Sida's work in Colombia
The war in Colombia causes great human suffering and is a serious obstacle to sustainable development. Colombia is one of the world's most dangerous countries for human rights and environmental defenders and impunity is widespread. Sida contributes to peace building, increased respect for human rights, democracy, gender equality and the reduction of climate impact. Sida also provides humanitarian support to victims of the conflict.
Why do Sida work in Colombia?
Armed violence continues despite peace negotiations
Violence and attacks against the civilian population continues despite efforts to implement the peace agreement and ceasefire agreements reached between illegal armed groups and government forces. More children and young people are being forcibly recruited into armed groups. The situation for human rights defenders is very serious. Every year, hundreds of human rights defenders are murdered.
Increased violence towards women and girls
Violence against women and girls has increased since 2020. Of particular concern is the increase in sexual and gender-based violence, in which girls represent 80 per cent of victims.
Rapidly worsening environmental and climate impacts
Environmental and climate impacts are large and rapidly worsening. Over three decades, biodiversity has declined considerably, partly due to the fast expansion of farmland and unsustainable livestock management practices.
Examples of what Sida contributes to
Peace negotiations and women’s participation in peace processes
Sida contributes to the implementation of the peace agreement between the government and the FARC guerrillas and supports peace negotiations with armed groups. The aid strengthens the participation and security of women and girls and the rights of the victims of the conflict. Sida also contributes to finding missing persons.
Strengthening democratic participation
Sida supports organisations that help increase voter participation and reduce electoral fraud. The 2022 national elections had the highest voter turnout in 24 years. Despite some instances of political violence, electoral fraud and the spread of disinformation, the elections are considered to have been fair and the results were quickly recognised by all political parties. During the parliamentary elections, 86 women were elected to Congress, which is more than ever before.
Empowerment of women and LGBTI people
Sida supports efforts to collect testimonials from women and LGBTI people in conflict-affected regions. The work is preventive and leads to increased awareness and access to justice for victims of sexual violence.
Sida's work in Colombia
In Colombia, Sida conducts both long-term development cooperation to contribute to peace and sustainable development in the country, and humanitarian support to save lives and alleviate suffering in emergency situations.
Millions of Colombians are in need of humanitarian assistance. Despite the 2016 peace agreement, armed conflict is still ongoing in Colombia, and the country is also affected by recurrent natural disasters. Sida’s humanitarian support provides people with, for example, access to clean water, healthcare and shelter.
Sida works with international humanitarian and civil society organisations and prioritises the people most in need of support.
Sida’s humanitarian support in Colombia saves lives and alleviates suffering.
- International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC’s website
- United Nations Refugee Agency UNHCR’s website
- Norwegian Refugee Council NRC’s website
- Action Against Hunger AAH’s website
- Danish Refugee Council DRC’s website
- Humanitarian Mission of Colombia on the PUI website
- Country Based Pool Funds (CBP) on the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OCHA website
- United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) website
Learn more about Sida’s analysis of the humanitarian crisis, Sida’s support and how much money is distributed to each organisation in Sida’s crisis analysis.
The government that took office in August 2022 has initiated peace negotiations with various armed groups across the country. At the same time, it is also working on the implementation of the 2016 peace agreement with the FARC guerrillas, which came to a halt during the pandemic. If implemented, the peace agreement could open up new opportunities for a full and sustainable peace in Colombia. Nevertheless, armed conflicts are increasing and state institutions have very weak or no presence or capacity in large parts of the country.
The aid aims to increase the possibilities of implementing the peace agreement and support the peace negotiations with other armed groups. Sida focuses on the participation and safety of women and girls, the rights of conflict victims and finding missing persons. Here are some examples of programmes and projects we support:
Through the UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Sida supports the governmental institutions for transitional justice: the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the War Crimes Tribunal and the Missing Persons Unit. Among other things, it has been possible to bring charges against FARC guerrilla leaders accused of illegal detentions during the conflict. Important progress has also been made in the investigation of killings of civilians by the military.
Sida supports civil society organisations that work long-term to strengthen the rights of conflict victims. We also support the government’s transitional justice system, with a particular focus on women and LGBTQI people who have been victims of gender-based violence during the conflict.
