USAID/OTI Colombia Annual Summary Report
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October 2009 - September 2010 |
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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 expand the GOC's capacity to exercise timely, credible, and responsive civil functions.
Activities
The IGRP program's model of rapid responses to community-identified needs, implemented in the name of the GOC, both creates confidence in the GOC and leads to further investment by the GOC as part of the process of consolidation of State presence. IGRP is supporting this consolidation process in four parts of the country through the following activities:
Small Community Activities – Once the military has provided permanent security in an area, and coca has been eradicated, OTI provides support to the GOC for small, quick-impact, community-prioritized social infrastructure projects. These projects are frequently the first concrete demonstration of government support for historically marginalized communities and serve to quickly begin building trust between communities and local government. Projects also serve as a vehicle for building trust in areas typically characterized by lack of community due to the historical illegal underpinnings of the economy. Typical projects address needs for community centers, street lighting, road and drainage systems, tertiary road repair, and school kitchens.
Productive Activities – OTI supports the GOC's small, quick-impact economic opportunities for groups making the transition from the coca-based economy to the legal economy. Projects build on what people already know how to do and are directed at the local market. Typical projects provide agricultural inputs, planting material, small machinery, and technical assistance to improve both production and business operations.
Income-Generating Activities – OTI supports small, quick-impact economic opportunities for groups making the transition from the coca-based economy to the legal economy. Projects build on what people already know how to do and are directed at the local market. Typical projects provide agricultural inputs, planting material, small machinery for transformation, and technical assistance to improve both production and business operations.
The program is also supporting the consolidation process with technical assistance to mayors' offices and GOC consolidation teams—including efforts at the national level—and by supporting a communication strategy promoting consolidation, the National Park Service's efforts to resettle families living illegally in national parks, and a strategy to prevent youth recruitment into illegally armed groups.
Country Situation
President Santos Takes Office – Since taking office on August 7, President Juan Manuel Santos has continued the policy of his predecessor, Alvaro Uribe, seeking to extend national and territorial security. Santos is also emphasizing other key issues that continue to confront the country. Three proposals addressing important issues currently before Congress or working toward the legislature include the following: a restitution law that will return land to displaced families; a victims' law that will provide monetary compensation for individuals victimized by the long-running conflict, irrespective of whether the aggressor was an illegal armed group or the government (The ability to receive reparations for government infractions is an element that distinguishes this law from the version supported by the previous government.); and a land formalization law that will make it easier and less expensive to grant land titles to small-scale farmers. The land law is particularly important for the consolidation process, given that a significant majority of farmers in many target regions do not hold title to the land they work. Clear title will provide these farmers with additional incentive to continue on the path to the legal economy.
Security Situation in Flux – The first weeks of President Santos' tenure were marked by renewed attacks on Colombian armed forces by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The attacks, which left 32 police officers and soldiers dead, were mounted in areas not completely controlled by the government. Some political analysts said the attacks provided more proof that the FARC remains a viable force. Conversely, the army contends the attacks were opportunistic events and do not reflect problems with the government's "democratic security" strategy.
On September 22, FARC leader Víctor Julio Suárez Rojas (known by his nom de guerre, Mono Jojoy) was killed in a military operation that involved more than 50 aircraft and seven tons of bombs. Mono Jojoy was a member of the FARC secretariat, the FARC's principal military strategist, and the commander of the largest FARC front, based in the eastern plains. He had spent 39 years with the guerrilla group and had a reputation for violence. The attack took place in Colombia's eastern plains, a region encompassing the government's area of operation for the Plan de Consolidación Integral de la Macarena (PCIM). Many in Colombia are calling Mono Jojoy's death the biggest blow against the FARC since the conflict began, prompting much public speculation as to whether his death truly represents the beginning of the end for the FARC. One week prior to the attack, Alfonso Cano, the FARC's top leader, who remains at large but hemmed in by the military in the mountains in the Department of Tolima, sent out a video inviting the GOC to negotiate a peace agreement, with no prior conditions. The government's response to such offers has been constant and unwavering: peace talks can begin only when the FARC commits to ending all terrorist activities and releases all hostages. Nevertheless, the government also invites all members of the FARC to turn in their arms and enter its demobilization program. In the meantime, the military continues its efforts to end guerilla activities.
Grants Summary
Grant activity since the start of the OTI program in March 2007 breaks down as follows: Education, 22%; Health, 2%; Institutional Development, 16%; Land Titling, 1%; Media/Communications, 3%; Productive Activities, 24%; Small Municipal Infrastructure, 11%; Socio-Cultural Activities, 3%; Transportation, 18%; Water/Sanitation, 1%.
Highlights
Technical Assistance for CCAI – During the final quarter of FY2009, local program partner Oportunidad Estratégica (OE) completed its work on three decrees that will restructure the Centro de Coordinación de Acción Integral (CCAI), OTI's strategic partner that oversees and manages the GOC's National Consolidation Plan (PNC by its Spanish acronym). President Uribe signed the first decree on his last day in office; the other two decrees, which hinge on the first, await President Santos's decision on where the PNC operation will be housed.
