Through the #ClimateTalk format, the German Embassy in Colombia promotes conversations with various sectors on important topics for climate and environmental protection. Between November 20 and 21, 2025, five years after hurricanes IOTA and ETA, two dialogues were held in San Andrés and Providencia, together with the Center of Excellence in Marine Sciences -CEMarin to discuss the lessons learned from the unprecedented damage, still visible in some areas of the islands.
From the community’s point of view, they talked about how key was and is the knowledge they have about the sea and the wind to understand natural phenomena, as well as the recognition of nature as a subject with whom they coexist and dialogue. On the other hand, the academia highlighted the importance of involving the community in the processes of knowledge building and disseminating research to give continuity to projects and initiatives. The institutions shared that the capacity of nature surpassed any foreseen scenario and after the hurricanes, they began to plan based on data and to incorporate the ancestral and the native aspects in the Development Plan, recognizing the urgency of climate change. Finally, the NGOs highlighted the value of ecosystems, as they are the ones that prevent and provide security to the territory, as well as the need for leadership to be built from the local level, underlining the role of the communities.
The voices of the community, academia, the government sector and organizations agreed on a common message: resilience is built when knowledge is dialogued and articulated.