 |
|
|
|
 |
USAID Information:
External Links:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Colombia: USAID Program Profile
|
Budget |
FY 2005
Actual
|
FY 2006
Current
|
FY 2007
Requested
|
|
Total Program Funds |
$125,187,000 |
$129,920,000 |
$125,000,000 |
The United States Agency for International Development’s
(USAID) program in Colombia is focused on strengthening democracy,
promoting human rights, eliminating coca and poppy production
through alternative development, and providing assistance
to internally displaced persons.
Strengthening Democracy: USAID is strengthening democracy
by improving access to justice, increasing efficiency and
equity in the Colombian judicial system, and improving local
government. USAID has increased access to justice for thousands
of low income and marginalized Colombians by supporting Ministry
of Justice efforts to achieve national coverage of the Casas
de Justicia or Justice Houses Program. This program focuses
on establishing multi-agency information and service delivery
centers that provide access to formal justice and dispute
resolution services from a central location. USAID is also
helping to improve the efficiency and equity of the Colombian
judicial system by supporting Colombia’s transition
from an inquisitorial to an accusatorial justice system to
increase the efficiency and transparency of legal procedures.
Additionally, USAID works with local governments at the municipal
level to improve management procedures and encourage citizen
participation in decision-making activities. Emphasis is on
promoting greater transparency in the local governing process,
especially in financial management.
Promoting Human Rights: USAID is helping improve the
capacity of local government institutions and civil society
organizations to enhance human rights protection through a
three tiered approach: strengthening Government of Colombia
human rights institutions; protecting individuals threatened
because of their efforts to improve human rights; and improving
the Government’s ability to prevent massacres and forced
displacements of civilians in rural areas when armed terrorist
groups compete with each other for control of territory. Working
with the Ministry of Interior’s Human Rights Protection
Program, USAID has helped more than 3,293 human rights workers,
labor activists, journalists and others who were threatened
by armed groups. USAID has also worked with the National Ombudsman’s
Office to support development of an Early Warning System (EWS)
that has provided 254 alerts to the Colombian military, national
police and other state institutions when situations occurred
that could lead to massacres or forced displacements. Government
authorities responded to 179 of these alerts.
Alternative Development: USAID is supporting GOC efforts
to eliminate coca and opium poppy by assisting farmers that
want to eradicate coca and increase legal crop or livestock
production. USAID is working with groups of farmers that want
to eradicate drug crops and expand production of agro-industrial
commodities as well as with entire Veredas (townships) that
elect to eradicate drug crops in exchange for USAID support
for construction of small infrastructure projects, food production,
or cultivation and marketing of legal crops. USAID is also
financing construction of larger infrastructure projects to
provide employment for farmers whose livelihoods were dependent
on illicit drug production and to strengthen the cohesion
of rural communities and increase their ability to resist
drug trafficking in the future. New USAID activities begun
in 2003 are supporting agribusiness and commercial forestry
development in order to increase employment and income levels
in secondary cities and rural areas where farmers have eradicated
illicit crops.
Displaced Persons: The Mission has provided support
for more than 1.4 million persons that have been displaced
by violence or forced to flee their homes after receiving
threats from guerillas, paramilitary groups or narco-traffickers.
The Mission works with experienced NGOs to provide emergency
assistance as well as medium or long-term support for Internally
Displaced Persons (IDPs). Most of the assistance is for physical
and mental health services, shelter, water and sanitation,
education, employment creation and community strengthening.
USAID is also providing support for the rehabilitation of
former child combatants. Between 3,000 and 7,000 child soldiers
are thought to be serving in armed guerilla or paramilitary
groups. A center has been established to receive children
that are captured by the Colombian Army or who escape from
armed groups. More than 1,375 children have entered the reception
center thus far where they have received treatment, education
and shelter. USAID was recently asked to assist the Government
of Colombia to design a program for the possible demobilization
and reintegration of adult ex-combatants. Any direct US government
support for the implementation of this plan will be dependent
on the resolution of several legal and policy issues. The
plan is currently being reviewed by an inter-agency committee.
Back to Top ^
|
