Colombia
As a country of origin

According to census data, Colombia is the country with the highest number of nationals residing in a foreign country , and according to the fourth repport of the Continuous Repporting System on International Migration in the Americas (SICREMI 20017), “the migration flow of people born in Colombia towards OECD and Latin American countries is greater than the immigration flow into the country, which translates into a negative net migration rate (-0.6 per one thousand inhabitants) in 2010-2015” . Even though these figures have decreased in comparison to the historical ones (-1.6 persons per thousand inhabitants in 1985- 1990)  , still “emigration of people born in Colombia to OECD countries and Latin America increased 32% in 2015 when compared to 2012”  .
 
Hence, this mapping exercise gathers information regarding the country as one of origin and return. It firstly compiles general migration data and relevant specific legislation that would allow building a general and summarized overview on this matter, in the form of a country profile. Then, it illustrates the main State actors related to economic emigration and return, while highlighting relevant programs implemented by Colombia during the last 15 years (2004 - 2019). Colombia is a unitary State, nevertheless it is divided in decentralized departments, therefore this information is also divided on national and subnational levels.
 
Finally, it shows which are the Non-State actors working in the field, along with relevant programs implemented by them. This is a first attempt to map information related to labour migration, looking at Colombia as a country of origin and return, thus it is mainly focused on creating the proper mapping structure that may be further filled in. In addition, in contains examples of the information that would suit to this structure.
 
Despite the said focus, some findings can be obtained from this mapping exercise, which are suggested at the end of this document.
National Population In The Country

49,065,615 in 2017

Number of international migrantes and percentage of total population

0.6 per one thousand inhabitants in 2010-2015 (it’s a negative rate, which means that more people emigrate from the country, than immigrate)
 

Legends

Title:

Identified emigration drivers

Different migration drivers are identified from different national and international institutions.​

Result:

  1. The Cancillería de Colombia (in English, Foreign affairs Ministry) recognizes as migration drivers:
    1. Sought for labour opportunities
    2. Family reunification
    3. Sought for a better-quality life
      *It can be noticed that in its webpage, the Foreign Affairs Ministry does not identify “security” as a migration driver, despite the political instability faced by the country during the last three decades due to the armed conflict and narcoterrorism.
  2. According to the UNHCR, despite the Peace Agreement signed in 2016 between the Government of Colombia and the FARC the situation in the country is still volatile. One of the reasons for this, is because negotiations are still carried out with the ELN, the second biggest armed group in Colombia.
    During the armed conflict, UNHCR identified that around 340.000 were recognized as Colombian refugees . Thus, this is not in line with the Cancillería’s recognitions of migration drivers.
  3. The Health Ministry carried out a Demography and Health National Survey in 2015. They identified homes in which Colombian citizens migrated, from which they obtained the following migration drivers :
    1. The economic crisis lived by Colombia in 1999
    2. Narcoterrorism
    3. The internal armed conflict
    4. Globalisation of economy
    5. The creation of transnational communities abroad.
      It also identified that after the economic crisis of 2008, the migration outflow decreased, and the return have increased. Also, those who migrate from Colombia are now choosing more Latin American countries rather than the European ones.
  4. Scholars and international organisations, recognise labour reasons as the main migration driver in Latin America , which also applies to Colombia. Nevertheless, they also identify security as a migration driver, especially in the case of this Country.
    For example, William Mejía Ochoa, analyses a survey carried out by the ENMIR. According to the interviewees, ther relatives leaving abroad, migrated mainly for economic and labour reasons (around 82,7 Colombian citizens that migrated between 2005 and 2009). Nevertheless, he also recognizes that the “security” reason is usually underestimated by the national surveys, for different reasons.

Source:

  1. Foreign Affairs: https://www.cancilleria.gov.co/colombia/migracion/historia.
  2. UNHCR: https://www.acnur.org/es-es/op/op_fs/5b05af144/situacion-colombia.html
  3. Carolina Stefoni. 2018. Panorama de la migración internacional en América del Sur, serie Población y Desarrollo, CEPAL.
  4. William Mejía Ochoa “Colombia y las migraciones internacionales. Evolución reciente y panorama actual a partir de las cifras”: http://www.scielo.br/pdf/remhu/v20n39/v20n39a10

_________________________________________

Title: 

Main countries of destination

Result:

Emigration from Colombian nationals to OECD and Latin American countries increased in 32% in 2015, compared to 2012 .
The main Countries are:

  1. USA: 23%
  2. Ecuador: 16%.
  3. Chile: 15%
  4. Argentina: 15%

The foreign affairs Ministry identifies three waves :

  • 1st wave: 1960’s to USA
  • 2nd wave: 1980’s to Venezuela
  • 3rd wave: 1990’s to Spain

According to the UNHCR, Ecuador receives the highest amount of refugees in Latin America. According to the UNHCR, by 2017, 95% of these population was escaping from the Colombian conflicto.

