible or difficult to reach for other humanitarian actors or for government institutions (confined population), c) to promote institutional strengthening through good coordination, as a crucial step towards exit/handover strategies and to avoid substitution of government activities. Particular emphasis will continue to be placed on the most vulnerable groups, i.e. women, children, elderly people as well as ethnic groups (indigenous and Afro-Colombian population) and d) population affected by natural disasters. In Ecuador and Venezuela, DG ECHO will provide humanitarian assistance and protection to Colombians victims of the conflict, both to asylum seekers and formal refugees. (5) Expected results of humanitarian aid interventions: DG ECHO s intervention strategy in Colombia continues to be fully relevant, focussing on humanitarian assistance to recently displaced people and rural populations facing restrictions of access to basic goods and services, with protection being the overarching element of intervention. 4. LRRD, COORDINATION AND TRANSITION Opportunities for Linking Relief, rehabilitation and Development (LRRD) focus mainly on Government institutions. Given the increased aid efforts by the Colombian Government, the continued involvement of the relevant state sectoral institutions is vital in all phases: prevention, response, durable solutions. In this connection, DG ECHO implementing partners have to be pro-active and devise a handover/exit strategy, involving state sectoral institutions to the largest extent possible. Some DG ECHO interventions have already been handed over to state sectoral institutions, for instance health care brigades and accelerated learning cycles for IDP children in some municipalities. LRRD is also promoted through existing complementarities between DG ECHO and interventions under other Commission aid instruments such as the Development Cooperation Instrument for Latin America (DCI Budget line 19 09 01). To ensure coordination, there are regular meetings between the EU Delegation and the DG ECHO office in Bogota and a continued dialogue in Brussels between DG ECHO, DG RELEX 6 and DG AIDCO 7. Furthermore, synergies are sought with other EU funded programmes such as the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights, the DCI thematic programmes ("Non-State Actors and Local Authorities in Development") and the Instrument for Stability 8. 5. OPERATIONAL DETAILS The provisions of the financing decision ECHO/WWD/BUD/2011/01000 and the general conditions of the Framework Partnership Agreement with the European Commission supersede the provisions in this document 6 Directorate-General for External Relations of the European Commission 7 EuropeAid Cooperation Office 8 Budget line 19 06 01 01 Crisis response and preparedness - Instrument for Stability WWD/COL/2011/Version n 1 6
5.1. Contacts 9 Operational Unit in charge: ECHO-A4 Contact at HQ level Eduardo Fernandez-Zincke Desk Officer Eduardo.Fernandez-zincke@ec.europa.eu Contact in Colombia Pedro Luis Rojo Garcia Technical Assistant ta@echocolombia.eu 5.2. Financial info Indicative allocation: EUR 12 million Forgotten crises: Hum. Aid: EUR 11 million 5.3. Proposal Assessment Food Aid: EUR 1 million Assessment round 1 - Description of the humanitarian aid interventions relating to this assessment round: Interested partners are invited to submit letters of intention for all response to the needs and sectors of interventions identified in the HIP section 2 and 3 - - Indicative amount to be allocated in this round of proposals: up to EUR 12 million. - Costs will be eligible from 01/ 02/ 2011 10 - The expected initial duration for the funded actions is up to 12 months. - Commonly used principles will be applied for the assessment of proposals, such as quality of needs assessment, knowledge of the country / region, relevance of intervention sectors, and quality of the intervention logic in relation to the HIP and to the operational recommendations. - Potential partners: All DG ECHO Partners - Information to be provided: Intention Letter 11 (max 5 pages, Free format or based on the Single form format) including at least: specific area 9 All intention letters received should be sent to ECHO-CENTRAL-MAILBOX@ec.europa.eu 10 The eligibility date of the Action is not linked to the date of receipt of the Single Form. It is either the eligibility date set in the Single form or the eligibility date of the HIP, what ever occurs latest. 11 In case intention letters are requested an initial analysis will be done on the basis of the information received, Single Forms and other sources, such as humanitarian programmes and appeals (CAPs or CHAPs). For the retained intention letters, partners will be requested to submit a Single Form, which will be the subject of a more detailed assessment. Only accepted Single Forms can lead to the signature of an agreement. WWD/COL/2011/Version n 1 7
intervention, sector, duration, beneficiaries, context/needs assessment, proposed response (results, activities presented in the form of a logical framework), estimated costs, requested contribution, contact details. International organizations and agencies may replace the above information by sending their country program/appeal HO (or the link if published on their website) and the contribution be requested to DG ECHO. - Indicative date for receipt of the above requested information: by 15/12/2010 12 - Costs will be eligible from 01/ 02/ 2011 - The expected initial duration for the funded actions is up to 12 months. - Commonly used principles will be applied for the assessment of proposals, such as quality of needs assessment, knowledge of the country / region, relevance of intervention sectors, and quality of the intervention logic in relation to the HIP and to the operational recommendations. 12 The Commission reserves the right to consider intention letters/ Single Forms transmitted after this date, especially in case certain needs/ priorities are not covered by the received intention letters / Single Forms. WWD/COL/2011/Version n 1 8