COLOMBIA LAND & RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FIRST YEAR WORK PLAN JULY 2013–SEPTEMBER 2014

The program aims to increase capacity of the Government of Colombia to restitute land to victims of conflict, strengthen the capacity of the Government of Colombia to formalize rural property, increase opportunities for sustainable licit rural livelihoods in conflict-affected areas, and strengthen the Government of Colombia's capacity to monitor and evaluate restitution, formalization, and rural development programs. The program's focus is on supporting institutional strengthening of the Government of Colombia to achieve regional implementation of land and rural development. With the assistance of the Colombia Land and Rural Development Program, the Government of Colombia will be able to implement restitution, formalization, and rural development more effectively and address rural challenges at municipal levels. The program operates under a results-based focus, with a focus on achieving the Government of Colombia's 10-year goals for restitution, formalization, and rural development. Inter-institutional collaboration and coordination are also a key principle of the program, with the goal of promoting public-private partnerships and the elimination of bottlenecks to the utilization of existing Government of Colombia resources. Activities central to the program's implementation include strengthening local institutional capacity, supporting demand-driven activities, promoting community participation, improving local conditions for business, and strengthening inter-institutional coordination. The program also aims to support activities that engage and empower rural communities in their economic and productive development, resolve bottlenecks in institutions charged with implementation, and identify regional, national, and international markets for small producers. The program's cross-cutting principles include a results-based focus, inter-institutional collaboration and coordination, gender and minority concerns, public-private partnerships and the elimination of bottlenecks to the utilization of existing Government of Colombia resources, information sharing and knowledge management, and civil society participation. The program's first year work plan outlines the activities and deliverables for each component, including the restitution component, the formalization component, the rural development component, and the monitoring and evaluation component. The plan also outlines the program's outreach and communications strategy, which includes goals, guiding principles, and strategy for USAID and LRDP stakeholders. The program's staff plan and labor mobilization strategy are also outlined in Annex C, which includes information on the program's staffing needs, labor mobilization, and training requirements. The program's Gantt chart, which outlines the activities, timelines, and deliverables, is also included in Annex A. The program's activities and deliverables are outlined in the first year work plan, which includes the restitution component, the formalization component, the rural development component, and the monitoring and evaluation component. The program's outreach and communications strategy, staff plan, and labor mobilization strategy are also outlined in the annexes.