Colombia is a South American country rich in natural resources and biodiversity and is the third most populous country in Latin America. Though Colombia holds an upper middle-income country status, it is one of the most unequal countries in the world – 52.6 percent of the total population lives below the poverty line and this figure reaches 69 percent in rural areas. Colombia has one of the highest rates of internally displaced people in the world due to civil conflicts, leaving as many as 3.7 million especially vulnerable to climate change. The country presents a high incidence of extreme weather and disasters associated with climate conditions and vulnerability. Climate change impacts are expected to pose significant and long-term effects on fragile and unique ecosystems and accelerate the pace of land degradation, impact water quality and agricultural production, contribute to the decline of biodiversity and increase the exposure of its citizens to tropical vector diseases, such as malaria and dengue.

Recent climate change policy in Colombia has been developed by the National Economic and Social Policy Council (CONPES). CONPES is responsible for developing climate change components of each National Development Plan. In 2011, CONPES (3700) defined the need for an institutional framework for climate change, establishing the National System of Climate Change (SISCLIMA) as the institution responsible for coordinating and promoting climate change policy and action. In force through Presidential Decree, SISCLIMA will coordinate implementation of four priority climate change strategies: the Climate Change National Adaptation Plan (CCNAP); the Colombian Low-Carbon Development Strategy (CLCDS); the National REDD+ Strategy (ENREDD+); and the Strategy for Fiscal Protection Against Natural Disasters. Colombia ratified the Paris Agreement on June 16, 2017 and the country's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) can be found here.