PMO012 “PUTUMAYO´S VOICES AND IMAGES: BREAKING NEW GROUND FOR PEACE IMPLEMENTATION” USAID/OTI COLOMBIA TRANSFORMA 1 FINAL REPORT July 2015 – September 2019 21 SEPTEMBER 2019 This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by Management Systems International (MSI), A Tetra Tech Company. USAID/OTI COLOMBIA TRANSFORMA I Final Report Contracted under Contract No. AID-OAA-I-14-00012, Task Order No. AID-OAA-TO-15-00031 Colombia Transforma DISCLAIMER The authors’ views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. CONTENTS ACRONYMS ............................................................................................................ II 1. PROGRAM REVIEW ........................................................................................... 1 1.1 FIRST YEAR: LEARNING BY DOING IN ANTICIPATION OF SIGNING THE PEACE AGREEMENT............................................................................................................................................................. 1 1.2. SECOND YEAR: SIGNING THE PEACE AGREEMENT AND BEGINNING IMPLEMENTATION IN AN ENVIRONMENT OF UNCERTAINTY AND SKEPTICISM ..................... 2 1.3 THIRD YEAR: IMPLEMENTING THE PEACE AGREEMENT DURING THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT’S TRANSITION ......................................................................................................................... 4 1.4 FOURTH YEAR: LEGACY CONSOLIDATION ....................................................................................... 5 2. PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS ....................................... 6 2.1. COLOMBIA TRANSFORMA IN FIGURES 2015–2019 (ANNEX 3) ................................................... 6 2.2 COLOMBIA TRANSFORMA LEGACY: RESULTS OF FOUR IMPLEMENTATION YEARS ......... 8 2.2.1 FIRST DIMENSION: SKILLS TO ADVANCE PEACE AGREEMENT IMPLEMENTATION 8 2.2.2 SECOND DIMENSION: COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG ACTORS ....... 10 2.2.3. THIRD DIMENSION: ADDED RESULTS BY PROGRAM TEAMS ........................................ 14 2.2.4. FOURTH DIMENSION: RESPONSE TO THE VENEZUELAN MIGRATION CRISIS...... 22 2.2.5. FIFTH DIMENSION: THE LEGACY OF LEARNING ............................................................... 23 3. CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR COLOMBIA TRANSFORMA 2 ................................................................................................... 26 GRAPH I. ACTIVITY BREAKDOWN AMONG GOVERNMENT BODIES (2015-19) ................................................................................................................. 28 GRAPH II. BENEFICIARY BREAKDOWN AMONG TERRITORIAL ACTORS (2015-19) ................................................................................................ 29 ANNEX 1: TIMELINE OF COLOMBIA TRANSFORMA PROGRAM, JULY 2015 – AUGUST 2019 ........................................................................................... 30 ANNEX 2: STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK AT THE END OF THE PROGRAM .................................................................................................................................. 34 ANNEX 3: COLOMBIA TRANSFORMA IN FIGURES (2015–2019) .............. 35 ANNEX 4: INFOGRAPHICS AND FIGURES FOR PROGRAM TEAMS (2015–2019) ............................................................................................................. 38 USAID.GOV USAID/OTI COLOMBIA TRANSFORMA 1 FINAL REPORT | i ACRONYMS ADR Agency for Rural Development ANT National Land Agency ART Territorial Renovation Agency ASOMUNICIPOS Municipality Association of Catatumbo, Ocaña Province, and Sur del Cesar ASOPROCANOR Cocoa Producers Association of Norte de Santander CEV Commission for Truth Clarification CNMH National Historical Memory Center CTI Colombia Transforma I DNP National Planning Department ELN National Liberation Army EP Program Team EPL People’s Liberation Army FARC-EP Armed Forces of Colombia, People’s Army FEDEPROCAP Producer Federation Network of Catatumbo and Ocaña Province ICBF Colombian Family Welfare Institute JAC Community Action Board M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MSI Management Systems International OACP Office of the High Commission for Peace OTI Office of Transition Initiatives OZIP Putumayo Indigenous Zonal Organization PDET Programs with Territorial Approach PIC Small Community Infrastructure POD Portable Operation Design Team SENA National Learning Service USAID United States Agency for International Development ii | USAID/OTI COLOMBIA TRANSFORMA 1 FINAL REPORT USAID.GOV ZVTN Standardization Neighborhood Zone USAID.GOV USAID/OTI COLOMBIA TRANSFORMA 1 FINAL REPORT | iii 1. PROGRAM REVIEW In July 2015, USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) initiated the Colombia Transforma I (CTI) to support Colombians in implementing the historic Peace Agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, People's Army (FARC-EP). Political changes during CTI implementation led OTI to launch its Act, Adapt, Evaluate model throughout the Activity Cycle. Daily context reading, learning from partners, maintaining the political objective, and strong teamwork affected substantial change. (See Annex 1. Timeline Colombia Transforma Program July 2015 – August 2019 and Annex 2. Strategic Program Framework). 