Colombia

Colombia is a highly culturally and biologically diverse country. Out of a total of 53 million inhabitants, as many as 5 million self-identify as indigenous while 10% of the national population are of Afro-Descendant origin, and many rural and urban groups hold mixed ethnic identity. Linguistic diversity is especially high with 100 distinct languages spoken, including 51 different indigenous languages in the Colombian Amazon region. 

Colombia is recognised as a “megadiverse” country where varied geology and landscapes support over 300 different ecosystem types providing habitats for as much as 10% of the world’s biodiversity.

Current situation

While Colombia’s laws protecting human rights are strong on paper, this does not always translate to effective rights protection on the ground. The government has ratified most international human rights and environmental treaties, and it has a national constitutional framework that recognises that the country is pluri-cultural and under pluri-legal jurisdiction, but implementation of these standards is often still weak or non-existent. 

At the same time, armed conflict persists in many regions despite the signing of a Peace Agreement between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2016. In areas suffering violence and conflict, the territories of indigenous peoples and Afro-Descendants are disproportionately affected by the presence of illegal armed groups composed of dissidents as well as mafias and cartels involved in illegal drug production and trafficking. 

Rights holders and territories under threat

In 2023, Colombia was (again) categorised as the most dangerous country in the world for land and human rights defenders. Indigenous, Black and small farmer community leaders that challenge corporate abuse and environmental damages caused by mining, energy, agribusiness and infrastructure companies face violence, death threats and criminalisation by corporate actors, paramilitary groups or other armed groups. 

The territorial and cultural integrity of indigenous peoples is threatened in many parts of the country by the expansion of extractive- and agro- industries, often driven by land grabbing and illegal land markets enabled by corrupt state agencies and notaries. 

Meanwhile, defective environmental licensing regulations still tend to ‘invisibilise’ indigenous and Afro-Descendant communities in order to fast-track official land use change proposals and secure foreign direct investments. They do this by avoiding the triggering of legal requirements for prior consultation, free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) and the completion of social and environmental impact evaluations. 

In 2025, pressures on indigenous territories from extractive industries are growing, even though Colombia has made pledges to phase out the use of hydrocarbons as part of its net zero GHG emissions targets and under recently adopted public policies on a just energy transition. 

The State is pushing for increased transition mineral mining and mega infrastructure projects,  as well as opening up remote frontiers for large scale monocultures. In the Amazon, deforestation continues to be driven by land speculation and cattle ranching that is fast approaching intact indigenous territories. At the same time, emerging funding mechanisms and nature markets are experiencing a boom in Colombia, generating both positive and negative impacts on forest peoples’ communities across the country. 

In many cases, indigenous peoples and customary landowners face a soup of acronyms and too often find that clear information about environmental policies, nature markets, climate programmes and funding that directly affects their territories is difficult to access.

Grassroots solutions

In response to these challenges, indigenous and other forest peoples in Colombia have organised to defend their territories and demand full respect for their fundamental rights via sophisticated organisational structures at the national, sub national and territorial levels.  Rights-holder organisations are using national and international legal actions to assert their rights, sometimes resulting in progressive court rulings. A priority for many peoples is to press the State and related actors to fulfil their obligations to comply with court judgements upholding territorial rights and self-determination. 

Across the country, indigenous and other social movements are working to build cultural resilience, establish stronger structures for self-government and increase the capabilities of their youth to address historical and present-day injustices. Despite facing barriers to effective participation, forest peoples continue to work to take advantage of emerging local and global opportunities for advancing sustainable self-determined development.

Local partners and collaboration with FPP

 FPP’s programme in Colombia aims to provide solidarity actions in support of these local struggles. We do this via technical and legal accompaniment to facilitate forest peoples’ grassroots initiatives to realise rights to self-determination, access to justice and a just transition to sustainable, sane and agro-ecological economies. 

To this end, FPP accompanies communities in their own self-determined endeavours to obtain land restitution, set their own land boundaries, title traditional lands, recuperate cultural practices, reappropriate traditional knowledge and promote native languages.  FPP applies a bottom-up approach that strives to accompany communities in their efforts to advance their own proposals for forest conservation, sustainable use and the protection and reproduction of living cultural heritage. 

• At the National  level, FPP works in partnership with the National Commission for Indigenous Territories (CNTI) on a range of issues including territorial rights, indigenous environmental monitoring and community-led conservation.
• At the local level, collaborative work with rights holders also involves forest restoration initiatives, including in support of the reforestation initiatives of Embera Chami People of the Cañamomo Loma Prieta Indigenous Reserve of Colonial origin (RCMLP) in Caldas.
• In the Amazon region, FPP has a long-term programme of accompaniment focused on institutional strengthening and territorial governance of the People of the Centre in alliance with traditional authorities and the Middle Amazonas Regional Indigenous Council.
• In Putumayo, FPP works with Colombian NGO allies supporting Indigenous Councils and peasant reserves affected by extractive industries.
• In Northern Cauca, FPP is a long-term ally of the Palenke Alto Cauca (PAC) and the Guardia Cimarrona, enabling actions in support of collective self-protection activities and the recuperation of traditional agro-ecological knowledge.
• In Montes de María, FPP has forged alliances with human rights defenders, women and youth among Black and peasant communities.
• Actions in solidarity with Afro-Descendant peoples include accompaniment of the Black Community Process (PCN) in challenging harmful corporate conduct. 

FPP is closely connected with social networks in Colombia and conducts advocacy and community-based trainings alongside national NGO allies, including Indepaz, Dejusticia and the Inter-ecclesiastical Justice and Peace Commission, among others.