UN Launches $148 Million Appeal for Colombia Earthquake Response
The United Nations (UN) and its humanitarian partners have launched a second appeal for $148 million today to assist victims of the devastating earthquake that struck Colombia earlier this month. The disaster has resulted in:
- 319 deaths
- Over 280,000 affected individuals
- Destruction of over 31,000 homes
- Widespread damage to educational institutions, community centers, and healthcare facilities.
According to a UN spokesperson, the appeal—coordinated by the Humanitarian Country Team in Colombia to complement government relief efforts—targets around 671,000 of the most vulnerable people. The plan focuses on delivering vital aid across critical sectors including:
- Health
- Shelter
- Food
- Nutrition
- Education
- Protection
- Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH)
UN partners have so far delivered aid to over 34,000 people across 18 municipalities. However, hundreds of thousands of Colombian families continue to suffer from limited access to essential services, livelihoods, and infrastructure, exacerbated by ongoing armed conflict in affected regions.
This new funding call builds on the UN’s existing $472 million Humanitarian Response Plan for Colombia, bringing the total required humanitarian funding for the country this year to nearly $620 million. Donors have so far mobilised $35 million in response to the earthquake, with $5 million allocated from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) by UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher to boost immediate relief operations.
The UN has stressed the critical need for urgent funding, warning that Colombia’s overall humanitarian response plan remains less than half-funded, threatening partners’ ability to meet escalating needs of affected populations.