Sida works with the International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), which provides support and advice to build and strengthen transitional justice institutions. ICTJ also supports civil society and victims’ organisations and increases their participation in the transitional justice process.
Many women are particularly vulnerable because of the conflict. The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women – UN Women is supported by Sida in collecting testimonies from women and LGBTI people in conflict-affected regions. The testimonies are included in the Truth Commission’s report presented in 2022 and highlights how the conflict has affected women and LGBTI people.
The reintegration of former guerrilla members into society is essential to achieving peace. In partnership with We Effect, Sida supports the organisation Ecomun, the former FARC guerrilla’s cooperative for the socio-economic reintegration of guerrilla members. Sida also supports UN and EU peace funds that, in addition to working on the reintegration of former guerrillas and military personnel, also work on rural development, create jobs and help to increase the presence and work of public authorities in hard-to-reach and conflict-affected areas.
Sida strengthens the private sector’s involvement in peacebuilding, for example through the Ruta Motor programme. It contributes to helping vulnerable young people into jobs so that they are not at risk of being recruited into armed groups or illegal economic activities. The programme is run in partnership between the business sector, private companies and institutions. Improving employment conditions for young people and strengthening opportunities for relevant training are part of the programme.
The human rights situation in Colombia is strained. Corruption is widespread and violence against human rights and environmental defenders is increasing. Elected officials and state institutions generally enjoy low levels of trust among the population and social discontent is widespread, especially among young people. Massive demonstrations and protests have increased in recent years and are often met with violence.
Forced displacement and arbitrary restrictions on freedom of movement have also increased, leading to a deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country. However, some progress is being made. In 2022, for instance, the Colombian Constitutional Court made a historic decision to decriminalise abortion up to 24 weeks, which is an important step towards the recognition of women’s sexual and reproductive rights.
Sida contributes to strengthening the protection of human rights defenders and supports projects that lead to increased gender equality and strengthened respect for human rights. Here are some examples of projects that Sida supports:
Sida contributes to the protection of human rights defenders by empowering local communities and civil society organisations to identify, map and manage security risks themselves. One example is support to the Christian Peace Movement, which protects and strengthens security awareness within local organisations that are under threat or attack, enabling them to continue their important work.
Sida supports the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). OHCHR produces independent reports with concrete recommendations to the Colombian government. They also cooperates with several government agencies that, among other things, protect human rights defenders and fight corruption.
Electoral fraud is suspected in the Colombian elections. The local civil society platform MOE maps and analyses risks of electoral fraud and irregularities in the election campaigns throughout the country. Through its support to MOE, Sida also contributes to the prevention of violence against women in politics.
Colombia is located in one of the world’s most species rich regions and is home to nearly 10 percent of the world’s biodiversity.12 There are large natural resources and conditions are favourable for agriculture. However, the country faces major challenges in using its natural resources sustainably.
People living in poverty and oppression in conflict-affected areas are most affected by climate change, environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. Among these, women, young people and ethnic communities, who depend on natural resources for their livelihoods, are particularly vulnerable.
Sida works to limit the direct and indirect impact of armed conflict on local ecosystems and the climate. We support nature-based solutions, green growth and empowering people to use natural resources. Here are examples of programmes and projects that Sida supports:
The people living along Colombia’s conflict-ridden Pacific coast are directly dependent on the natural world around them for their survival. Here, Sida is supporting the La Minga (All Together) programme to conserve two marine protected areas. Local stakeholders guide the work with the aim of conserving biodiversity and promoting the sustainable use of local ecosystem services.
Sida is also supporting a collaboration between Colombia’s National University (UNAL), Lund University and the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) that strengthens local communities’ capacity to conserve ecosystems through sustainable fishing practices and reduced dependence on fossil fuels.
Article on La Minga: Protecting the mangrove forest gave Merlin hope for the future (in Swedish)
Through the UN, EU, World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) peace funds, Sida supports projects that contribute in various ways to combating deforestation, promoting sustainable agriculture and providing increased access to basic social services such as water, toilets and energy supply, through environmentally sustainable solutions.
Together with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Sida has developed a guarantee facility to lend money to Colombia. The support focuses on the environment and climate as well as gender equality.
Updated: July 7, 2025