The report analyses Colombia’s legal and policy framework regulating international assistance in the event of a disaster using as a basis the Guidelines for the facilitation and regulation of international disaster relief and initial recovery assistance (also known as the “IDRL Guidelines”). It was developed over a two-year period pursuant to a formal memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Interior.
Among the key recommendation of the report is to structurally reinforce the National System for Disaster Prevention and Response to make it a more permanent mechanism rather than a series of ad hoc measures taken after the occurrence of a disaster. This implies establishing well-functioning communications channels for early warning systems between national institutions, regional and local committees as well as with civil society organisations and the academia. An efficient system must involve local communities in prevention and response operations to empower these communities and to ensure direct accountability.
Another major recommendation is to more clearly regulate international assistance. This would require clarifying the procedure to launch a request for international assistance, the roles of the different actors involved and establishing coordination mechanisms between these. The report also calls for the establishment of eligibility criteria for NGOs benefiting from legal facilities when providing humanitarian assistance. In terms of legal facilities, the report recommends inter alia exempting specific medications and basic food, which comply with international standards, from normal customs clearance requirements; accelerating the issuance of sanitary inspection certifications; and exempting humanitarian personnel from the cost of visas. The report also contemplates the introduction of a general tax exemption for donations in cash or in kind coming from eligible international actors.
“Colombia is subject to a wide variety of disasters”, recalled Mr. Walter Ricardo Cotte Witingan, Director of the CRCS, “preventing and responding to these is a challenging task for the government. The Colombian Red Cross assists the authorities in this task, and this extensive report is an important step along the way to improve legal preparedness for disasters in Colombia.”
The new Colombia report was also featured at a July 20 side event at the Economic and Social Council in New York.
A summary of the report is available here. For further inquiries, please contact Maria Martinez.