Colombia

IRI helps support democratic processes and good governance in Colombia through work with the government, civil society organizations (CSOs), and citizens. IRI’s efforts include strengthening political parties’ representation of citizen interests, improving inclusion of marginalized people in the political and electoral process, and supporting youth involvement in local policy development and elections.

IRI WiGov pilot workshop in Bogota, 2019

IRI programs in Colombia strengthen inclusive local governance and grassroots-driven solutions to Colombia’s development needs. Through its extensive work with the Presidential Counselor for Women’s Equity, IRI provides technical assistance to advance public policy for gender equity at the state and municipal levels and promotes citizens’ active participation.

To support national and local officials in addressing governance and migration challenges, IRI’s Center for Global Impact seeks to understand the challenges regularly faced by local governments. This is partly in an effort to respond to the massive flow of Venezuelan migrants and provide technical assistance to manage the demand for service and promote social cohesion. With Colombia’s Congressional Peace and Migration Committees, IRI helps inform legislation by connecting national and local leaders to better understand municipal policy needs. IRI activities on peace and migration enable governments to design effective policy responses.

In order to understand constituent needs, IRI supports the House of Representatives’ multiparty initiative “From the Capitol to the Territory” (Del Capitolio al Territorio) to visit the territories most affected by the conflict and meet with key stakeholders such as victims, disarmed groups, and local authorities to track the progress of the agreement. To collect the voices of those more directly involved in the peace building, IRI developed the podcast series “Stories from the Territory” (Historias del Territorio), which highlights citizen experiences and needs in post-conflict areas. For youth, IRI provides the platform “Youth Take the Floor” (Jóvenes Toman la Palabra) to advocate for greater involvement in the peace implementation process. Furthermore, IRI coordinated with the Pacific Regional Planning and Administration (Región Administrativa y de Planificación del Pacífico, RAP) to improve legislation for regional economic development and better public resource allocation for the Pacific municipalities.