State Department Fact Sheet: USAID Programs for Economic and Social Development in Colombia, March 13, 2001

State Department Fact Sheet: USAID Programs for Economic and Social Development in Colombia, March 13, 2001
13 March 2001
Fact Sheet: USAID Programs for Economic and Social Development in Colombia
(Funding targets alternative development, human rights programs) (980)

Following is the text of a March 12 U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID) fact sheet on U.S. support for economic, social
and institutional reform programs in Colombia:

(begin text)

FACT SHEET
USAID -- COLOMBIA

$119.5 million for Economic, Social and Institutional Development

ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT TOTAL: $42.5 million

Voluntary Eradication Programs -- $42.5 million

-- USAID is providing economic incentives to assist 5,000 farmers
eliminate 10,000 hectares of coca and develop long-term agricultural
and livestock alternatives in six municipalities in the Department of
Putumayo.

-- Over five years, USAID will contribute to the voluntary abandonment
of 30,000 hectares of small-farmer coca production.

-- Initial efforts are focused on the municipalities of Puerto Guzman,
Villa Garzon, and Puerto Caicedo.

-- Agricultural incentives will include modem production-technologies,
processing, credit, marketing, and assistance to producer
organizations.

-- In remote coca-producing areas licit production will include
agro-forestry and tree cropping programs tailored towards indigenous
populations.

-- Agro-forestry systems will be tailored to financial and ecological
conditions of small farms in remote tropical lowland regions.

-- Activities will include integrated pest management training for
producer groups, promoting long-term forest management, and
coordinating cross-border environmental programs between southern
Colombia and northern Ecuador. USAID activities will facilitate access
to improved schools, health services, potable water, sewerage and
electricity.

DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS: TOTAL: $47.0 million

Local Government Assistance -- $22 million

-- USAID assistance to local governments -- community level
alternative development -- will help build a more transparent,
responsive and participatory democracy.

-- Building on alternative development and civil society programs,
local government assistance will enable municipalities to improve
efficiency and accountability and increase citizen oversight.

-- Technical assistance and support will be provided to
popularly-elected local government officials in order to help them to
fulfill their social service functions. For example, grants will be
offered to strengthen local social infrastructure -- schools, health
and community centers.

Strengthening Human Rights Institutions -- $7 million

-- In concert with Colombian government agencies and civil society
organizations already working for human rights, this program will
improve the capacity of major human rights institutions and groups to
make citizens aware of their rights, document human rights violations,
and monitor individual cases.

-- Educational outreach activities for citizens to inform them of
their rights and responsibilities within a democracy and a human
rights early warning system on how to permit preventive action in case
of anticipated violations.

-- Additionally, USAID is helping improve information systems and
monitoring mechanisms currently used to track and report abuses and to
monitor investigations and prosecution by government authorities.

Judicial System Reform -- $5 Million

-- USAID works with the Superior Judicial Council and the Ministry of
Justice to promote needed policy reforms, informed public debate, and
to increase public trust.

-- USAID supports Colombia's transition to a modern accusatorial
system of criminal justice. Funding will assist Colombia in
implementing and modifying its criminal procedure code, criminal code
and related statutes. USAID is training judges on introduction and
training in oral, accusatory, and transparent trial procedures, and
adoption and implementation of effective investigative techniques. Two
oral courtrooms are open, ten more are anticipated this year.

-- Code reform will be paired with a public education program to
ensure due process and transparency and to gain public trust and
confidence in the criminal justice system.

Protectection of Human Rights Workers -- $4 million

-- USAID's protection program complements the Colombian Ministry of
the Interior and local NGO program which provide basic protective
measures such as bodyguards, radio communication networks,
bullet-proof vest, armed vehicles, metal detectors, and reinforced
doors for human rights organizations, their workers and the country's
labor unions.

Public Defender Program -- $2 million

-- Additional public defenders will be trained and placed in high
priority areas, such as Putumayo,

-- Increased numbers of trained public defenders will improve legal
representation and enhance human rights improvements for poor
defendants.

Casa de Justicia Judicial Program -- $1 million

-- USAID will create eight new Casas de Justicia (Justice Houses) to
make community legal aid and mediation services broadly available to
ordinary Colombians. A total of 40 Casas are expected.

-- These USAID-supported centers include a public defender,
prosecutor, an ombudsman, and conflict mediators.

Anti-corruption Program -- $3 million

-- The USAID component of the anti-corruption program will strengthen
Colombian municipal financial controls and increase citizen oversight
of public resources.

-- This program will establish standards and procedures, train audit
staff, and assist adoption of modern audit techniques within
municipalities.

-- NGOs will receive funding to organize awareness campaigns and
support citizen oversight committees.

Conflict Management and Peace Process -- $3 million

-- USAID will assist the government of Colombia to evaluate its
negotiation strategies and to refine approaches to social and economic
issues that surround the negotiations with the FARC and ELN.

-- Assistance will be provided to NGOs, universities and other civil
society groups to gather data to conduct studies, facilitate forums
for dialogue, and the discussion of issues.

INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS: TOTAL $30 million

Assistance for Internally Displaced Persons -- $27.5 million

-- USAID works through U.S. NGOs, International Organizations and
their Colombian counterparts to deliver mid- to long-term assistance
to displaced persons.

-- In order to stabilize communities, promote democratic
participation, and support access to social services US. USAID will
focus on providing better health and education services, shelter,
employment opportunities, and vocational training.

-- The strengthened local ability to provide social services and the
ability of international organizations to assist in returning or
relocating displaced people will increase community stability.

Rehabilitation of Child Soldiers -- $2.5 million

Funds will provide for the demobilization and rehabilitation of child
soldiers in Colombia.

As of May 24, 2001, this document was also available online at http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/ar/colombia/usaid13.htm