Colombia - The Canadian Government has announced an additional USD 1.6 million to support the land restitution process in Colombia and to help people displaced by conflict to return to their land.

The new Canadian funding will allow IOM to continue its support to the Land Restitution Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture to help displaced families receive legal land titles and return to their homes, and to provide support to the Ombudsman’s Office to monitor the assistance process and provide legal advice to victims.

The Government of President Juan Manuel Santos Calderón has made land restitution to victims of forced displacement a priority and is a key component of Colombia's Justice and Reparation Process, through which victims seek information, transparency and judicial accountability for human rights violations committed by armed groups.

"Canada is proud to support the Government of Colombia's land restitution efforts," said Canadian Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas and Consular Affairs) Diane Ablonczy.

"Fair land tenure, coupled with opportunities for rural communities to earn sustainable livelihoods on their land, free of landmines, lays the crucial foundation for long-term peace and security in Colombia.  The projects Canada is supporting will make a concrete difference to thousands of families who were forced from their homes," she added.

“The support of the international community for the land restitution process is vital in order to guarantee a lasting peace.  This is even more important now that the Colombian Government has started to negotiate with the country’s main guerrilla opposition group,” said Marcelo Pisani, IOM Chief of Mission in Colombia.

In June 2011, the Colombian Congress adopted the landmark Victims and Land Restitution Law, which aims to compensate some 350,000 families and return 2 million hectares of land over 10 years to people displaced by the conflict.

So far the Colombian Government has received almost 27,000 applications for land restitution.

For more information, please contact

Jorge Gallo
IOM Colombia
Tel: +57 1 6397777 ext. 1219
Email: jgallo@iom.int