Source:

_________________________________________

Title: 

​Remittances towards de country of origin

Result:

Reached 4.635 million dollars in 2015, 14% higher than the level observed in 2012.

Source:

SICREMI 2017: http://www.oas.org/documents/spa/press/SICREMI-2017-espanol-web-FINAL.pdf
_________________________________________

Title: 

Return Migration

Result:

Numbers of returnees add:

  • Decisions for not returning – country relationship.
    According to the UNHCR, around 90% of the Colombian refugees leaving in Ecuador have expressed their desire to stay in Ecuador .
    Concerning the Colombian refugees leaving in Venezuela, the UNHCR identified in 2017, that this group of people do not consider as an option returning to Colombia, due to the permanent presence of armed groups in the zones where they used to leave. Considering the current situation of instability in Venezuela, this might be changing.
  • Decisions for returning – country relationship.
    According to the Health Ministry, after the economic crisis of 2008, the migration outflow decreased, and the return migration increased .
    In the case of Colombian citizens leaving in Spain with double nationality, they returned to Colombia due to the economic crisis of 2008, hoping to later return to Spain when the situation gets better . This is closely related to the creation of transnational communities abroad.

Source:

  • UNHCR
  • William Mejía Ochoa “Colombia y las migraciones internacionales. Evolución reciente y panorama actual a partir de las cifras”

_________________________________________

Title: 

Specific legislation

Result:

♦ Regarding emigration

  1. Ley 1465 of 2011
    Created the National System of Migrations (Sistema Nacional de Migraciones). Its main objective is to accompany the government in the creation and implementation of policy, plans and projects orientated to strengthen the relationship of the State with Colombians leaving abroad .
  2. Decreto 4976 of 2011
    It creates a “Special Funding for Migrations”, aiming to provide support and economic assistance to the Foreing Affairs Ministry in the special cases by which Colombian nationals leaving abroad require assistance and protection.

♦ Regarding return migration

  1. Ley de Retorno Nº 1565 of 2012 and Decretos 100 of 2013, 2064 of 2013
    It establishes customs and tributary incentives to promote the return of Colombian citizens and also aims to provide integral accompaniment to those returning
  2. Decreto 2685 of 1999 and the Resolution 4240 of 2000.
    It established which kind of merchandises constitute domestic household
  3. Ley 76 of 1993, partially modified by Ley 992 of 2005.
    Regulates standards for Consular Institutions

 

Level:

National

Result:

Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería de Colombia)
Dirección de Asuntos Migratorios, Consulares y de atención al Ciudadano

Relevant programmes:

Internal working group “Colombia Nos Une” (Colombia Unites Us), created in 2004.
* It regards Colombians citizens leaving abroad as subjects of public policy
* Develops activities aiming to strengthen the connection with the emigrated population
* Aim to guarantee that migratory process are carried out in a voluntary, informed and orderly way. It also aims to protect their human rights and to accompany these migrants if they choose to return.

Wepbage: https://www.colombianosune.com
Also identified by Stefoni

Some results that can be highlighted from this group are:

Which enhanced the constitution of small enterprices of Colombian citizens leaving in New York implementing formation workshops, technical assistance and microcredits
_________________________________________

International – National - Subnational

Result:

Agreement between the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the IOM, and the Mayor of Bogotá

Relevant programmes:

Agreement “Bienvenido a Casa”.
In the context of the program “Colombia nos Une”, this agreement aims to provide immediate assistance and to orientate the Colombian migrant population that is in a vulnerable situation, returning to the Country
_________________________________________

Level:

National

Result:

Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería de Colombia) in collaboration with IOM

Relevant programmes:

Created a website “Redes Colombia” (In English “Colombia Networks”)
https://www.redescolombia.org​

_________________________________________

Level:

National

Result:

Ministerio del Trabajo (Labour Ministry) - Sistema General de Pensiones (Colpensiones)
articulated with Cancillería.

Relevant programmes:

Programme “Colpensiones en el exterior”
It allows Colombian citizens leaving abroad to contribute with a credit card to their Pensions system.
It is a technological platform that eliminates the payment of commissions.
 
https://www.colombianosune.com/noticia/colombianos-en-el-exterior-ahora-pueden-cotizar-pension-mas-facil-y-rapido
 
 https://www.colpensiones.gov.co/pensiones/Publicaciones/colombianos_en_el_exterior/que_es_el_programa_colpensiones_en_el_exterior

_________________________________________

Level:

National

Relevant programmes:

Plan de Retorno Positivo (PRP) 2011.
“Aims to guide migrants returning to Colombia and to connect them with public and private networks.
Cover the different type of returnees and provide attention, based on their needs
_________________________________________

Level:

International – National - Subnational

Result:

International – National - Subnational   Alliance between IOM, Foreign Affairs Ministry and local governments

Relevant programmes:

Centro de Referencia y Oportunidades para el Retornado en el exterior (CRORE)
“Facilitate an integration that recognises the experiences and knowledges adquired by Colombian citizens abroad, so that it can be invested in the development of the country”

_________________________________________

Level:

Subnational

Result:

Alcaldía de Medellín – Agencia de Cooperación e Inversión de Medellín y el área Metropolitana

Relevant programmes:

Programme “Sos Paisa”
https://sospaisa.com.
Aims to divulge - through the Colombian citizens leaving around the world - the positive transformations of Medellín.
 
