USAID/Colombia Regional Integration Strategy
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) supports Colombians’ efforts to overcome the internal conflict and lay the foundations for a more stable, peaceful and prosperous Colombia. In order to meet this purpose, USAID/Colombia works in partnership with local governments, civil society, and the private sector to foster a more inclusive and equitable society.
USAID/Colombia Activities, mainly developed in regions affected by the internal conflict, and with a high presence of Afro-Colombian and indigenous population, aim to improve their living conditions through institutional capacity building that allows the State to respond more efficiently and transparently to citizens’ needs. Likewise, USAID/Colombia promotes licit income opportunities, along with increased access to financial services and supports the implementation of land restitution and rural development in Colombia. Furthermore, USAID supports the Colombian Government’s goal to reduce threats to
biodiversity and ecosystems, and strengthen environmental governance in order to preserve protected areas and ethnic territories.
In May 2021, USAID/Colombia launched the Regional Integration Strategy (RIS) to deepen the regional impact of its Activities through an increased coordination and collaboration between them and with external stakeholders in prioritized regions. Thus, RIS aims to minimize duplicities and inefficiencies across the Mission’s portfolio.
The implementation of the Regional Integration Strategy for each prioritized region begins with the engagement of local
actors in the formulation of a Theory of Change (ToC), which represents USAID/Colombia’s development vision for each region, taking the local and regional development plans into account. Subsequently, and based on the regional ToC, key thematic areas (known as Regional Integration Opportunities - OIRs in Spanish) are identified in order to group Mission Activities that share synergies and can complement each other. The OIRs, in turn, become the basis for joint action plans in the implementation of RIS.
Bajo Cauca y Nordeste Antioqueño
Región Pacífico y Frontera Nariñense
