PARTNER-ATLAS

COLOMBIA

as a partner for regulating global migration flows

01 — The key questions for the Partner-Atlas

RELEVANCE: What relevance does Colombia have for Germany with regards to "regulating global migration flows"?

According to official data from the Colombian migration authorities, approximately 1.8 million of the more than 4 million Venezuelan migrants are currently in Colombia.Commuters and so-called “transit migrants“ are not included in these statistics, which means that their actual number is probably even higher.

The fact that Colombia is the preferred destination for Venezuelan refugees can be explained by its linguistic and cultural proximity and by the fact that many families have relatives on both sides of the border. While these aspects facilitate integration, they do not reduce the economic challenges for the host country’s institutions. Moreover, large numbers of migrants are suffering extreme economic, social, physical and psychological hardship.

The Colombian-Venezuelan border, which is more than 2,000 kilometres long, has only seven official border crossings and, for long stretches, runs through rough terrain, which makes it practically impossible to control entry and exit and (legal and illegal) trade. A large proportion of migrants enter the country via the numerous illegal border crossings, which are usually controlled by criminal groups, making registration and providing immediate care (food, medical examination and treatment) difficult. . By now, the Colombian government has initiated a generous legalisation process.Since May 2021, all Venezuelans living in Colombia legally or illegally have been eligible to register with the migration authorities in order to legalise their status under a new temporary residence status. This initiative is an important message by the Colombian government, opening up prospects for migrants for staying in the country permanently and supporting their integration into society and the labour market. By late 2021, 1.7 million migrants had already entered their names in the new single register in order to legalise their status. The biometric data of almost a million Venezuelans have already been recorded, so that the stated goal of the government of issuing 1.8 million residence permits by mid-2022 seems realistic.

The Colombian government is aware of the political and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela and is trying, in a spirit of generous, neighbourly solidarity, to receive and care for migrants as best it can. At the same time, with international support, tremendous pressure is being exerted on the Venezuelan government, because if there is no change in the situation there, migration to Colombia will increase. The future stability of Colombia and the region essentially depends on whether migration flows can be regulated efficiently and distributed more evenly.

WILLINGNESS: To what extent is Colombia willing to work with Germany in realising this interest?

The German government has provided important support for managing the migration crisis from the very beginning. Germany’s experience with the wave of migration from Syria in 2015 was closely observed in Colombia, because Colombia had been more a country of emigration than of immigration before the Venezuelan crisis, and had therefore had little experience with the phenomenon of massive immigration. There is thus considerable interest in a dialogue with Germany regarding successful measures and avoidable mistakes with respect to managing migration.

The Colombian government, for example, has adopted the German system for the identification and registration of migrants.

Colombia is committed to introducing this system regionally as part of the “Quito Process”. Also, the country could pick some ideas from the German model for the distribution of migrants across regions and federal states (depending on economic capacity and population structure) . Colombia is anxious to achieve a more even distribution of migrants in the region. The fact that the proposal only received a lukewarm response from countries that are not directly or equally affected by migration shows some parallels to the European migration debate.

At the international level, Colombia, like Germany, has actively participated in initiatives such as the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration at UN level, and in the Solidarity Conference held last year in Brussels at the initiative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the EU. Colombia and Germany, as important host countries for migrants and refugees, are strong supporters of the Migration and Refugee Compact. Germany has a special role here, as it is the only country in the world to be both one of the ten host countries taking in most refugees and, at the same time, one of the biggest contributors to the UNHCR.

STATUS QUO: How close is Germany and Colombia's current cooperation in this area?

There is currently intense cooperation between Colombia and Germany on migration. The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is providing support and advice on introducing the system for identifying and registering migrants (especially in border areas). The Federal Foreign Office (AA) is heavily involved in the area of humanitarian aid. Germany also provides substantial funding to the UN and EU migration programmes in Colombia.

The German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ), for example, is implementing projects to develop the local economy, in which migration is to be used for the country’s development, for example by promoting business start-ups and other productive initiatives, launched by migrants in Colombia. Support has also been given to communities that host migrants, especially in the Venezuelan-Colombian border area.

Political foundations are engaged in providing analysis, education and policy consultation by training government representatives, members of parliament and political decision-makers and raising their awareness of relevant issues. A particular focus is policy consultation with respect to the ongoing debate on a Colombian immigration law.

Church organisations also play an important role in supporting migrants (especially for emergency aid). Caritas Germany, for example, cooperates with local religious organisations to help provide care for migrants and Colombian returnees from Venezuela.

POTENTIAL: What is the potential for strengthening the partnership between Germany and Colombia in this area?

Unless the political, economic and social situation in Venezuela decisively improves, it can be assumed that by the end of 2022 hundreds of thousands more migrants will leave Venezuela, looking for a new home in Colombia or neighbouring countries. The Colombian Presidential elections, scheduled for the first half of 2022, will determine whether the new government is prepared to restore the severed diplomatic relations to the Maduro regime in order to achieve a minimum consensus on issues such as easing trade restrictions, facilitating cross-border traffic as well as fighting criminal gangs in the border areas. Pragmatic solutions could ease the humanitarian emergency in the border area and strengthen government control as well as border security. Even if this would lessen the acute emergency, the potential and the need for cooperation remain substantial.

POLICY RECOMMENDATION: What in German foreign policy has to change in order to fully exploit this potential?

Germany should become even more involved at the multilateral level in order to maintain international pressure on the Maduro regime and thus contribute to a peaceful transition in the medium term. Redemocratisation, combined with international aid for reconstruction of the country, would alleviate migration pressure and open up the prospect of a return to their home countries for many emigrants. Germany should be proactively engaged in this process.

