Challenges of international cooperation in Colombian post-conflict

ODA allocations to middle-income countries are scarcer than those earmarked for LICs. Strong institutions and robust economic growth are summoned to develop societies among MICs. However, countries like Colombia still perceive... [ view full abstract ]

ODA allocations to middle-income countries are scarcer than those earmarked for LICs. Strong institutions and robust economic growth are summoned to develop societies among MICs. However, countries like Colombia still perceive ODA resources, donor’s reasons for their support lay mainly to back local authorities with internal conflict and the 2016 peace agreement reached between the parties sets a challenge for donors and local bodies to build peace in areas forgotten by the state until recently. Through deep interviews and information gathered from sixteen DAC donors present in Colombia about their current peacebuilding projects, this article summarizes the behaviour of the main donors and the characteristics of their aid before the post-conflict period in Colombia. Few donors realize the need of a humanitarian-development-peacebuilding link on the ground since their short-term projects are generally described as humanitarian or development-related initiatives, standing against academic and practitioners view. Also, echoing the literature review, most donors in MICs work with local institutions and a mix of up-bottom and bottom-up projects is noted. Final remarks emphasise on the definition of the role of aid to MICs as assistance that should be based on knowledge-transfer, donor coordination, and government support to reinforce its presence without politicising aid.