1.1 FIRST YEAR: LEARNING BY DOING IN ANTICIPATION OF SIGNING THE PEACE AGREEMENT After more than 50 years of armed conflict, the Colombian government, headed by Juan Manuel Santos, in 2012 began negotiations to end its conflict with one of the oldest guerrilla groups in the country, FARC- EP. In 2015 the parties made the Havana, Cuba, negotiations public and announced a possible Final Agreement. Recognizing the opportunity this political transition presented for Colombians, on July 24, 2015, OTI launched CTI with the goal of “Improving the government's ability to implement fast response during 36 critical months after signing the Peace Agreement” and three objectives: 1. Developing effective models for the government to integrate rapid response in its Peace Agreement implementation programs. 2. Increasing the enlistment of government entities directly responsible for planning and executing a fast response relevant to the Peace Agreement. 3. When necessary, mitigating the destabilizing conflicts that emerge during the peace implementation and threaten the peace process. Program implementation involved national agencies based in Bogotá and in Arauca, Norte de Santander, and Putumayo. These departments were selected using the following criteria: lower United States Agency for International Development (USAID) program coverage, severe effects from the armed conflict, substantial presence of illegal crops, and a substantial presence of illegal armed groups. POD deployment. Visit to San Miguel, Putumayo, accompanied by the Life Departmental Alliance Women Weavers The first implementation month required quick arrival and operation, so CTI deployed three Portable Operation Design (POD) teams to lead activities. The first activities aimed to analyze each department’s national context, identifying key actors, challenges, perceptions about the negotiations, and opportunities to prepare for Peace Agreement implementation. From the beginning, CTI was cautious about relationships with the various actors and sought to capitalize on regional social and organizational processes such as Community Action Boards (JACs), agricultural producers associations, women's organizations, and local and ethnic authorities. USAID.GOV USAID/OTI COLOMBIA TRANSFORMA 1 FINAL REPORT | 1 In December 2015, the first rolling assessment analyzed CTI’s goal and objectives and defined the road map for each department, including the national team. CTI’s goal and objectives were adjusted as follows: “Improving the Colombian ability to implement fast response during the 36 critical months after signing the Peace Agreement.” 1. Increasing the government's ability to plan and execute fast response elements of the Peace Agreement. 2. Increasing collaboration between territorial actors to lead the local implementation of the Peace Agreement. 3. Mitigating destabilizing tensions that are imminent threats to the peace process. Beginning in 2016, before the final Peace Agreement signing, the first program ramp-up established permanent regional offices and program teams (Equipos Programáticos - EPs) in Tame, Arauca; Bogotá; Cucuta, Norte de Santander; and Puerto Asís, Putumayo to ease the political transition. The first three months saw a 120 percent rise in the number of program activities. In addition, the strengthened relationships between the EPs and partners yielded information on perceptions of the Peace Agreement and expanded opportunities for coordination, communication, feedback, and analysis with key national government officials. At the same time, the national government made progress in building a post-conflict institutional architecture, creating four new agencies: the Post-Conflict Ministry to manage Agreement implementation, the Agency for Rural Development (ADR) to advance development projects, the National Land Agency (ANT) to distribute and formalize rural property titles, and the Territory Renewal Agency to meet the development needs of the territories most affected by the conflict. CTI helped the national government facilitate implementation in these territories through the rapid response plan and local dialogues led by the Office of the High Commission for Peace (OACP). Each