Consultant and Advisory Services for Colombia (CASC) Quarterly Report 4th Quarter – October 1st to December 31st, 2018

The consultancy involved the review and systematization of past land restitution rulings issued by judges and magistrates. Consultants assisted in the elaboration of judicial descriptors to identify land restitution rulings in the LRU's assigned software and their upload into the system. Additionally, consultants elaborated summaries that allowed primary access to these rulings and the identification of key words to identify these rulings in the software when searches were conducted. The consultancy provided technical support to the LRU in the elaboration of land restitution jurisprudence. Consultants organized and reviewed 1,920 restitution rulings and provided inputs to the LRU to establish appropriate standards for land restitution jurisprudence. As a result of this support, the LRU established guidelines and standards on land restitution rulings that secured equal treatment for similar cases in different parts of the country. The Community Development and Licit Opportunities Program (CDLO) conducted a performance baseline study to construct baseline data and information for measuring and evaluating CDLO intervention's performance. The study assessed the initial social and economic conditions of targeted conflict-affected communities in regions where CDLO intervened. The project was developed according to the schedule, and the final report was submitted and approved by USAID in a satisfactory way in October 2018. USAID/Colombia's communication plan aimed to increase awareness and comprehension by targeted stakeholders of key USAID messages. The plan involved showcasing the impact of foreign aid work through visual, human-centered stories that incorporated photo essays and video narratives. Consultants worked on various projects, including the Oro Legal Project in Antioquia and Chocó, the Fundacion Luker Project Necloclí, and the OIM –USAID IPA and RPR Project in Nariño. The "Formalizar para Sustituir" Program, a joint initiative of the GOC to implement land formalization and illicit crop substitution policies, required technical assistance for the design and implementation of its Monitoring and Evaluation System. Consultants accompanied the ANT in the design and conceptualization of activities of the Monitoring and Evaluation System, allowing performance monitoring and assessment of results of land formalization and access to land processes in illicit crop substitution activities. The Office of Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance received consultancy services to design and conduct an assessment devoted to anticorruption and transparency at the national level and up to three departments and municipalities in Colombia. Consultants faced technical difficulties, which were resolved through measures taken by Olgoonik, and the final report was submitted to USAID in January 2019. USAID/Colombia plans to host a second Data Jam, focused on citizen security, a priority issue for the Mission. Citizen security is the social situation where all people are free to enjoy their fundamental rights and public institutions have sufficient capacity to guarantee the exercise of those rights and respond efficiently when they are violated. The institutions and interventions to guarantee these rights define the citizen security domain.