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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Find clear and concise answers to the most common questions about the Wayúu Information System (SIW) here.

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Wayúu Information System

  • The Wayúu Information System (SIW) is a technical, culturally relevant, and inter-institutional tool developed by DANE in compliance with Constitutional Court Ruling T-302 of 2017.
  • The Wayúu Information System (SIW) consolidates statistical, geographic, and territorial information on the Wayúu indigenous people. It includes data related to access to rights such as water, health, food, and mobility, as well as sociodemographic and territorial context data. This information comes from official sources, administrative records, DANE surveys, and the Wayúu Multidimensional Registry (RMW). Depending on the source, it is disaggregated by municipality, township, or community/ranchería.
  • The Wayuu Information System (SIW) raises awareness of the living conditions of the Wayúu indigenous people and enables state institutions to develop relevant policies and programs that respond to their cultural and territorial realities. In addition to providing reliable and disaggregated information, it strengthens processes for enforcing rights, promotes autonomy, encourages access to information in Wayuunaiki, and contributes to the recognition of indigenous knowledge on key issues such as water, health, food, and mobility.
  • The Wayúu Information System (SIW) has promoted spaces for effective participation for the Wayúu indigenous people in all stages of the process: design, collection, validation, analysis, and dissemination of information, through the formation of the Wayúu Technical Committee and the holding of territorial assemblies. This, in addition to participation, promotes the cultural legitimacy of the system and strengthens community governance.
  • With the Wayúu Information System (SIW), entities can implement projects on drinking water, health, food security and sovereignty, education, and mobility, prioritizing critical areas based on evidence.
    Thanks to the Wayuu Information System, key projects and actions can be promoted, such as:
    • Drinking water with greater coverage and quality.
    • More effective and culturally relevant food security and sovereignty.
    • Improved health care through a specific policy for La Guajira.
    • Decent mobility and reduced travel times.
    Having territorialized information allows for the transparent allocation of resources, the evaluation of project sustainability, and the guarantee of interventions that are consistent with the needs of the Wayúu indigenous people.
  • The Wayúu Information System (SIW) transforms the way the State plans, executes, and evaluates public policy in La Guajira. It provides reliable, disaggregated, and culturally appropriate data, enabling contextualized decision-making, overcoming historical information gaps, avoiding duplication, targeting interventions, and promoting transparent resource allocation, all in line with a rights-based approach and with the participation of the Wayúu indigenous people.
  • The Constitutional Court, through Ruling T-302 of 2017, declared the state of affairs unconstitutional with regard to the special protection of the rights to water, health, mobility, and food security of the children of the Wayúu indigenous people. Compliance with the order issued to DANE will make it possible to overcome the lack of reliable information from state entities (national, departmental, and local) on the living conditions of the Wayúu indigenous people; the consolidation of accurate records on the exact location of communities and their specific needs; and the collection of precise data to support the formulation of effective and relevant public policies.
  • The Wayúu Information System (SIW) makes it possible to visualize the real conditions of the territory, needs, and gaps in health, food, water, mobility, among others, through disaggregated information, including data by community/ranchería and culturally validated. This facilitates the planning of relevant interventions, improves the monitoring of state actions, and strengthens the autonomy of the Wayúu indigenous people, promoting their participation in demanding their rights.
  • DANE faced several challenges in implementing the Wayúu Information System. First, the territorial complexity and dispersed nature of the communities made it difficult to plan the logistics of the RMW field operation, one of the sources of the SIW. Second, limitations were identified in the availability and coordination of inter-institutional information, as well as delays in the delivery of data by some entities. In addition, there was confusion between the data dashboard of the National Planning Department and DANE's own system.

