As Colombia anticipates peace deal, donors prepare to roll out assistance
As talks for a peace deal resumed this week between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, international donors are keeping an eye on their progress and--in the case a deal is signed--are prepared to roll out assistance. According to Cynthia Arnson, there will be "significant new needs for spending."
[...] Colombia is a unique post-conflict environment, policy analysts say, since its transition to peace has been a long-term, gradual process. Colombia’s status as a middle-income country and one of the strongest economies in Latin America, however, makes some donors hesitant to provide aid. The United Kingdom’s Department for International Development told Devex it does not give bilateral funding to Colombia, and the Netherlands said it is ready to provide technical but not financial assistance for a peace process. The United States has gradually decreased aid to Colombia as the country has bolstered its domestic growth, and many aid organizations have exited the country to focus on lower-income priorities. Still, there will be “significant new needs for spending” following a peace deal, Cynthia Arnson, director of the Latin American program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, told Devex. But will these needs be met? Donors will likely be as generous as they can be with a middle-income country, and an increase in aid has always historically followed a peace accord, said Adam Isacson, senior associate for regional security policy at the Washington Office on Latin America. [...] To read the full article, click here.
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Latin America Program
The Wilson Center’s prestigious Latin America Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on the Wilson Center’s strength as the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital point of contact between the worlds of scholarship and action. Read more
Latin America Program
The Wilson Center’s prestigious Latin America Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on the Wilson Center’s strength as the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital point of contact between the worlds of scholarship and action. Read more
