A review of the displaced population in eight cities of Colombia: local institutional response, living conditions and recommendations for their assistance Summary of results, general reflections and recommendations Bogota D.C., november of 2007 ©Copyright: A review of the displaced population in eight cities of Colombia: local institutional response, living conditions and recommendations for their assistance. ICRC-WFP, 2007 International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) World Food Program (WFP) Bogota, D.C, Colombia November 2007 http//: www.cicr.org http//: www.wfp.org/latinoamerica Coordination Team and Technical Team of the Temporary Technical Direction ICRC-WFP Alliance“Unión Temporal Econometría-S.E.I. S.A.” (firm that carried out the study) Christina Oberli María Gloria Cano Coordinator Humanitarian Assistance Department Director of the study ICRC María Cecilia Cuartas Yamile Palacio Specialist in Health and Nutrition Director of field work WFP Ángela Consuelo Carrillo Advisor Humanitarian Assistance Department ICRC Design: Design Process Ltda Printing: Linotipia Martinez Presentation Since 2004, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the World Food Program (WFP) have been working, jointly, in a process to establish the living conditions of the displaced population in the country. This process, motivated by the two institutions’ concern for the Colombian civilian population affected by the conflict, has materialized in two studies that provide an overview of the displacement phenomena, its causes and consequences. Today, after two years of work, we are pleased to submit for your consideration the executive summary of the joint study, whose purpose is to further the identification of the displaced population’s needs, as well as the current institutional response in view of improving the care provided to this population group. The study was carried out between November 2006 and June 2007, in eight (8) of the most important host cities for displaced population in the country, i.e.: Barranquilla, Bogota, Cartagena, Florencia, Medellín, Santa Marta, Sincelejo and Villavicencio. Data gathering was performed by “Unión Temporal Econometría - Sistemas Especializados de Información S.E.I. S.A.”; the firm hired to carry out the study. The ICRC and WFP hope that the results presented here, in a summarized manner, enable the different actors associated with the provision of assistance to the displaced population in the country, to become even more sensitive to the situation and the needs of this population. This is how we hope that the National, Provincial and Municipal governments, the national non governmental organizations, the international organizations, the private sector, civil society and the organizations of the displaced population, all of which constitute the active parties in the national reflection on this issue, join efforts and resources in order to improve and provide more services for this population. In this sense, this document aims to support constructive dialogue and a better coordination of such initiatives. Finally, we wish to extend our deepest gratitude to the displaced and resident population, to the national and municipal institutions, to the regional teams of both our institutions, to the head offices of the ICRC and WFP in Geneva and Rome, and to the “Unión Temporal Econometría- S.E.I. S.A.” for their decisive and valuable support in this process. Barbara Hintermann Praveen Agrawal Head of Delegation for the ICRC in Colombia Representative of the WFP in Colombia Table of content Note on the translation ...........................................................................................................................5 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................................7 1. Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................................................8 2. Methodology ...........................................................................................................................................10 3. General reflections ..................................................................................................................................17 4. Results for the eight cities ......................................................................................................................20 4.1 Institutional organization for the assistance to the displaced population........................................23 4.2 “Assistance Cycle” for the displaced population.................................................................................25 4.3 Characterization of the displaced population in terms of living conditions.....................................26 4.4 Analysis of the institutional response in relation to the conditions of the displaced population ...............................................................................................................................................30 4.4.1 Status of the displaced person...............................................................................................................30 4.4.2 Emergency Humanitarian Assistance (AHE) and psychosocial assistance.........................................33 4.4.3 Housing......................................................................................................................................................37 4.4.4 Perception of food security and food assistance.................................................................................44 4.4.5 Health, vaccinations and supplementing of micronutrients...............................................................48 4.4.6 Education and Early childhood assistance.............................................................................................53 4.4.7 Training, subsidy program and support programs for income generation.......................................60 4.4.8 Protection of rural assets abandoned due to forced displacement ..................................................65 5. Final comments and priorities.................................................................................................................68 6. Annexes.....................................................................................................................................................69 Summary of results, general reflections and recommendations 5 Note on the translation The following document has been translated from Spanish to English which has presented challenges with respect to the translation of context specific terms. The most noteworthy case being the term “atencion” which is used in the title and throughout the Spanish version but which encompasses the English notion of “attention” as well as that of general care, provision of assistance and services. In that sense these terms have been alternately used in the English version to try to best represent the broader concept of “Atencion”. In addition to some of the technical terms that are context specific, another difficulty has been translating the name of the wide range of institutional bodies and programs that are referred to in the document. Because most of these are known by their acronym rather than their full name in Colombia, for the sake of clarity, a literal translation will be given when they are first mentioned in the text but further references will be made using their Spanish acronyms. The list of these organizations and programs, as well as their corresponding Spanish names and acronyms, is presented below: Spanish name Acronym English name used in this document Indice de Condiciones de Vida ICV Living Conditions Index Departamento Nacional de Planeación DNP National Planning Department Programa Nacional de Desarollo Humano PNDH National Human Development Program Agencia Colombiana de Cooperación ACCI Colombian International Cooperation Agency Internacional Registro Único de Población Desplazada RUPD Central Registy for Displaced Population Assistencia Humanitaria de Emergencia AHE Emergency Humanitarian Assistance Unidades de Atención y Orientación Assistance and Orientation Units for the Dis- UAO a Población Desplazada placed Population Sistema Nacional de Atención Integral National Comprehensive Assistance System for SNAIPD a la población desplazada the Displaced Population Instituto Colombiano de Desarollo Rural INCODER Colombian Institute for Rural Development Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje SENA National Learning Service A review of the displaced population in eight cities of Colombia: local institutional 6 response, living conditions and recommendations for their assistance Spanish name Acronym English name used in this document Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar ICBF Colombian Institute of Family Welfare Sistema General de Participaciones SGP General System of Participation Departamento Administrativo Nacional DANE National Statistics Department de Estadísticas Comité Local de Atención a Población Local Committees for Comprehensive Assistance CLAIPD Desplazada to the Displaced Population Comité Municipal de Atención a Población Municipal Committees for Comprehensive CMAIPD Desplazada Assistance to the Displaced Population Comité Departmental de Atención Departmental Committees for Comprehensive CDAIPD a Población Assistance to the Displaced Population Operación Prolongada de Socorro OPSR Extended Aid and Recuperation Operation