    To address these challenges, inter-institutional coordination was strengthened through MESSEP, technical processes were adjusted in dialogue with the Wayúu technical team, and institutional education on the differences between existing tools was promoted. Also, through genuine assemblies and joint technical processes, progress was made on collectively constructed solutions.
  • The Wayúu Information System (SIW) is a key tool for the protection and transmission of the cultural and linguistic heritage of the Wayúu indigenous people. This information, systematized and disseminated in a culturally appropriate manner, incorporates Wayuunaiki, promotes recognition of indigenous knowledge, and enables public policies to respond to the needs of the Wayúu indigenous people. Furthermore, the fact that the Wayúu indigenous people actively participate in the construction and validation of the system ensures that the data reflects their own worldview, thus promoting autonomy and the exercise of the right to cultural identity, enshrined in the Political Constitution and international treaties.
  • The construction of the Wayúu Information System (SIW) provides several lessons that are applicable to other institutional processes in ethnic territories.
    1. The first is the importance of the effective and binding participation of indigenous peoples in all stages of the process, from design to implementation.
    2. The second is that genuine dialogue and the joint development of tools promote social ownership of information.
    3. The third lesson is the need for intercultural technical teams capable of articulating statistical knowledge with their own worldviews.
    Finally, the importance of having platforms that not only store data but are also functional for the exercise of rights, social control, and territorial planning with an ethnic and differential approach is highlighted.
  • The Wayúu Information System (SIW) has data on living conditions, access to rights, demographic, social, economic, cultural, health, mortality, services, and mobility characteristics, among others. The information comes from censuses, administrative records, DANE surveys, and the Wayúu Multidimensional Registry, and allows for the construction of culturally relevant indicators.
  • The system is open to anyone interested. The information is public, organized with a cultural focus and with respect for the collective rights of the Wayúu indigenous people.

Wayúu Multidimensional Registry

  • It arose in response to Ruling T-302 of 2017 by the Constitutional Court, which called for improved information on the Wayúu indigenous people so that the State could plan and implement better public policies to guarantee their rights. In fact, the Court mentioned that some programs were not working satisfactorily for the Wayúu indigenous people and that it was necessary to create a specific registry in the four municipalities with the largest Wayúu populations.
  • About key aspects of the life of the Wayúu indigenous people: access to drinking water, health services, adequate food, births, living conditions, deaths, and other issues. This provides up-to-date information on their population, their real needs, and how they live, so that the Colombian government can take action to improve their quality of life.
  • This is the first statistical exercise in which an indigenous people not only responded to surveys, but also actively participated in their design and implementation. In fact, the ancestral and traditional authorities, and the people in general, helped to develop the forms and conduct the surveys. Likewise, DANE directly hired Wayúu indigenous organizations to fill the roles of surveyors and supervisors.

    This also ensured that the data collection respected indigenous autonomy and that the surveys were conducted in the native language, Wayuunaiki.
  • By collecting information every three months from entities such as DANE, the Ministry of Health, ICBF, the Registrar's Office, and the mayor's offices. The databases are then cross-referenced to reduce errors and improve coverage. In addition, geospatial technology tools are used to locate rural areas inhabited by the Wayúu indigenous people, and there are technical committees responsible for validating the data.
  • To all members of the Wayúu indigenous people living in the places mentioned in the Judgment. Within the framework of the Registry, each and every home is visited.
  • DANE is responsible for coordinating the collection of quality information with the various technical committees made up of State entities.

Data on the map (Geovisor)

  • In the context of maps, a layer is a set of geographic data that is superimposed on a base map. Each layer contains information on a specific topic, such as the location of water sources, regional roads, roads under construction, and health care centers. By turning these layers on or off, you can view different types of information.
  • It is a feature that allows you to explore a location on the map with 360-degree panoramic images at street level. By selecting a point on the map where the feature is available, you can navigate virtually and get a realistic view of the surroundings.
  • The 'Location' tool allows users to filter and view data according to geographical level, such as department or municipality. Its usefulness lies in the fact that it facilitates the exploration of information in a specific way, allowing users to analyze a specific area of interest in the Wayúu territory and see only the data relevant to that area.
  • This tool allows users to explore data on Wayúu territory organized into key thematic areas such as Water, Food, General, Mobility, and Health. Its usefulness lies in the fact that it facilitates the search for specific information, allowing for faster and more focused analysis in different dimensions, without having to navigate through all the data in a disorganized manner.
  • They are a method of coloring a map that helps to quickly understand the data. It is like painting a map by region, where the intensity of the color represents the intensity of a piece of data. For example, on a map showing the prevalence of a disease, a light color could mean a low number of cases, while a dark or intense color would indicate a high number of cases.
  • They are another type of symbolism that uses the size of a symbol (such as a circle) to represent a value. If the circle is large, it indicates a high value (for example, a large number of cases of malnutrition); if the circle is small, the value is low.

