Attachments
Joint situational analysis
Located in the north-western tip of South America, Colombia has both a Pacific and Atlantic coastline. From south to north, it crosses the Andes mountain range, which gives the country its diverse weather conditions from its tropical climate along the coast and the eastern lowlands to its cooler climate in the highlands and Andes.
The diverse and varied geography of Colombia means that it is exposed to a broad range of environmental hazards (hydrometeorological as well as geophysical), which are directly impacted and exacerbated by the impacts of climate change across the country. Ranked 29 by the 2022 Inform Risk Index, Colombia is one of the higher risk countries in the world. Between 2021 and 2022, 962,000 people across 557 municipalities were affected by disasters in Colombia. Violence, as a result of conflict, is also a significant issue for people in Colombia. More than half of the people affected by natural hazards are also affected by the presence of armed groups.
The socio-economic consequences of disasters in Colombia over recent decades represent a major challenge for the country and for the sustainability of its development. The municipalities that are most affected are usually those with the lowest levels of development and governance, and the impact of these disasters aggravates their existing situation, affecting levels of resilience and social welfare.
Colombia was negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact, increasing the already significant challenges of unemployment and poverty. In Colombia, the levels of poverty have reached 27 per cent nationally, but in some territories exceed 50 per cent. The country is also currently hosting significant numbers of migrants, due to the ongoing migration crisis in the Americas, and at least 2.5 million Venezuelans are present in the country.
Despite significant progress in delivering the social protection system, the country continues to face significant challenges in terms of access to basic and specialized health services, especially for those communities farthest from urban centres. There are also challenges related to access to higher education, social inequality, and gender-based violence.