The National Development Plan (NDP) 2018-22 “Pacto por Colombia, Pacto por la equidad” [Pact for Colombia, Pact for Equity] aims to boost equality, entrepreneurship and legality. Cross-cutting areas include environmental sustainability; science, technology and innovation; transport and logistics; digital transformation; public services in water and energy; mining resources; identity and creativity; peace building; ethnic groups; people with disabilities; and equality for women. This plan is consistent with the macroeconomic and fiscal frameworks to guarantee macroeconomic stability and will be financed through a multi-annual investment plan between 2019-22.
The NDP develops regional pacts that identify and prioritise differentiated goals. These pacts focus on interconnecting the nine sub-national territories in the country. The national pact applies in all territories and seeks to strengthen governance, by promoting associations in sub-regions and developing strategic projects to dynamise the regions.
The NDP 2018-22 has been designed to help fulfil commitments towards the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs have served as a tool for promoting coherence within and among the different sections of the plan, as well as a key reference for setting targets aligned with a long-term vision of the country.
In terms of public financing capacities, Colombia approved a financing reform at the end of 2018 with the aim of increasing fiscal revenues. In 2016, these revenues represented 19.8% of GDP vs. 22.7% in LAC and 34.3% in the OECD. Colombia is on its way to improving use of technology for tax compliance. It is also a signatory of the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement on Exchange of Country-by-Country Reports and of the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement on the Automatic Exchange of Information to fight tax evasion.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the institution responsible for formulating and guiding the international co-operation policy in its different modalities: bilateral, multilateral, South-South and humanitarian assistance, with the NDP as a general guideline. The Presidential Agency for International Co-operation of Colombia (APC-Colombia in Spanish) catalyses the international co-operation received by the country on three thematic areas: peace building; sustainable rural development; and conservation and environmental sustainability.
Of the international co-operation received in 2017, 48% came from the United States, 10% from the European Union and 8% from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Of the total support, 48% was dedicated to peace building, 30% to rural development and 15% to conservation and environmental sustainability.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, APC-Colombia and the National Planning Department are elaborating a National Strategy for International Cooperation, building upon the priorities included in the NDP 2018-22. This strategy will be released after the NDP is approved. It will be aligned with the Agenda 2030 and will prioritise traditional and non-traditional donors in areas including peace building, migration, equity, the “orange economy” and environment.
In the field of South-South co-operation, Colombia collaborates especially with countries in Central America and the Caribbean. Main projects include good governance, agriculture, rural development and health. In terms of Triangular Co-operation, the most dynamic facilitating partners are Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Spain and the United States, and the most important multilateral partners include the European Union and SEGIB.