Rights

  • Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) are a group of infectious diseases transmitted from person to person and caused by different agents, mainly bacteria and viruses, several of which are of international concern because of their pandemic potential.

    These infections can affect the upper and lower respiratory tract, with a clinical course ranging from mild to moderate over a period of less than two weeks.

    However, in vulnerable populations such as children under five, adults over 65, and people with compromised immune systems, ARIs can lead to serious complications such as pneumonia and bronchiolitis, and can even cause death.
  • They can be classified according to anatomical location as:

    • Upper respiratory tract infections
      These are the most common and create high demand for health services. They affect the upper respiratory tract, including the nose, paranasal sinuses, tonsils, pharynx, larynx, or middle ear. Most are caused by viruses, although some may also be caused by bacteria.
    • Lower respiratory tract infections
      Lower respiratory infections can affect the trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, and pulmonary alveoli. They include illnesses such as tracheitis, bronchitis, bronchiolitis, and pneumonia. They may be caused by viruses or bacteria and usually require specialized care in health services.
  • Viruses are the most common cause of respiratory infections, including the virus that causes flu (influenza), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which is frequent in children under 5 and under 1 year of age, as well as adenoviruses, rhinoviruses, parainfluenza, and coronaviruses. Bacteria include Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae, among others, which usually affect the lower respiratory tract.
  • Although the first MMR vaccine protects children, it is not enough. The second dose is what ensures almost complete protection (99%) against measles, rubella, and mumps.

    • This vaccine protects children from complications that can last a lifetime, such as hearing loss, blindness, lung problems, or brain damage.
    • The booster protects them when they come into contact with more people, even if those people are infected with measles or rubella. Children will remain protected even as adults.
  • It is a public health event characterized by three or more liquid or semi-liquid stools within a 24-hour period, lasting less than 14 days, and may be accompanied by vomiting or fever. ADD is mainly caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, or parasites that affect the digestive tract.
  • The percentage of children aged 6 to 12 who have at least one type 4 disability, understood as the inability to perform at least one basic activity of daily living independently, makes visible the child population that faces greater barriers to fully exercising their rights to health, comprehensive development, and education. It helps guide priority care policies and programs, as well as strengthen community inclusion and care actions.
  • The BCG vaccine protects newborns against tuberculosis. It is essential to administer it within the first 24 to 48 hours of life so the baby leaves the hospital with their defenses ready.

    • It provides 80% protection against the most dangerous forms of tuberculosis, such as those affecting the brain and spinal cord (meningitis). These complications can cause permanent damage or even death.
    • By vaccinating all babies from birth, we prevent more children from dying from preventable diseases.
    • In addition to protecting against tuberculosis, this vaccine helps babies develop a stronger immune system against other common respiratory infections.
  • The percentage of the registered population affiliated with the health system, disaggregated at the municipal level, makes it possible to measure the degree of formal access to health services among the Wayúu population. Identifying affiliation gaps between municipalities is essential to guarantee the right to health and guide differential coverage actions in areas with less access.
  • The objective is to guarantee the comprehensive development and protection of Wayúu children, contributing to the mitigation of malnutrition by strengthening care actions and supporting the cultural skills of Wayúu girls, boys, and adolescents from their worldview, language, and territory.

    The guide seeks for communities to lead their own nutritional surveillance system and for State actions to be carried out through genuine dialogue with ancestral and/or traditional authorities to protect the rights of Wayúu children and families, while also supporting food sovereignty and the cultural survival of the Wayúu People.
  • The care model was built from genuine dialogues between ICBF, ancestral and traditional authorities, and representatives of Wayúu communities from the four municipalities identified in Ruling T-302 of 2017: Uribia, Manaure, Maicao, and Riohacha.

