Supporting refugees, migrants and host communities in the District of Bogotá

Project description

Title: Supporting Refugees, Migrants and Host Communities in the District of Bogotá, Colombia
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Colombia
Lead executing agency: Agencia Presidencial de Cooperación Internacional Colombia (APC)​​​​​​​
Overall term: 2021 to 2024

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Context

Venezuela is currently in a deep crisis. As of January 2022, more than 6 million people had left the country. Colombia alone has taken in over 1.8 million people. In addition, internal conflict there has internally displaced some 8 million people.

Most of these people come to Bogotá. Dealing with refugees and migrants has become a great challenge for the municipal administration in the city. The economic and social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have further exacerbated the situation.

Objective

The Office of the Mayor of Bogotá is able to ensure the economic and social integration of refugees, migrants and internally displaced persons.

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Approach

The Bogotá Initiative 2.0 promotes internal cooperation in the district administration on the topic of integration. It also supports civil society engagement to integrate refugees, migrants and disadvantaged residents.

To mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the project works together with Charité Berlin, the Colombian National Institute of Health and the health secretariat of the Office of the Mayor of Bogotá.

Together with private companies, the project integrates refugees into the labour market and creates new jobs. It also advises Venezuelan migrants and refugees as well as Colombian returnees and supports them in implementing their own business ideas with microloans.

Innovative approaches and new technologies make it possible to involve the target groups in important decisions and to adjust integration services to people’s needs.

Conflict resolution measures promote peaceful coexistence and generate positive discourse on the topic of migration. The project pays attention to the different needs of the target group in this context.

There is a particular focus on improving the precarious health care situation for expectant mothers. The project additionally creates health services specifically for the LGBTI community.

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Last update: April 2022

Additional information