Introduction: Colombia is a country located in the extreme northwest of South America with 20% of the population composed of indigenous, Afro-Colombian, Raizal, Palenquera, Rom, and rural communities. The highest levels of vulnerability to natural disasters are found in these communities, who are the ones with the highest levels of poverty. The Objective of this article is to assess the importance of the differential ethnic approach in disaster risk reduction. Methods: A literature review on the differential approach in disaster risk reduction in Colombia was conducted by searching different databases such as Web of Science, Clinicalkey, PubMed, Science Direct, and Lilacs. official documents and gray literature are also included. Results: In Colombia, various plans have been made to incorporate the differential ethnic approach into disaster risk management. It has been observed that these communities participate in the response phase of a disasters, however, there is no participation in the prevention, preparation and recovery phases. Conclusions: It is necessary to integrate the differential ethnic approach in all the phases of the disaster risk cycle through intercultural dialogue and scientific-ancestral knowledge; and take advantage of the community’s knowledge about the natural dynamics of the territory they inhabit, community resources, vulnerability, resilience factors, and cultural practices.