Aims to collect contributions of Medellín citizens by transferring knowledge or things, aiming to help in the development of the local development of the city, and the enhancement of the quality of life of its citizens

 

Institution

Servicio Jesuita a Refugiados

Result  (General information + indicate if they work at a local or national level)

The Refugee Service for Migrants purports to reduce the vulnerability of migrants and to promote justice, dialogue, peace and reconciliation within communities, proposing a rapid response to emergency migrant situations
 
They work at both, local and national level.
 
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=servicio+jesuita+a+...

Relevant Programmes

Plan Trienal VI Aim to prevent and to brake further dynamics of violence inside Colombia.
Implemented in Soacha, Magdalena Medio, Valle del Cauca, Cúcuta and the Jesuits  schools network
http://www.sjrcolombia.org/quehacemos/prevencion
_________________________________________

Institution

Red Cross International Committee

Result  (General information + indicate if they work at a local or national level)

Independent and neutral organization aiming to protect and provide humanitary assistance to victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence as well as promoting the respect for IHRL.
 https://www.icrc.org/es/quienes-somos/cometido-y-mision-del-cicr

Relevant Programmes

Programa de Acceso al empleo para víctimas del conflicto armado y la violencia
https://www.icrc.org/es/colombia-programa-de-acceso-al-empleo-para-victi...
_________________________________________

Institution

Corporación “Volver a la Gente”

Result  (General information + indicate if they work at a local or national level)
Organisation aiming to contribute to peace and reconciliation, by building a just and inclusive society.

It aims to create both, academic results and a working group committed to the reality of the country.

I also aims to advocate in the public policy for the recognition, guarantee and promotion of Human Rights in the country.

Works at a national level, with offices in Bogotá, Medellín, Pereira, Apartadó and Quibdó
http://volveralagente.org/nosotros.php
 
Relevant Programmes

Programme “Productividad y Empleo”
http://volveralagente.org/trabajos/productividad-empleo

Preliminary findings:
 

  1. This mapping exercise is not exhaustive. Much more information can and should be further incorporated.
  2. The first interesting element that must be taken into consideration is that the first information that appears when researching about migration issues in Colombia, is regarding the emigration of this country. This is different from the result obtained from the first searches of, for example Argentina. In this case, even though it is also possible to find information regarding the “Diaspora”, there is a large number of studies analysing the country as one of destination. 
  3. Secondly, it should be highlighted the number of institutional resources, both at a national and subnational level, that the Colombian governments have built to both, promote the return of Colombian citizens to their country of origin and to accompany those who are leaving abroad.
  4. There is a confusion in the numbers, between the people that migrate for economic reasons and those that migrate for security reasons. These confusions come from the fact that people do not tell when they or their relatives migrate for security reasons. It may also come from the fact that some people could have migrated for security reasons, but then decided to stay in the country of destination for economic ones. Considering the complexities around migration, and the fact that it is overall a social phenomenon, probably it will not be possible to generate exact numbers.
  5. It is interesting to see that the foreign affairs office does not identify as a migration driver, the context of insecurity generated by the conflict between the State of the Colombia and the Guerrilla. Nevertheless, it identifies as a driver “Family Reunification”. It is possible that an important number of people that these migrants reunite with, are persons that previously migrated from Colombia running away either from Guerrilla groups or Paramilitars in sought for asylum in other countries of Latin America.
  6. It is possible to find a gap between the programmes implemented by non-state actors and the migration drivers identified by the Colombian government. Non – State actors connect migration with the armed conflict and the insecurity context, thus their programmes are focused on preventing violence structures and accompanying victims of the armed conflict. This is especially relevant for creating spaces in which these victims are no longer forced to migrate, thus these programmes contribute to guaranteeing their right to not migrate. On the contrary it is possible to find that State actors avoid creating this relationship and focus their programmes on the return of Colombian citizens that migrated for labour reasons.
  7. It is also possible to notice that there is a close relationship between access to jobs, labour migration and armed conflict. Organisations such as the Red Cross aims to help victims of the armed conflict by providing them with jobs, which contributes to preventing the emigration of Colombian citizens.
  8. Another gap found in this mapping exercise is that there is yet no clear information of the migration of Colombian citizens after the peace agreement between the Government and the FARC.
  9. The creation of transnational communities in the case of Colombian citizens is a phenomenon that should be further analysed in this mapping exercise.