USAID Public Policy E-Bulletin: MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (MADS): VISIONARY INSTITUTIONAL REFORM TO PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The Program's purpose was to assist the Government of Colombia increase its governance capacity to accomplish its ambitious reform agenda. Expert guidance was offered on policies and programs that improve institutional effectiveness and efficiency. In May 2011, the Colombian Congress granted President Santos six months of extraordinary powers to issue decrees with the force of law, allowing for the reorganization of the Government of Colombia's Ministries. Following this conferral of special authority, the Program received a request from the Ministry of Environment, Housing, and Territorial Development to assist in developing studies to support the institutional reform for the creation of the new Environmental and Sustainable Development Ministry. The Program drafted and delivered a technical document to the Government of Colombia in August 2011, advocating for a new and modern Ministry capable of responding to climate change and managing risk in response to extreme climate variability. The document suggested ways the Government of Colombia could craft a new Ministry capable of dealing with the everyday pressures of economic development activities on ecosystems. The Program proposed a solid institutional framework to guide Colombian society towards a high level of economic growth, development, and sustainability. The technical document contained the general strategy, scope, and guidelines to support the institutional reform of the MADS. The input included mission objectives, agency processes, an operational model, an internal structure of the Ministry, and a draft decree for the establishment of the new MADS. In addition, the Program delivered information on the legal inputs required to support the separation of the three former Ministries and the definition of the new Ministry. The Program's strategic document was used as a basis for the decree regulating the new MADS, issued by the Santos Administration on September 27. Decree 3570 of 2011 established the MADS' organizational structure and functions, arranging the Ministry into four main bodies: the Office of the Ministry; the Office of the Vice-Ministry; the General Secretary; and, Consulting Bodies. The Vice-Ministry's Office includes a group exclusively devoted to climate change issues. The MADS reform represents an important accomplishment for the Santos Administration and symbolizes an historic advance for the modernization of the Colombian State.