In November 2020, two powerful hurricanes – Hurricane Eta and Hurricane Iota – hit the Colombian Archipelago of San Andres, Old Providence, and Santa Catalina in the western Caribbean. The Raizal, who identify as indigenous and the first people of the Archipelago, were severely impacted and left in need of urgent help. The Raizal have been denied their basic rights as to shelter, water, and healthcare. Further, the Colombian government used the destruction caused by the hurricanes as an opportunity to take over more Raizal land, control the Raizal people’s traditional seas, and undermine the Raizal people and their right to self-determination. On April 14, 2021, Trees & Reefs Foundation (TRF) of Old Providence, with the support of 16 other Raizal organizations1 , submitted an Urgent Appeal on behalf of the Raizal to several United Nations Special Rapporteurs. Following subsequent updates to the United Nations, seven United Nations Special Rapporteurs2 sent a joint communication to Colombia, which became public on January 14, 2023. The communication draws attention to the humanitarian and environmental crisis faced by the Raizal. The Rapporteurs expressed their “grave concern about the multiple violations of human rights suffered by the Raizal people affected by the humanitarian and environmental crisis after the passage of the hurricanes….” Specifically the Rapporteurs address the Raizal’s rights “to life, to physical and mental health, to maintain and develop their cultural life, to an adequate standard of living, to adequate housing, to adequate food, water and sanitation, to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment and to effective participation in decision-making on matters affecting their rights, including their cultural rights and development, among others.” 

Adequate and permanent housing is still not possible for many Raizal families 

Hurricane Iota, a category 4 hurricane, directly hit the islands of Old Providence and Santa Catalina (OPSC), leaving 90% of the homes completely destroyed or uninhabitable. A year after the hurricane, an estimated 84 Raizal families were living in tents. Two years later, 11 Raizal families were still living in tents with many more still displaced. The progress of construction was slow, and the construction of homes was done without regard to the Raizal’s recommendations, life, customs, or culture, as well as the climate. The materials used are inadequate to withstand OPSC’s tropical climate. In its communication, the Rapporteurs expressed that they are “extremely concerned that measures have not yet been taken to ensure an adequate way of life for the people involved and to protect them from extreme weather events, with serious risks to their lives.” Specifically, the Rapporteurs urged that “due to insufficient adaptation of the new dwellings to the climatic conditions of the islands, the situation is critical and carries the risk that those affected will be displaced again and become homeless when the next hurricane hits.”

Colombia prioritized their own military and economic development

Instead of providing aid to the Raizal people, Colombia used the destruction caused by the hurricanes as an opportunity for their own military and economic development. The increased military presence on the islands has decreased the availability and raised the costs of building materials, food, and water. Further, the fishermen’s wharf that was destroyed in Iota has not been rebuilt. Instead, priority was given to the construction of a new military dock in Old Providence that blocks any reconstruction of the fishermen’s wharf. The guarantee that the fishermen would be able to use the new military dock has not materialized.

Consequently, the Rapporteurs characterized “the slow process of reconstruction favors military and [national] economic development of the islands, limiting the space and self-determination of the Raizal people with serious repercussions to their survival as a people.” 

Lack of adequate medical care 

Prior to the hurricanes, the local government and community were calling for construction of a hospital in OPSC that would be better equipped than the only small health center. Those living on OPSC are forced to travel to San Andres when in need of a hospital, which is impossible for many Raizal. After the hurricanes, the need for medical care is urgent, yet these demands remain unanswered. As expressed by the Rapporteurs, “the hygienic and sanitary situation is devastating for many Raizal people due to a combination of infectious disease risks related to debris from the hurricane, the current COVID19 pandemic and the destruction of the only health center in Old Providence.” More than two years after

the hurricanes, construction of a new hospital has not begun and reconstruction of the old health center is still not complete.

 Violations of the right to self-determination and right to participation of the Raizal people

The Raizal’s right to self-determination and right to participation have been negatively impacted by Colombia’s increased control over local administrative bodies, and disregard of Raizal recommendations and complaints. The Rapporteurs expressed their concern that “the present and future of the Raizal people are seen to be seriously undermined in relation to the security of knowing that they will be able to survive as a diverse people on their own terms.” Specifically, the Colombian government prioritized military and national economic needs over the needs of the people “in contempt of their self-determination, their cultural rights, and their right to development.”

Colombia’s Response

On January 13, 2023, Colombia’s response was made public. Trees & Reefs Foundation, with the support of the other Raizal organizations, is currently reading through Colombia’s response and will issue a second press release soon.

Access to the Communication

The complete communication presented by the seven United Nations Special Rapporteurs to Colombia that was made public on January 14, 2023, which draws attention to the humanitarian and environmental crisis faced by the Raizal, is available on the United Nations website at the following link: https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=27647

1 Archipelago Movement for Ethnic Native Self-Determination (AMEN-SD); Asociacion de Pescadores Artesanales de
Providencia y Santa Catalina Islas (PESPROISLAS); Providencia Food Producers Association; Corporación Miss Raxi & Miss
Graci; Cove Seaside Fishermen’s Cooperative; Insular Development Foundation (INDEFO); Independent Farmers United
Association; Indigenous National Raizal Authority (INRA); Movimiento de Veeduría Civica de Old Providence; Providence and
Ketlina Independent Fisherman Association (I-FISH Association); Providencia Food Producers Association; Raizal Development
Center Corporation; Raizal Diaspora of the Archipelago of San Andres, Old Providence, and St Kathleena; Raizal Indigenous
Musicians Movement; Raizal Woman Cultural Foundation for Development and Community Integration; and San Andres and
Providence Islands Solutions Foundation (SAISOL).
2 Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living; Chairperson-Rapporteur
of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent; Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human
rights in the context of climate change; Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights; Special Rapporteur on the right to food;
Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; and
Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons.