Youth and Public Policy in Colombia
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
YOUTH POLICY REVIEW SERIES Youth and Public Policy in Colombia The failure of political systems to respond to the demands of young people and the inability of the current economic model to accommodate young Romero people into the labor market, presents a significant challenge for many countries including Colombia. This is particularly relevant considering · that between 2015 and 2035 Colombia will have the largest youth popula- García tion (15-24 years) of the history. · Despite efforts to make sure the inclusion of young voices in policymak- Rodríguez ing processes, much remains to be done to ensure youth participation in economic and social development. With this context in mind, this review aims to analyze youth policies in Co- · lombia, focusing on those related to health, education and participation. Tobón-García The review is framed within the notion of ‘a decent life’ and it considers Gina Paola Romero Rodríguez the current peace process in Colombia. Cindy Paola García Buitrago Carlos Andrés Rodríguez Castro · About the Youth Policy Review Series Aguilar Daniel Tobón-García Juliana Aguilar Forero This review series researches and analyzes public policies affecting youth. Many countries have stated their youth policies, but are they executing them? Do these policies allow young people to achieve their rights? How Youth and Public Policy in do youth policies interact with broader policies that affect young people? Country-specific titles lay out the evidence on which young people, their Youth and organizations, and the entire youth sector, can advocate for the adoption Public Policy in and implementation of sound national and international youth policies, and hold governments, agencies and donors to account on the promises they make to young people. Colombia C olombia A publication of WWW.YOUTHPOLICY.ORG/REVIEWS 9 783944 859071 Youth Policy Press YOUTH POLICY REVIEW SERIES Youth and Public Policy in Colombia A publication of Youth Policy Press Research Team International Editorial Board Gina Paola Romero Rodríguez Betty Kyaddondo Cindy Paola García Buitrago Harini Amarasuriya Carlos Andrés Rodríguez Castro Robert Thomson Daniel Tobón-García International Project Coordination Project Coordination Yael Ohana Corporación Ocasa Milosz Czerniejewski John Muir International Advisor Andreas Karsten Juliana Aguilar Forero Copyright © 2015 by Youth Policy Press www.youthpolicypress.com First edition printed in 2015 This youth policy review has been generously supported by the Open Society Foundations · www.opensocietyfoundations.org ISBN 978-3-944859-07-1 Design by Maximilian Kall This work is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 Printed by Druckerei Lokay in Reinheim, Germany, on 100% recovered paper with EU Ecolabel Youth Policy Press, Alt-Moabit 89, DG, D-10559 Berlin Tel +49 30 394 052 555, Fax +49 30 394 052 505 [email protected] III Contents 1 Introduction · Background to Pilot Review 1.1 Introduction 2 1.2 Outline of the sections of the report 5 1.3 Rationale for the pilot review 6 1.4 Rationale for the review in Colombia 7 1.5 Conceptual Considerations 12 1.5.1 Decent life 12 1.5.2 Education 13 1.5.3 Health 14 1.5.4 Participation 16 1.5.5 Crosscutting Topics 17 2 The Situation of Young People 2.1 Introduction and Context 28 2.1.1 Colombia overview 28 2.1.2 Political And Historical Context 40 2.1.3 Governmental institutions related to youth 43 2.2 Key Themes and Statistics 45 2.2.1 Living well: poverty, inequality, employment and basic health 45 2.2.2 Employment 46 2.2.3 Health 47 2.2.4 Living as desired: Education and participation 53 2.2.5 Living without humiliation: Violence, crime and conflict 63 IV 2.3 Youth In Media 67 2.4 Conclusions 72 3 The Policy Context 3.1 Introduction and context 76 3.2 The broader policy context 76 3.2.1 Paradigms and analytical models of youth in policy 76 3.2.2 Political and economic history and the role of the Catholic Church 80 3.3 Key definition of youth across policy domains 86 3.4 Legal frameworks underpinning youth policies 95 3.5 Needs, rights and responsibilities of young people 103 3.5.1 Youth rights monitoring and protection 107 3.5.2 Rights and responsibilities in education, health and participation 109 3.5.3 Needs of young people 111 3.6 Conclusions 117 4 Policy Realities 4.1 Introduction and Context 122 4.1.1 An overview of existing policies 122 4.1.2 Explicit youth policies 124 4.1.3 Implicit youth policies (sectorial policies that affect / impact on young people) 146 4.1.4 Childhood and Adolescence Act 146 4.1.5 Youth Policies in Education: Education Act 148 4.1.6 Youth issues within health policy 151 4.1.7 Youth policies in participation 156 4.2 Policy implementation 157 4.2.1 Explicit youth policies 158 4.2.2 Implicit youth policies 166 4.3 Recognition and involvement of youth in policies 177 4.4 Policy alignment with international frameworks 181 4.5 Conclusions 183 V 5 Impact of Policies 5.1 Introduction and Context 188 5.1.1 An overview of Colombian territorial division 188 5.1.2 The territorial entities chosen 189 5.2 The policy reality in chosen territorial entities 201 5.2.1 Policy documents 202 5.2.2 Youth agencies 217 5.3 Public policy analysis in chosen territorial entities 219 5.3.1 Political will for policy adoption, implementation and monitoring 219 5.3.2 Institutional role: Colombia Joven as a key actor 221 5.3.3 The role of external actors: international cooperation 224 5.3.4 Necessity of consistent technical support to territorial entities, youth leaders, and youth organisations 226 5.3.5 Qualification and empowerment of youth leaders and their organisations 227 5.3.6 Inter-sectorial coordination 229 5.4 Main conclusions and recommendations 234 Bibliography 256 Annex 1 Colombian board of experts 281 Annex 2 Matrix of territorial entities · Field work plan 282 Annex 3 Valle del Cauca and Cundinamarca field visit 286 Annex 4 People and institutions consulted throughout the research 288 Annex 5 Chronological line · Political and historical context 292 Annex 6 CONPES documents on youth 296 Annex 7 Key word analysis · CONPES documents 302 Annex 8 Key word analysis · Youth Act and Youth Citizenship Statute 304 VI List of Acronyms AECID Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (Spanish Agency for International Cooperation) ALAMES Asociación Latinoamericana de Medicina Social (Latin American Social Medicine Association) CAR Corporación Autónoma Regional (Autonomous Regional Corporation) CJMF Comisión Asesora de Juventud, Mujer y Familia (Presidential Chancellorship for Youth, Women and Family) CONPES Consejo Nacional de Política Económica y Social (National Council for Economic and Social Policy) CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child D&D Demokratie & Dialog DANE Departamento Nacional de Estadística (National Department of Statistics) DDP Departmental Development Plans DPS Departamento para la Prosperidad Social (Department for Social Prosperity) ECLAC Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean ELN Ejército de Liberación Nacional (left wing guerrilla) EPS Entidades Promotoras de Salud (Health Insurance Companies) FARC Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (left wing guerrilla) FECODE Federación Colombiana de Educadores (Colombian Federation of Educators) GDP Gross Domestic Product GIZ German Cooperation Agency (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenar- beit) ICBF Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar (Colombian Institute of Family Welfare) ICFES Instituto Colombiano para el Fomento de la Educación Superior (Colombian Institute for Educational Evaluation) IDB Inter-American Development Bank IDEA Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance IEB International Editorial Board – YouthPolicy.org ILO International Labour Organization VII IOM International Organisation for Migration MANE Mesa Amplia Nacional Estudiantil (National Student Broad Council) MDG Millennium Development Goals MEN Ministerio de Educación Nacional de Colombia (Minister of Education) NCP National Council of Planning (Consejo Nacional de Planeación) ODC Observatorio Colombiano de Drogas (Colombia Drug Observatory) OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OIJ Organización Iberoamericana de la Juventud (Ibero-American Youth Organization) PACIPAZ Participación Ciudadana para la Paz (Citizen Participation for Peace) PAHO Pan American Health Organization PDSP Ten-Year Public Health Plan (Plan Decenal de Salud Pública) PEI Institutional Educational Projects PHC Primary Health Care PISA Programme for International Student Assessment POS Plan Obligatorio de Salud (Mandatory Health Plan) SENA Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (National Service for Training) SGP Sistema General de Participaciones (General System of Participation) SIPRI Stockholm International Peace Research Institute SPADIES Sistema para la prevención de la deserción en las instituciones de educación superior (Preventing Desertion System on Higher Education) SRH Sexual and Reproductive Health SRHR Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights SRR Sexual and Reproductive Rigths SSAAJ Servicios de Salud Amigables para Adolecentes y Jovenes (Youth and Teen Public Health Services) UBN Unsatisfied Basic Needs UMIC Upper-Middle Income Country UN United Nations UN DESA United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNFPA United Nations Population Fund USAID United States Agency for International Development WHO World Health Organization Youth and Public Policy in Colombia Introduction Background to Pilot Review 1 2 · YouTH AND PublIC PolICY IN ColombIA 1.1 Introduction According to The World Population Situation in 2014 young people aged 15- 24 represent around one-a sixth of the world’s total population – 1.2 billion people. The overall number of adolescents and youth will remain relatively stable over the next 35 years. However, the proportion of the world’s adoles- cents and youth living in Africa is expected to rise from 18 % in 2014 to 30 % in 2050, while the youth population in all other major areas will decline (UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2014).