    These meetings produced proposals that combine ancestral knowledge and institutional experience in order to create a community-based and intercultural form of care that responds to the needs of the territory.
  • Care is organized into four threads that represent Wayúu paths of action and thought:

    1. Cultural survival: protects the language, weaving, songs, and community practices.
    2. Personal, collective, and environmental care: promotes the well-being of families, especially girls and boys in early childhood, from a sense of collective and personal care, as well as care for the territory and nature as a single fabric.
    3. Food security and sovereignty: strengthens the production and consumption of traditional and healthy foods, promoting strategies to support the food sovereignty of the Wayúu People.
    4. Community strengthening: promotes organization and joint decision-making to address common needs, supporting dialogue and social oversight regarding the implementation of Wayúu care.
  • An executing unit is the organization, association, or partner that implements comprehensive care. It administers the care model and the resources.

    It may be an association of ancestral or traditional authorities, or an indigenous organization endorsed by community representatives.

    To be an executing unit, it must:

    • Have legal recognition or be backed by traditional authorities.
    • Have a work team prepared to support families, girls, and boys, with experience and knowledge of Wayúu culture.
    • Administer resources responsibly and comply with the agreements established in the territory.
  • A care unit is made up of a group of neighboring or allied Wayúu communities that decide to come together to receive comprehensive care.

    This grouping is defined through dialogue with ancestral or traditional authorities, taking into account proximity between communities, friendship ties, and the possibility of traveling between them.

    This grouping is defined through dialogue with ancestral or traditional authorities, taking into account proximity between communities, friendship ties, and the possibility of traveling between them.

    Each care unit brings together, on average, around 160 families that permanently inhabit rural territory in the communities of the four municipalities prioritized by Ruling T-302 of 2017: Uribia, Manaure, Maicao, and Riohacha. In some cases, a single community may meet that number of families and operate as a care unit.

    These units are living spaces where the four care threads are developed: cultural survival, personal and collective care, food security, and community strengthening. They also have human talent that belongs to the communities and lives in the territories where care is implemented. In addition, they may include communal places or areas pedagogically adapted for activities.
  • Thread-based meetings take place in the communities' own spaces: rancherías, meeting places, or areas identified as safe by the community.

    Each thread has specific activities, but all seek to strengthen the cultural fabric and pedagogical experiences for girls and boys in early childhood, childhood, and adolescence, as well as family and community experiences:

    • Cultural Survival Thread: meetings for the transmission of knowledge, mother tongue, stories, songs, and childbirth and child-rearing practices.
    • Personal, Collective, and Environmental Care Thread: activities on the first thousand days of life, water care, the environment, the role of women, care for girls and boys in early childhood, and consolidation of a care system.
    • Food Security and Sovereignty Thread: preparation of traditional foods, nutritional monitoring, strengthening of food sovereignty, and development of the community initiative.
    • Community Strengthening Thread: decision-making and organization spaces among families, authorities, and young people to resolve common issues, social oversight, and follow-up on the cultural and community initiative.
        • Meetings may involve children and adolescents, families, or the community, and alternate between homes and the community points each community has for care, especially for girls and boys in early childhood, according to the planning agreed with each of the communities that are part of each Care Unit.

        There are four types of meetings:

        1. Home meetings
        2. Children's meetings
        3. Family meetings
        4. Community meetings
  • The human talent of each care unit must belong to and be agreed upon by each of the Wayúu communities that make up the unit. ICBF provides an initial induction to strengthen their capacities and ensure that care is provided with respect for culture and traditional forms of care. These roles include:

    • Cultural and pedagogical leader: leads the operation of the Care Unit, contributes to pedagogical planning, and supports the consolidation of the child rights observatory, monitoring of comprehensive child development, and the operational and pedagogical plan.
    • Community educational agent with community leadership: carries out strategic planning, meetings, and pedagogical experiences, issues community health alerts, monitors the comprehensive development of girls and boys, and supports the consolidation of the child rights observatory.
    • Community facilitator with knowledge of the culture: develops coordination actions between communities and other local actors who can benefit the process and the community initiative, and supports social oversight and assemblies where actions for implementing care are agreed upon.
    • Territorial food manager with knowledge of ancestral gastronomic preparations: supports the development of Wayúu cultural practices to promote food consistent with the culture, as well as food storage and preparation methods; supports food combinations according to participants' needs, especially in early childhood; and identifies and reports malnutrition cases.
    • Care promoter with knowledge of Wayúu traditional medicine: takes anthropometric measurements, especially of early childhood, provides training, develops promotion and prevention actions for children and adolescents who are part of the care model, and contributes to the consolidation of the community nutritional surveillance system.
    • Nutritionist: conducts nutritional follow-up, activates care pathways for situations that may threaten children's rights, especially in early childhood, and supports the consolidation of the community nutritional surveillance system.
  • It means that the decisions, knowledge, and practices of the Wayúu people are at the center of care. The community-based aspect comes from their culture and organization; the intercultural aspect allows State institutions to accompany the process while respecting Wayúu ways of life. Care is not imposed; it listens, learns, and adapts to the territory and its authorities.
  • Because it allows care for children and families to be organized from the Wayúu people's own ways of life. It also promotes dialogue with the State, respect for their culture, and the strengthening of their territorial autonomy.

