Colombia—Responsive Governance (RG) Activity

The Responsive Governance (RG) Activity enhances good governance, public financial management, and effective public service delivery in conflict-affected municipalities in Colombia. To increase citizen trust in the Colombian Government, RG strengthens public officials and institutions’ capacity to effectively plan, finance, and deliver vital public services, such as health and education. RG also empowers citizens to participate in their communities and promotes government accountability and responsiveness to citizen interests. RG is implemented in 34 municipalities.

Working at the intersection of public financial management (PFM), local governance, and conflict programming, RG seizes a moment of opportunity to promote effective governance and support Colombian institutions and systems as they enter the next phase of peace implementation. With Colombian partner organizations Transparencia por Colombia, Pastoral Social, and Corpovisionarios, RG builds on the decentralization efforts supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Government of Colombia to emphasize visible and sustainable improvements in service delivery and implementation of the Peace Accords.

RG fosters the inclusion of the LGBTIQ+ community, promoting local public policies and active social participation. The involvement of this community in the Territorial Planning Councils and other decision-making bodies has been actively encouraged by RG, thus ensuring that their voices are heard, contributing to closing gaps, and promoting a life free of violence for all.

Sample Activities

• Strengthen national government policies, systems, mechanisms, and institutions to improve public service delivery in targeted municipalities.
• Enhance municipal public financial management to comply with national standards, increase revenues, and promote the implementation of the Peace Agreement.
• Collaborate with civil society, the media, academia, and the private sector to strengthen and increase their participation in local governance processes and the implementation of the Peace Agreement.
• Strengthen the capacity of oversight institutions to monitor public resources in the health, education, and infrastructure sectors. RG collaborates with the Comptroller General’s Office, the Inspector General’s Office, local controllers, and municipal representatives, known as Personerías.
• Employ a rapid response mechanism to adapt to evolving contexts by collaborating with strategic local partners to identify emerging dynamics, opportunities, and challenges specific to the local context.

Select Results

• Mobilized $66.6 million through the approval of 132 projects aimed at strengthening the implementation of the Peace Agreement.
• Provided technical assistance for the Community Roads for Total Peace program, which mobilized $120 million through solidarity agreements. This initiative improves Colombia’s tertiary road network with active participation from community-based organizations.
• Supported the Vice Presidency of the Republic in developing strategies to advance the implementation of the Ethnic Chapter of the Peace Accord and identified $250 million for its funding. Additionally, RG contributed to the formulation of the Public Disability Policy.
• Helped implement the Special Rural Education Plan, engaging 364 teachers and principals, and benefiting 12,385 individuals, including students and families. Additionally, RG supported the implementation of the ethnic educational model of the Awá community in Pacific Nariño, along with educational ecosystems and other mechanisms that facilitate the direct involvement of ethnic communities.
• Increased participation and retention of young people in the Municipal Youth Councils by 23 percent. Additionally, 88 public servants and 86 teachers were trained in the operation of the National Youth System.
• Supported the consolidation of the Participa Colombia Network, which includes 66 civil society organizations that have completed 48 social control exercises.
• Promoted private sector involvement in local development and the implementation of the Peace Agreement, mobilizing $4.4 million through the Works for Taxes mechanism. This initiative benefited 93,209 individuals through improved education and infrastructure services.
• Trained and raised awareness among various public authorities and social actors on mechanisms, processes, policies, and actions for mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change, so that they can influence the public management cycle in decision-making, resource management, and the inclusion of adaptation actions from the perspective of the most vulnerable rural communities in Colombia.
• Equipped 215 people to understand how to contribute to local climate change adaptation; provided technical input in the formulation of 13 municipal development plans that incorporate strategies, goals, and resources for climate change at the municipal level; and facilitated territorial planning counselors from the citizen sector to provide feedback and opinions on municipal development plans.