Colombia is a priority country for the Swiss international cooperation, including SECO’s economic cooperation and development. The country’s recent history has been marked by serious contrasts: on the one hand, Colombia is one of the oldest and most stable democracies in Latin America, the region’s fourth largest economy, and since April 2020 member of the OECD. On the other hand, the Colombian society is one of the most unequal in the world, and the country continues to be strongly affected by armed violence. To address these challenges, SECO focuses on promoting sustainable regional development and strives, together with the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC) and the Peace and Human Rights Division (PHRD) of the Federal Department of Foreign Afffairs, for a prosperous, inclusive and peaceful Colombia.
Discover SECO's Cooperation Programme in Colombia
Get an overview of the country context as well as our cooperation programme and its thematic priorities by clicking through the presentation above
Switzerland supports Colombia's transition process
Colombia is in a transition phase. The country is marked by a 60-year old conflict with very weak state presence in certain territories. However, Colombia is consolidating a peace process and developing towards stronger institutions that apply OECD practices.
The country has one of the highest income disparities worldwide. Inequality is a threat and key challenge towards the transition to a prosperous, inclusive and peaceful Colombia. SECO aims to support Colombia in this critical phase to become a more inclusive society by broadening the benefits of economic development to less developed regions. Weak infrastructure and low productivity make it hard for the economy to compete internationally. As a result, the economy does not create enough formal jobs, which leaves the country with one of the highest unemployment rates in the region.
What are SECO’s objectives?
SECO, the SDC and PHRD jointly defined the overall objectives of the Swiss cooperation programme working towards a prosperous, inclusive and peaceful Colombia. Switzerland’s overall goal is to strengthen Colombia’s
institutions, communities and civil society on their path to lasting peace
through sustainable and resilient economic development, the reduction of
inequalities and addressing humanitarian needs. SECO specifically supports Colombia in its transition towards:
- Sustainable cities and territories, stronger institutions and better public services
SECO assists national, regional and local governments in managing and coordinating their finances. It further helps cities and territories to plan and register their areas and to take a greener approach to construction. Thereby, the Colombian people profit from environmentally friendly and resilient living areas and efficient institutions, which provide better public services such as access to water, energy or public transport. - Improved regional competitiveness and decent jobs
SECO helps to make companies more competitive by facilitating market access and reducing the cost of doing business, especially for small and medium enterprises. SECO also supports an efficient labour market and employee training programmes. Therewith, it aims to create decent jobs in less prosperous regions and reduce Colombia’s dependence on commodities trading.
From 2021 to 2024, a total of some CHF 100 million is foreseen for Swiss international cooperation with Colombia. SECO will contribute around CHF 45 million.
Documents
SECO Cooperation Programme Colombia 2021 - 2024 (PDF, 3 MB, 03.06.2021)Get more detailed information about SECO's programme in Colombia (Annex 2 of the overall document)
SDC-PHRD Cooperation Programme Colombia 2021 - 2024 (PDF, 4 MB, 03.06.2021)Annex 1 of the overall document
Swiss Cooperation Programme Colombia 2021 - 2024 (PDF, 6 MB, 03.06.2021)Chapeau booklet with overall programme description
SECO Programa de Cooperación Colombia 2021 – 2024 (PDF, 3 MB, 03.06.2021)Obtenga información más detallada sobre el programa de SECO en Colombia (Anexo 2 del documento general)
COSUDE-DPDH Programa de Cooperación Colombia 2021 - 2024 (PDF, 4 MB, 03.06.2021)Anexo 1 del documento general
Programa de Cooperación Suiza Colombia 2021–2024 (PDF, 6 MB, 03.06.2021)Folleto de presentación con la descripción general del programa
CP Colombia GIFs HD English (ZIP, 390 MB, 16.07.2021)Download the above presentation in HD quality
CP Colombia GIFs HD Español (ZIP, 380 MB, 16.07.2021)Download the presentation in Spanish
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Last modification 08.02.2023