    With this guide, caring for girls and boys stops being the responsibility of a single person and becomes a collective task that brings together families, authorities, and institutions.
  • The Integrated Care and Malnutrition Prevention Service is the strategy of the Colombian Family Welfare Institute (ICBF) to consolidate a preventive and territorial approach to addressing the social determinants of child malnutrition. It emerged in 2025 as a result of the transformation of the modalities “1,000 Days to Change the World,” Nutritional Recovery Centers, and Active Search Units, with the purpose of integrating into a single service the actions aimed at treating acute malnutrition and preventing low birth weight in children under five.

    The program recognizes the country's cultural and territorial diversity, especially in ethnic contexts such as the Wayúu people, and is oriented toward strengthening family and community capacities under the principle of shared responsibility among the State, society, and families.

    The Service directs interventions toward the extramural setting, with the possibility of an intramural approach when the clinical condition requires it, and promotes cross-sector coordination, especially with the health sector, in accordance with the guidelines of the Special Mechanism for Monitoring and Evaluation of Public Policies (MESEPP). Its actions are structured into four technical components:

    1. Family and community strengthening, aimed at promoting care practices and shared responsibility.
    2. Food and nutrition health education, focused on promoting healthy habits and adequate nutrition.
    3. Assessment and follow-up of nutritional status, integrating growth and development monitoring with health care pathways; and
    4. Food supplementation, as temporary support for nutritional recovery and risk prevention.


        5. These components are harmonized with the lines of action of the Human Right to Adequate Food (DHAA), local food systems, cultural traditions, and child-rearing practices specific to each territory.

        The service has an interdisciplinary human talent team made up of nutrition and social work professionals, nursing assistants, and community managers, who provide direct care in the communities and coordinate intersectoral coordination actions. Its territorial deployment is supported by the National Family Welfare System (SNBF) and the Comprehensive Response Territories (TRI), ensuring that interventions respond to the sociocultural conditions and dynamics of at-risk families and communities.
  • Access to the Integrated Care and Malnutrition Prevention Service is demand-based, starting with the identification of children under five and pregnant or breastfeeding women with alterations in their nutritional status. Identification is carried out through nutritional screening by anthropometry and the assessment of clinical signs associated with malnutrition, which makes it possible to classify cases as moderate or severe acute malnutrition, risk of acute malnutrition, or malnutrition in the case of pregnant women.

    The population eligible for care includes:

    • Children under five with a diagnosis or risk of acute malnutrition of primary etiology.
    • Pregnant or breastfeeding women diagnosed with malnutrition.
    • Girls and boys born during mother-child accompaniment within the framework of the service.


    The service carries out continuous active search, recruitment, and case identification actions through the territorial deployment of interdisciplinary teams made up of nutrition professionals, social workers, nursing assistants, and community managers. These teams operate as a priority in the four municipalities covered by Ruling T-302 of 2017 (Uribia, Manaure, Maicao, and Riohacha), and in the territories defined as Comprehensive Response Territories (TRI), where the greatest risks of morbidity and mortality from malnutrition are concentrated.
  • Access to the intramural setting of the Integrated Care and Malnutrition Prevention Service is framed by the Care and Prevention Route for Malnutrition defined by Resolution 2350 of 2020 of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection. This route establishes outpatient management as the first alternative for treating acute malnutrition, prioritizing recovery at home and the strengthening of family and community capacities.

    However, in contexts such as the department of La Guajira, where geographic dispersion, limitations in access to health services, and complex social determinants increase the risk of morbidity and mortality from acute malnutrition, ICBF provides an intramural setting that complements outpatient care and helps ensure continuity of treatment under controlled conditions.

