Quibdó, Colombia – USAID cuts threaten to undermine development goals and the peace process in Colombia’s least developed region, say government officials, NGO workers and community leaders.
The Chocó Department, Colombia’s most impoverished, received between 50 and 70% of humanitarian funding from USAID, according to officials.
The suspension has shuttered multiple programs and thrown many others into disarray.
Roberto (not his real name) was employed on a USAID-funded program in Chocó.
He told Latin America Reports how on January 24, he and his colleagues received an email ordering them to suspend all activities. In the following weeks, all but 10% of staff were laid off.
The overnight closure of USAID programs impacted a wide range of initiatives dealing with implementation of the 2016 FARC peace agreement, healthcare, education, gender and LGBTQ+ rights, and more.
“We are very, very concerned about the fact that we can no longer count on international cooperation, specifically USAID, for the financing of projects and programs, something that has allowed us to move just that little bit further,” said Yimy Leiter Aguilar Mosquera, Chocó’s Secretary of Economic Development.
Some 67.7% of Chocó’s population live in relative poverty, largely due to a lack of state presence and investment in the predominantly rural department.
The resource-rich region, home to extensive gold and copper deposits, is also strategically located on both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, making it a prime location for illicit economies including cocaine trafficking.
Competition for control of resources and geographies has produced a long-running armed conflict. As a result, Chocó had the highest number of displaced people of any region in Colombia last year.
For years, USAID has been a key partner in redressing issues related to both underdevelopment and the armed conflict.
“USAID is in almost every… program and project in the department of Chocó. Everywhere you go, you are going to see the USAID logo,” said Leiter.
Jaison Mosquera Sánchez, the Mayor of Istmina, a city in Chocó’s embattled San Juan Municipality, warns that the cuts will have a significant impact in the conflict zone.
He called on President Donald Trump and the international community to step in to help his town.
“[We] call on international organizations, on the president of the United States, on all the people who are helping us, that… we need that support from them, we need that assistance,” Mosquera told Latin America Reports.
Officials have been looking for alternative funding sources, from international organizations and other countries.
But they are pessimistic that any donor can fill the huge gap left by the U.S. freeze.
“I don’t see who can supply the volume. Many agencies must be present, many countries are present in Chocó, but not to the extent of USAID’s operations,” said Roberto.
Featured image description: Statue in Quibdó, Chocó
Featured image credit: Alfie Pannell