A migration movement of this magnitude must be accompanied by longer-term planning, that is primarily focused on the implementation of appropriate medium and long-term public policies (such as in healthcare and education), apart from taking necessary emergency action. It is especially important to provide advice and support to regional and local governments and administrations, because these have suffered most from the economic impact and they have shown a keen interest in suitable training programs. Germany can offer such advice based on its own experience and thereby contribute to strengthening the responsible Colombian institutions, to decentralising the provision of care for migrants and to regional development.

Given that both Colombia and Germany will continue to be immigration countries in the foreseeable future, there is a considerable congruence of interests for pulling together on a multilateral level. Apart from specific support measures on the ground, German foreign policy should emphasise the value of including Colombia as a strategic interest partner in the global migration debate, so that the Global Migration Compact and the Global Refugee Compact, which both countries support, can now be gradually implemented following their adoption in December 2018.

Stefan Reith heads the KAS Office in Colombia.

Last update:April 27th, 2022

COLOMBIA

  • Population: 50,882,891
  • Capital: Bogota
  • Interest: Regulating Global Migration Flows
  • Region: Latin America

04 — The region

Latin America

logo

CHILE

The strategic partnership between the EU and Latin America was established as part of the first European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean (EU-LAC) Summit in June 1999. The principle underlying the strategy and the subsequent association and partnership agreements with individual countries and regions on the South American continent was the assumption that the EU and the countries of Latin America are united by many shared values and interests.

  • Population: 19.450.953
  • Capital: Santiago de Chile
LEARN MORE
logo

BRAZIL

Brazil is the largest country in South America, the fifth-largest country in the world, and the largest economy in Latin America. It also accounts for more than 60 percent of the Amazon tropical rainforest, the world’s largest, and includes a large proportion of renewables in its energy mix. The country’s geographical location, size, economic significance and the importance of preserving its natural resources in the fight against the global climate crisis all underpin the central role Brazil plays in ensuring and maintaining global climate, energy and food security.

  • Population: 212.559.417
  • Capital: Brasilia
LEARN MORE
logo

COLOMBIA

In the context of the competition between political systems involving Russia, China and the western democracies, Colombia is of significant strategic importance to Germany and to Europe as a whole, both as a partner in values and as a regional anchor of stability. In terms of population size, economic power, geographical size and wealth of resources, it is one of the most important countries in Latin America.

  • Population: 50.882.891
  • Capital: Bogota
LEARN MORE
logo

MEXICO

In connection with organised crime, drug trafficking, and the infiltration of the state by criminal groups, Mexico – a regional leader and member of the G20 – is facing major challenges that affect both internal and regional security. In view of the cross-border effects of organised crime in Mexico, which extends far beyond the American continent, migration from Central America and other regions of the world through Mexico towards the USA, the significant economic potential as a manufacturing base offering a well-qualified workforce and privileged access to the US market via the North American Free-Trade Area, Mexico is of great importance for the stability of the region.

  • Population: 128.932.753
  • Capital: Mexiko-Stadt
LEARN MORE
logo

COSTA RICA

Costa Rica generates nearly 100 percent of its electricity consumption from renewable energy sources. The country is also considered a leader in nature conservation. More than 25 percent of Costa Rica’s land is devoted today to nature conservation areas. With its Decarbonisation Plan, adopted in 2018 with an implementation deadline of 2050, the country is setting important standards and leading the way both regionally and internationally. Currently, the Environmental Commission of the Costa Rican Parliament is working on a bill that would officially ban oil and gas exploration and extraction in the country. Against this backdrop, Costa Rica can undoubtedly be considered a major player when it comes to safeguarding significant resources and protecting the climate.

  • Population: 5.185.625
  • Capital: San José
LEARN MORE
logo

PERU

Peru is an exception in Latin America in terms of its enormous wealth of resources and biodiversity. The country has three large landscape zones: the coast, most of which is covered by desert, the Andes and the jungle region. According to the World Resource Institute, Peru is one of only eight megadiverse countries in the world, possessing 84 of the 104 existing life zones. 76 percent of the country is occupied by rainforest, which means that the country has the largest share of the Amazon rainforest after Brazil.

  • Population: 32,971,854
  • Capital: Lima
LEARN MORE
logo

MEXICO

Mexico is the second-largest economy in Latin America, and is a member of the G20, the OECD and the WTO. After the USA and China, the European Union is its third-most important trading partner. Given its geographic proximity to the US and the economic, cultural and social interrelationships between the two countries, especially as part of the successor to NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) which came into force in July 2020 – the Tratado comercial entre México, Estados Unidos y Canadá (T-MEC) – Mexico plays a special part in this economic context.

  • Population: 128,932,753
  • Capital: Mexico City
LEARN MORE
logo

COLOMBIA

According to official data from the Colombian migration authorities, approximately 1.8 million of the more than 4 million Venezuelan migrants are currently in Colombia.Commuters and so-called “transit migrants“ are not included in these statistics, which means that their actual number is probably even higher.

  • Population: 50,882,891
  • Capital: Bogota
LEARN MORE
logo

URUGUAY

In comparison to other Latin American countries and despite its modest size, Uruguay serves as a model in view of  its impressive political and socio-economic achievements . In a region that is not always stable, the country can look back on a long democratic-republican tradition with functioning institutions and a diverse media landscape. According to the latest edition of The Economist‘s Democracy Index, Uruguay is currently the most democratic country in Latin America and is ranked 15th worldwide.

  • Population: 3,473,730
  • Capital: Montevideo
LEARN MORE
logo

BRAZIL

Brazil is the largest economy in Latin America and, with a GDP of approximately 1,5 trillion US dollars, is one of the most important emerging markets in the world. The country has a domestic market of 214 million inhabitants and is rich in natural resources.

  • Population: 212,559,417
  • Capital: Brasilia
LEARN MORE