    The intramural setting and/or Nutritional Recovery Centers (CRN) operate in coordination with the health sector and are aimed at facilitating clinical and nutritional follow-up of identified cases, attendance at medical checkups, and care for girls and boys who, because of their condition or context, cannot receive effective management at home.

    For intramural care, the service has an interdisciplinary team made up of a nutrition professional, a social professional, and auxiliary nursing staff, responsible for continuous support, food education, and monitoring of the nutritional recovery process.

    Food supplementation in this setting is individualized. Each user receives 100% of the required daily caloric intake, with permanent follow-up to adjust the diet according to the evolution of the case. The food plan is increased progressively until compensatory growth and sustained nutritional recovery are achieved, coordinating ICBF efforts with health sector actions within the framework of the National Family Welfare System (SNBF) and the Comprehensive Response Territories (TRI).
  • Food supplementation in the Integrated Care and Malnutrition Prevention Service is made up of prepared rations, rations to prepare, and High Nutritional Value Food (AAVN).

    This food supplementation consists of natural and minimally processed foods according to habits, customs, and food culture, seeking for the food to be culturally accepted, nutritionally balanced, harmonious in quantity and quality, and supportive of sustainable food systems. It limits as much as possible the inclusion of ultra-processed beverages and edible products, and includes water as a vital component of Food Sovereignty and a guarantee of the Human Right to Food (DHA) for daily consumption and food preparation, 30 liters per month, in the different food ration options - RFPP.
  • A Food Production Unit for Self-Consumption (UPAA) is the space that participating households allocate for the production of agricultural and/or livestock foods that will be used to feed household members. The UPAA seeks to contribute to access to and consumption of food through food production for self-consumption and the promotion of healthy eating habits and lifestyles. The project has the specific objectives of "establishing food production units for self-consumption through the delivery of inputs, technical support, technical visits, and community strengthening activities", and "promoting healthy eating habits and lifestyles framed within self-care, environmental, and healthy eating practices"
  • To access the project, households must: reside in the areas selected in the territorial targeting process developed by Prosperidad Social for the corresponding intervention; be selected by the ethnic authorities of their communities, according to the consultation process carried out with Prosperidad Social; be households from indigenous communities whose council/authority must be registered with the Ministry of the Interior in the Directorate of Indigenous, Rrom, and Minority Affairs and their Traditional Authority at the time of the socialization and consultation processes; have a Colombian citizenship card or identity card for those over 14 years of age, or an indigenous IPS code or proof of survival signed by the ethnic authority registered with the Ministry of the Interior; have use of the land under any modality; and have availability and/or access to water resources for the development of the project.
  • To become a beneficiary of the Productive Initiatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR), Wayuu communities and families must participate in the calls, programs, or targeting processes carried out by the Directorate of Productive Capacities and Income Generation, the entity responsible for coordinating productive actions within the framework of Ruling T-302 of 2017. Access is generally carried out through: • Community organizations, producer associations, or organized ethnic groups that submit applications or projects. • Traditional Wayuu authorities, who may nominate families from their rancherías or clans. • Territorial targeting processes, when MADR carries out direct interventions in the municipalities covered by the Ruling (Uribia, Manaure, Maicao, and Riohacha). Initiatives or projects prioritize rural communities located in the Comprehensive Response Territories (TRI) of the four municipalities covered by the Ruling. For this targeting, criteria such as heat maps of deaths or risk of child malnutrition, prepared by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection and ICBF, are considered. Likewise, priority is given to areas where educational boarding facilities, ICBF service units, or care points that concentrate the population covered by Ruling T-302 of 2017 are located. These criteria make it possible to strengthen food security and availability, the livelihoods of Wayuu families, and the productive vocations of the territory, directing interventions toward the areas with the greatest vulnerability and need.
  • You can become a beneficiary by participating in the calls opened by AUNAP to support artisanal fishing and aquaculture projects. Fisher associations or organized communities generally apply and then register their members. AUNAP prioritizes rural and ethnic communities, providing inputs, training, and technical support to strengthen fishery production and care for aquatic resources.