OE is working with the Regional Coordination Centers (RCCs), as well as with local government offices and civil society, in the Departments of Nariño and Cordoba, assisting with the development of operational plans for consolidation efforts. Although both RCCs have conceptually sound strategic plans, OE is providing in-depth assistance with activities such as defining annual targets for government ministries and determining the level of resources that will be required to achieve success. The short-staffed RCCs are not well equipped for such planning efforts. The completion of the Nariño and Cordoba plans will bring the number of operational plans supported by OTI to six.
Road Rehabilitation in Nariño – With additional funding from the USAID Mission, OTI began making plans to rehabilitate a tertiary road in the Department of Nariño. The 20-kilometer stretch of road joins communities within the Afro-Colombian Council of Rescate de las Varas with communities in six other Afro-Colombian Councils. In 2008, the communities of Rescate made a collective decision to uproot all coca in the region and seek assistance with efforts to make the transition to the legal economy. The communities have received commitments from USAID and the governor's office, primarily to support cacao projects. Councils in nearby areas have been watching closely as the process has unfolded in Rescate and, with the urging of the RCC, have begun to consider whether eradicating coca would provide benefits to their communities. A major issue facing Councils considering making this major economic shift is transportation: the primary way to move produce to markets is through mangrove swamps, an expensive proposition. Thus, the road is an important symbol of the government's commitment to work with communities willing to make the transition.
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| "Music, a secure weapon for culture" was the winning photo in the youth category of a competition highlighting values of security, governance, and participation in Southern Tolima.
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Independence Day Celebrations in Meta and Tolima – The 200th anniversary of Colombia's declaration of independence from Spain was celebrated in 2009, and OTI supported celebrations in Meta and Tolima by providing prizes for patriotic neighborhood, traditional dance, and photography contests. The photography contest in Tolima focused on the values that underpin life in a legal economy.
The Drivers of Consolidation – Over the life of the program, it has become clear that a number of essential elements drive the consolidation process. Given the importance of a valid conceptual framework to inform the ongoing consolidation effort, OTI engaged and independent analyst to visit the PCIM's area of operations to validate (or invalidate) the program team's assessment of the key drivers of consolidation. The analyst recommended expanding the list of key drivers from five to seven as follows:
- community security
- tertiary roads
- land titles
- income-generating projects
- permanent technical staff presence (for ongoing presence as much as assistance)
- community ability to work with others on resource issues
- GOC commitments kept
OTI is reviewing the analysis with a U.S. Department of Defense-supported team of academics and will develop a methodology for collecting and evaluating community perceptions as they relate to the drivers of consolidation the program can influence.
Program Appraisal
The GOC's pilot consolidation effort in Meta continues to be widely seen as the model to be replicated in other strategically important parts of the country. Confidence in the ability of the model to provide security to communities through the marginalization of illegally armed groups, to drastically decrease coca production, and to expand civilian State presence is shared by both the GOC and the U.S. Embassy, which are basing their new strategies on this pilot experience.
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| "I Am With You" won in the adult category of a photo competition OTI supported in conjunction with Independence Day celebrations in Southern Tolima.
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The death of FARC leader Mono Jojoy has provided the GOC with additional access to communities in transition and combat zones, and OTI is working closely with the government to develop a quick-impact action plan to reach out to these communities. The fast-response efforts will emphasize how the security situation has truly changed for the better and show that the government is their ally. The program has authorized the publication of an additional 3,000 copies of the latest edition of Territorios (a regional communication strategy newspaper), which focuses on successful community-GOC collaboration. The newspapers are slated for distribution in two municipalities where the FARC retains its strongest presence within the PCIM's area of operations. Larger-scale efforts will be coordinated in conjunction with GOC meetings tentatively scheduled for early October.
Next Steps
OTI priorities for the next quarter include the following:
- Continue working with the USAID Mission to determine how best to serve as a bridging mechanism between the current Mission strategy and the new Colombia Strategic Development Initiative strategy, which is currently under development (The OTI program has been extended through June 2011 because of unexpected delays in the procurement process for the Central Band. The program does not want to leave the PCIM, which will fall under the Central Band, without U.S. Government support.);
- Continue implementing confidence-building socioeconomic projects in newly opened veredas (hamlets) in Meta and Tolima;
- Continue working with the implementing partner to ensure a smooth transition with the new Central Band strategy;
- Complete the rehabilitation of a tertiary road in Nariño;
- Complete a baseline perception survey for Tolima; and
- Work with communities, local government, and civil society in Nariño to sponsor a photography contest focused on the values that underpin the transition from the coca economy to the legal economy.
For further information, please contact the USAID Colombia Mission.
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