Transition Initiatives: Colombia |
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Dates of Program: March 2007 - Present |
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| Map of Colombia |
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Program Description
USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) launched the Initial Governance Response Program (IGRP) in March 2007. The program's goal is to reinforce stability in high-priority, conflict-affected areas of Colombia. In support of this goal, IGRP's objectives are to strengthen the credibility and legitimacy of the Government of Colombia (GOC) in post-conflict areas through small, community-driven activities; to increase the willingness and capacity of communities to cooperate and interact with the GOC; and to expand the GOC's capacity to exercise timely, credible, and responsive civil functions.
Program Activities
OTI's strategic partner is the Centro de Coordinación de Acción Integral (CCAI), an inter-ministerial body that is tasked with coordinating the reestablishment of civilian government presence and strengthening community development in post-conflict areas. The IGRP works with CCAI to deliver quick-impact activities—through the GOC's socioeconomic development agency, Acción Social—that build trust between the government and vulnerable communities and establish a foundation for longer term recovery and growth.
The IGRP undertakes its activities in close collaboration with CCAI and other GOC institutions. Project activities include capacity building for CCAI, small-scale community activities, rapid-impact economic activities, and strategic communications support to CCAI in post-conflict communities. Capacity-building activities have included training on rapid assessments, contracting of technical experts to help plan and implement civilian consolidation efforts in post-conflict zones, and procuring equipment to improve communications with staff in remote areas of Colombia.
IGRP's community activities serve as tangible evidence of state presence in areas recovered from illegally armed groups. These small activities have included refurbishing schools and health clinics, supporting community festivals and events, and rebuilding tertiary roads and bridges. The IGRP is also working with agricultural associations and local businesses to rapidly develop licit productive activities that can supplant illicit crop production in recovered territories.
Finally, the IGRP is helping the GOC to develop strategic communications capability to reach out to rural communities that have recently been recovered from illegally armed groups.
Fast Facts
| Start Date |
March 2007 |
| Budget |
FY09: $2,000,000 in TI funds; $4,928,000 in 1207 funds |
For further information, please contact:
Katherine Donohue, Latin America & Caribbean Deputy Team Leader, 202-712-0498, kdonohue@usaid.gov.
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