  • It is the sum of all households (homes) connected to the water service and used to calculate average residential consumption.
  • It is reported in cubic meters (m³). One cubic meter equals 1,000 liters of water.
  • The Superintendency does not produce or take water quality samples. That work is carried out by service providers and health authorities. Superservicios reviews, verifies, and monitors that providers registered in RUPS comply with quality standards and report information properly.
  • Rehabilitation consists of restoring and putting a water supply system back into operation, including the recovery of its water source and pumping system when these are damaged or inoperative.
  • Improvement consists of carrying out technical interventions that not only restore the operation of the system, but also improve water quality through treatment, storage, and distribution processes to ensure that the water is safe for human consumption.
    1. Reverse osmosis (RO): This is a treatment process that uses a semipermeable membrane to remove salts, minerals, heavy metals, and contaminants. Pressure is applied to force water through the membrane, retaining impurities and producing high-quality water. RO is used to treat water with high electrical conductivity, a prevalent characteristic of brackish and saline water.
    2. Filtration: This is a physical process in which water passes through a filtering medium (sand, gravel, activated carbon, or others) to retain solid particles, sediments, and turbidity.
    3. Ultrafiltration: This is a process that uses membranes with very small pores to remove viruses, bacteria, turbidity, and suspended solids. It works by applying low or moderate pressure and provides high-quality filtration without the need for chemicals.
  • One treatment alternative is biosand filters, community or household systems that use layers of fine sand, gravel, and a biolayer (biological layer) that forms naturally. This biolayer helps break down organic matter and microorganisms present in the water, providing an effective and economical treatment to improve its quality.
  • A characterized or inventoried road is one on which a visual inspection has been carried out, both of the cross-section and of its elements, such as bridges, walls, and drainage works. It is therefore a detailed record of physical, geometric, and operational characteristics, represented through georeferenced geographic information. This process makes it possible to diagnose road infrastructure and thus have reliable information for planning, maintenance, and effective decision-making in road infrastructure and mobility projects.
  • They are minor and specific works that address critical sites. These interventions, in turn, translate into improvements and smoother traffic flow along the entire corridor, reducing the risk of accidents or emergency situations, minimizing road service interruptions, extending the useful life of the infrastructure, and contributing to the social and economic development of the communities living in the road area. Intervention in tertiary road sections is vitally important because it improves transitability and direct access to communities, positively impacting their development. A road in good condition reduces transportation times and costs, facilitates the arrival of humanitarian aid and basic services, and allows the population to move more safely to access economic and social opportunities.
  • The road inventory or characterization in SINC defines important aspects such as road length, jurisdiction, and category, as well as operational aspects such as the number of lanes, surface types, conditions, and the identification of important road network elements such as bridges, drainage works, walls, and critical sites. For more information, see the following link.
  • To understand what a road intervention is, several fundamental technical concepts must be known. These include: critical site, which is the point where problems affecting trafficability occur; subgrade, which is the natural ground base on which the road is built; drainage works, which allow water to pass and prevent flooding; and embankments, which are fills needed to level the road. These concepts are important because they explain the causes of deterioration in a road corridor and the type of technical solutions required to improve it. Understanding them makes it possible to see that an intervention is not simply "fixing the road", but applying specific works that guarantee the safety, functionality, and durability of the road corridor. For more information, see Response to Order 505 of 2025, Mobility Sector VF.
  • The Provisional Action Plan for the right to mobility includes two (2) actions:
    1. Road characterization that contributes to the execution of works to improve the mobility conditions of the Wayúu people living in dispersed rural areas (2 phases). Responsible parties: Ministry of Transport (resources) and the municipalities of Maicao, Manaure, Uribia, and Riohacha (approval of inventoried lengths). Kilometers to characterize: 2,488.66.
    2. Execute works to improve the mobility conditions of Wayuu communities living in dispersed rural areas, under the provisional action plan agreed with the Wayuu community within the framework of compliance with Ruling T-302 La Guajira. Responsible parties: INVIAS and municipalities (Maicao, Manaure, Uribia, and Riohacha).
    Road sections to intervene: 36.
