Technical support on rural economy in Colombia

This project aims at establishing policies and programmes that promote decent work in the rural economy of Colombia. For more than 50 years, the rural areas have been the hardest hit by the armed conflict in Colombia. The percentage of rural people living in poverty and extreme poverty, 46.1% and 22.1%, respectively, far exceed the levels in the urban settings (30.3% and 7%). The recently approved Peace Agreement puts a special emphasis on rural development. In June 2015, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministry of Labour, other key Colombian institutions and the ILO with the purpose of promoting decent work in the rural sector. Within this framework, the project focuses on strengthening social dialogue and the technical skills of public sector officials, employers and representatives of workers' organizations so they can mainstream decent work and the gender equality approach into rural development policies and programmes, as an essential element for the construction of peace and social stability. In collaboration with the ITC-Turin, an academy on rural development for peace transfers knowledge and ILO methodologies on local development, social protection schemes for the rural sector, rural entrepreneurship, inclusion of small farmers in agro-industrial value chains, social economy and promotion of cooperatives, women´s entrepreneurship in the rural economy and employment intensive and public work programmes, among other issues.

Project symbol

COL/16/01/RBS

Admin unit

DWT/CO-Lima

Start date

01/01/2016

End date

31/10/2019

Total allocation

391243

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

391243

Development Partners

Core voluntary funds (RBSA)

Country/Countries

Colombia

Outcomes

Decent work in the rural economy