At the request of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani, Deputy Foreign Minister Edmondo Cirielli has authorised a package of humanitarian initiatives in response to the powerful earthquake that struck Colombia, with the aim of contributing to the initial emergency response and supporting the swift socio-economic recovery of the affected regions.
The multilateral interventions, worth a total of EUR 1.5 million, will be implemented in cooperation with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Rome-based United Nations food agencies, WFP and FAO. The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also considering the delivery of humanitarian aid through the United Nations logistics network.
Further projects, worth a total of EUR 3 million and aimed at strengthening community resilience and supporting a swift recovery, will be implemented through the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, in partnership with civil society organisations. These initiatives will be shaped by developments on the ground and by the priorities identified jointly with local authorities and international partners.
Minister Tajani, who has been closely monitoring the emergency in Colombia since its outset and has promoted the identification of concrete measures to support the affected population, also expressed his appreciation for the work of the Italo-Latin American International Organization (IILA), which facilitated access for the Colombian authorities to satellite imagery from the European Union’s Copernicus Programme, supporting damage assessment and the monitoring of affected areas.