The Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Olivier De Schutter, visited Colombia between 26 August and 4 September 2024. Its report reflects the country’s complex situation, progress and challenges. According to the report, “the rate of income poverty decreased from 36.6 per cent of the population in 2022 to 33 per cent in
We would like to thank MEP Leila Chaibi for her commitment to the human rights of indigenous peoples in Colombia. The indigenous guard is a mechanism for the protection of communities against the siege of armed actors in their territories. Here is the full text of the question presented by the MEP on 30 April,
Brussels 07/05/2025 – Oidhaco condemns the assassination of Walberto Quintero Medina, trade union leader of Sinaltrainal and vice-president of the Central Unitaria de Trabajadores de Colombia CUT. We would like to echo the communiqués made by Solsoc and Soldepaz Pachakuti, member organisations of the Oidhaco network, as well as the Nodo Caribe de la Plataforma
Many thanks to MEP Ana Miranda Paz for this important parliamentary question of 2 April 2025 on how we can ensure that companies present in Buenaventura (Colombia) do not benefit or benefited directly or indirectly, voluntarily or involuntarily, from a context of systematic violence. Here is the full text of the question, which can be
We strongly condemn the wave of violence that overtook the port city of Buenaventura on the weekend of March 29. Five youths were killed in a series of settling of accounts perpetrated by the urban illegal groups, the Shottas and Espartanos. Since the start of 2025, 50 persons have been murdered, many of them youth.
More than 570 other organisations, are joining forces to denounce attacks on European civil society organisations by certain Members of the European Parliament and call all democratic forces to counter this narrative. European civil society organisations (CSOs) are currently facing an unprecedented attack coming from certain Members of the European Parliament. The attack, spearheaded by
GENEVA – Alarmed by the dramatic escalation of conflict in the Catatumbo region of the department of North Santander since the beginning of the year, UN experts* today called on the Government of Colombia to ensure protection of civilians throughout the country and urged non-state armed groups to end their attacks against civilians. “Colombia is facing
Brussels 12 March 2025 The International Office for Human Rights – Action Colombia (Oidhaco)[1] rejects any kind of stigmatisation against social organisations and human rights defenders and we call on the European Union, its member states, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Norway to publicly express their support for the people and organisations that defend human
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24th January 2025 Communiqué from OIDHACO and its members Regarding the Recent Events in Catatumbo and the Humanitarian Crisis[1] in Colombia The International Office for Human Rights in Colombia (OIDHACO) and its members express their deep concern over the recent events in the Catatumbo region. Located in the northeast of Colombia, in the department of
We are deeply concerned about all victims of armed conflict, repression and violence around the world — from Sudan to Syria, including the persecution of the Rohingya and so many other crises that often receive less international attention than they deserve. Each of these situations calls for solidarity, remembrance, justice and action.
However, we have decided to specifically highlight the message ‘Stop Genocide in Palestine’ because what is happening in Palestine represents not only a human tragedy of enormous magnitude, but also a direct challenge to the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law and to the rules-based international system itself. The indifference and complicity of much of the international community in the face of the apartheid regime imposed by the Israeli government on the Palestinian people represent one of the greatest moral and political contradictions of our time.
The persistent violation of essential norms — such as the protection of the civilian population, the prohibition of collective punishment and respect for proportionality in the use of force — not only has devastating consequences for the Palestinian population, but also erodes the global mechanisms designed to limit the power of states and prevent abuses.
When these rules are repeatedly breached without any effective consequences, the framework that protects all populations in conflict situations, anywhere in the world, is weakened. Therefore, speaking out in this case does not mean ignoring other forms of suffering, but rather emphasising the urgency of defending an international order which, if it collapses, leaves everyone in a more vulnerable position.
Drawing attention to this situation is, therefore, an act consistent with the universal values we uphold: the protection of life, human dignity and respect for international law, without exception.