Humanitarian needs assessment with a special focus on older people affected by the internal armed conflict and natural disasters in Colombia

The impact of the more than fifty-year-long internal armed conflict in the Republic
of Colombia continues to generate serious humanitarian consequences for the
civilian population. Despite the fact that the conflict has recently been recognized
at a political level and general macroeconomic growth, Colombia still has between
3.7 and 5.3 million internally displaced people (depending on the source of
information), meaning Colombia has one of the largest internally displaced
populations in the world. The internal armed conflict involves several illegal armed
groups, including the guerrilla groups (the FARC-EP and the ELN) and new armed
groups which, following demobilization, are defined by the State as criminal gangs
(“Bacrim”), which fight the Colombian Armed Forces (CAF). The current situation
continues to generate notable pressure on a large part of the civilian population,
resulting in internally displaced persons (IDPs), restriction on movement of people,
goods and services (sometimes confinement of communities) and refugees in
neighbouring countries such as Ecuador, Venezuela or Panama.
Together with the permanent conflict situation in several areas of the country, the
process of climate change is notably affecting the territory. 3.9 million people were
affected by the La Niña phenomenon in 2010, and many more are affected by the
so-called “winter floods”.
The conflict, the frequent flooding and a growing social inequality affects all
vulnerable groups including older people in particular. Colombia is a prominent
example of the ageing process that is affecting the whole region of Latin American.
Between 1995 and 2000, the population over 60 years of age grew at a rate of
2.8% annually compared with the national population growth rate of 1.9%. Those
aged 80+ are one of the fastest growing groups with an increase of 4% a year.
Furthermore, it is estimated that two thirds of older people in Colombia live in
poverty. Ageing is also reflected in the statistics regarding displacement, with
10.1% of the forced displaced population over 60.
HelpAge has been working in Colombia through local organisations since the
eighties, with a permanent presence since 2008. This needs assessment has been
undertaken in the southwest of Colombia with the purpose of identifying the
humanitarian needs of the general population with a specific focus on older people,
in order to contribute to a better and more specific response in the country, which
takes into account all the aspects and particularities of older people in the
departments of Valle del Cauca and Nariño. This needs assessment also aims to
help other humanitarian actors to support the inclusion of older people and other vulnerable groups in the design and implementation of their responses, whether it
is within or outside the analysed areas