  • The Constitutional Court, through Order 505 of 2025, urges the Mobility sector to move forward with completing the actions that make up the Provisional Action Plan, approved by that Court through Order 311 of 2024. To this end, it grants a period of six (6) months, during which significant progress must be shown in the interventions on the road sections included in that plan, taking into account that these actions are aimed at improving the mobility conditions of Wayuu communities located in remote areas. Along these lines, the Court requests the submission of a detailed report on the progress achieved and, if the ordered road intervention goals are not met, the Mobility sector must submit a technical report that comprehensively justifies such non-compliance. It also orders the consolidation and submission of a Structural Action Plan, establishing the beginning of 2026 as the date for this. For more information, see Response to Order 505 of 2025, Mobility Sector VF.
  • - UAPA -
    The objective is to contribute to access and continued participation in the Indigenous Education System (SEIP) for indigenous children, adolescents, and young people enrolled in educational institutions through the delivery of a food supplement that helps recover and strengthen cultural food traditions.
  • - UAPA -
    One of the most important processes within the PAE for indigenous peoples is consultation, understood as an open dialogue process in which agreements and consensus are established through participatory methodologies involving the community, traditional authorities, elders, and other actors, while respecting the organizational structures and decision-making systems of each people.
  • - UAPA -
    The implementation of the School Feeding Program (PAE) must be guaranteed in educational institutions serving mostly indigenous populations and those located in indigenous territories, within the framework of the principles, objectives, and strategies established in the Indigenous Education System (SEIP) and according to the cultural characteristics of each people.
  • - UAPA -
    Technical guidelines establish that indigenous authorities such as councils, reservations, and traditional authority associations, as well as nonprofit indigenous organizations formed by indigenous authorities, may act as supporting operators in the implementation of the PAE.
  • - UAPA -
    Territorial Entities must implement strategies to disseminate Resolution 18858 of 2018 among indigenous traditional authority associations, councils, reservations, and indigenous organizations present in the territory.
  • - UAPA -
    Indigenous peoples are expected to adopt the School Feeding Program model within their communities, attend calls organized by the Territorial Entity, and participate constructively in dissemination and consultation processes.
  • - UAPA -
    Continuous engagement between Territorial Entities and indigenous peoples and communities in order to achieve appropriation of the technical guidelines of the School Feeding Program.
  • - UAPA -
    The Certified Territorial Entity (ETC), in coordination with indigenous authorities and with the participation of the educational community.
  • - UAPA -
    It consists of the consultation process for the Indigenous Food Plan through which indigenous peoples determine the menus to be provided in educational institutions.
  • - UAPA -
    During the first semester of each school year for the following term and prior to the contracting process for the Program operation.
  • - UAPA -
    The consultation process must be planned, organized, led, and carried out by the Territorial Entities in mandatory coordination with the indigenous authorities of each indigenous people present in the territory.
  • - UAPA -
    The Indigenous Food Plan must be developed by each indigenous people and/or community, taking into account their diversity in terms of traditional food, geographic location, operational conditions, and accessibility.
  • - UAPA -
    No. The Indigenous Food Plan (PAIP) is agreed upon, developed, and approved with indigenous authorities according to the governance structures of each people.
  • - UAPA -
    The Indigenous Food Plan consists of five components: menu cycles, storage and preservation mechanisms, referral plans, purchasing plans, and approval by indigenous authorities.
  • - UAPA -
    Standard menus from other service models, menus defined unilaterally by entities, operators, principals, or educational institutions, and menu cycles designed for the general PAE population are not considered a PAIP.
  • - UAPA -
    Yes. Territorial Entities must conduct differential cost studies to determine the value of food rations and other implementation processes according to geographic and cultural particularities.
  • - UAPA -
    They must demonstrate administrative capacity, minimum experience in food programs, and legal capacity through documentation proving legal existence and representation.
  • - UAPA -
    Yes. If indigenous peoples are not interested or do not have the required experience and administrative capacity, the territorial entity may hire an external operator who must comply with the agreed PAIP.
  • - UAPA -
    The contracting entity is responsible for overseeing and monitoring the implementation of the PAE through supervision or auditing mechanisms established by Law 1474 of 2011.
  • - UAPA -
    Yes. Resolution 18858 of 2018 establishes the PAE Facilitators Committee as the community group responsible for supporting the monitoring and oversight of the School Feeding Program implementation.