Barranquilla, Colombia
We Are All Barranquilla Opportunities Center
Barranquilla was selected as a recipient of the inaugural Global Cities Fund for Inclusive Pandemic Response, a $1,000,000 initiative to respond to the unmet needs of cities as they support migrants, refugees, and internally displaced people (IDPs) during Covid-19. Barranquilla is using the funds to expand the city’s Opportunities Center to help refugees, migrants, IDPs, and other vulnerable Colombians access the labor market and strengthen their ability to earn an income for themselves, their families, and their communities.
Colombia is home to over two million Venezuelan refugees and eight million internally displaced people, the majority of them residing in Colombia’s cities. The city of Barranquilla hosts the third largest number of migrants and refugees after the border city of Cúcuta and the capital Bogotá, with nearly 100,000 foreign-born residents, approximately eight percent of its total population. The majority of these are people from Venezuela looking to make Barranquilla their new home, though only a third of Venezuelans have temporary legal status allowing them to work in the country.
Venezuelan refugees in Barranquilla face several barriers to finding employment and achieving self-reliance, including documentation, unfamiliarity with their new job market, and a lack of social networks to help them navigate the city. According to the Colombian Migration Authority, only 14 percent of the almost 600,000 Venezuelans in the country that currently hold a special stay permit are engaged in formal employment. These barriers were compounded with the arrival of Covid-19, when infection prevention measures halted the informal economy and further isolated Venezuelans and other newcomers to Barranquilla.
Barranquilla views migrants and refugees as an opportunity to strengthen the city’s economy in the long term. As with all of Colombia, the city is planning for a shift from the current demographic bonus to a demographic burden, with an increasing elderly population and a decreasing younger population. Venezuelans arriving in Barranquilla are on average younger than the city’s overall population and are eager to find safe and meaningful employment in their new city.
Recognizing this, Barranquilla is using the Global Cities Fund to help 100 refugees, migrants, IDPs and other vulnerable Colombians overcome barriers to accessing the labor market and strengthen their ability to earn an income for their own benefit, that of their families, and that of their communities. Their project, Todos Somos Barranquilla, offers a comprehensive suite of services to 100 clients, providing them with specialized vocational training, psychosocial support, legal documentation support, and direct access to 200 of Barranquilla’s employers. Focused on Venezuelan refugees, these clients include women, youth, victims of armed conflict, and persons living with disabilities. Delivered through the city’s Center for the Local Integration of Migrants, the project ensures that these 100 clients have a safe and secure livelihood within the city’s formal economy, paving the way for a stronger and more inclusive overall workforce within the city of Barranquilla.
Visit www.mayorsmigrationcouncil.org/gcf and follow #GlobalCitiesFund on social media for more information on the Global Cities Fund. Contact fund@mayorsmigrationcouncil.org for additional information or press inquiries.