Colombia: Internally Displaced People

(asked on 21st March 2022) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of report by The Council for Human Rights and Displacement which states that 10,698 people were affected by mass forced displacement in Antioquia, Colombia, between January and November of 2021 with most victims being from the indigenous community.


Answered by
Vicky Ford Portrait
Vicky Ford
This question was answered on 24th March 2022

The British Government remains concerned about reports of confinement and threats made against human rights defenders, social leaders and indigenous communities in Colombia. Colombia is an FCDO Human Rights Priority Country and UK ministers and senior officials regularly raise human rights issues, as well as specific cases of concern, with the Colombian Government. Most recently, I raised human rights concerns when I spoke to Vice President Ramírez on 10 February. Officials from our Embassy in Bogotá also visited Antioquia to discuss security guarantees and preventive measures with different Government stakeholders to improve protection and security in that Department.

To date, we have spent over £68 million through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) to support the implementation of the peace agreement in Colombia and improve stability and security. Our funding is supporting the Colombian Government's rural development and reintegration programmes, transitional justice mechanisms, and strengthening the security and participation of communities in conflict-affected areas. We will continue to prioritise funding interventions to support at risk communities and victims, improve early warning and help tackle the root causes of the violence.

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