Roadmap for International Cooperation 2015-2018

ROADMAP

FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION 2015-2018

The Colombian Presidential Agency of International Cooperation, APC-Colombia, has one key guiding principle: to increase the benefit of development cooperation for Colombia and the international community, according to the country’s priorities.

To achieve this: We developed the Roadmap for International Cooperation for the period 2015-2018, approved by our Board of Directors on May 20th of 2015.

The Roadmap for International Cooperation is based on 4 key elements: The guidelines in Colombia’s National Development Plan Colombia’s foreign policy A presidential mandate to work on a possible post-conflict scenario The guidelines from our Board of Directors, composed of:

delegates named by the President

Given these 4 elements and our primary role as technical coordinator of the country’s international cooperation, APC-Colombia has consulted with public, private and non-governmental actors in order to build our Roadmap for International Cooperation.

Our first key strategic objective is to focalize and energize the international cooperation received by Colombia. To achieve this, APC-Colombia has prioritized three thematic areas:

Peacebuilding

Sustainable Rural Development

Conservation and Environmental Sustainability

Peacebuilding encompasses the country’s reconciliation efforts and supports the government's institutional framework to assist the victims of the country’s internal conflict. It emphasizes projects aimed at transitional justice, reparation for victims, land restitution, demining efforts, and the strengthening of the nation’s historical memory. Likewise, it includes the demobilization, rehabilitation and reintegration of participants of the armed conflict, as well as all activities that contribute to the implementation of an eventual peace agreement.

On Sustainable Rural Development, we start from the premise that the comprehensive transformation of the Colombian countryside is a prerequisite for lasting peace. These projects are aimed at reducing rural poverty, closing gaps between the city and the countryside, creating life alternatives and productive opportunities, and providing access to markets for workers in Colombia’s rural areas.

Conservation and environmental sustainability includes the environment and climate change. It recognizes that the possible end of the conflict would give us a unique opportunity to rediscover our own territory and reach remote parts of the country that are extremely rich in biodiversity. This includes projects related to reforestation, conservation, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, as well as the sustainable use of our natural wealth.

For this strategic objective, our approach stems from the territories prioritized in the National Development Plan 2015-2018, focusing on the most deprived areas and closing the historical gaps that have persisted throughout our development as a country.

Similarly, the Agency will be proactive in the design and implementation of projects related to innovation, science and technology, which can be independent or complementary to the three thematic areas.

Additionally, we recognize the role of international cooperation in helping us meet the Sustainable Development Goals and supporting Colombia’s candidacy to the OECD.

Our second key strategic objective is to share knowledge that adds value with other developing countries. To achieve this, we produce tangible benefits for the development of Colombia and its partners via South-South and Triangular Cooperation, and simultaneously contribute to our country’s foreign policy. To meet this goal we have:

Regional Strategies

Bilateral Programs

Strategic Alliances

Dialogue and Consultation Mechanisms

Include a large number of actors and the grouping of demands from various countries in a region. Of our five current strategies, we want to consolidate the ones with East Asia, Eurasia and Africa, and strengthen those with Mesoamerica and the Caribbean. In this context, we will seek Triangular Cooperation opportunities and strategic partnerships that allow us to export technical and practical knowledge to these regions.

Bilateral Programs include a natural channel of dialogue of South-South Cooperation. They are based on existing official frameworks, such as joint committees of technical and scientific cooperation, neighborhood committees, cultural, educational and sports commissions, among others.

Strategic Alliances are innovative channels through which APC-Colombia establishes a win-win arrangement with a partner from the public or private sector, civil society, international community or academia, in order to increase the benefit of development cooperation, promote South-South and Triangular Cooperation, and exchange knowledge and best practices that truly add value in key areas for the country’s development.

Dialogue and Consultation Mechanisms are spaces of negotiation for a group of countries that belong to a regional platform, with the goal of reaching agreements of mutual interest for the parties involved, and ultimately promote the development of the nations. In this sense, APC-Colombia promotes initiatives to boost cooperation in scenarios such as the Pacific Alliance, the Ibero-American General Secretariat, and the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation.

For this strategic objective, our focus is to promote and implement projects that truly add value, as opposed to isolated exchange activities among countries.

With this Roadmap for International Cooperation we seek to position ourselves as the leading organization for international cooperation in Colombia, and above all, contribute significantly to the country’s development.

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