The United Nations Multi-Donor Trust Fund approved a 19 billion peso investment for the development of Catatumbo: here's how it will work

The Steering Committee of the United Nations Multi-Donor Trust Fund for Peace in Colombia approved this week an investment of 19 billion pesos to boost the development of the Catatumbo region (Norte de Santander).

The supported initiative is called Catatumbo Connection, whose objective is "to promote sustainable transformation and peacebuilding in one of the regions most affected by violence and inequality, and which faces major challenges in terms of development and institutional strengthening."

The announcement was made during the Committee session, held at the Governor's Office of Norte de Santander, accompanied by Governor William Villamizar Laguado and the mayors of El Tarra, Tibú and Sardinata, along with representatives of the National Government, donor embassies and agencies of the United Nations System.

The investment leverages additional resources of more than 161 billion pesos from public institutions, international cooperation and the private sector, reaffirming the catalytic nature of the Fund and its role as a platform for territorial articulation and convergence.

The strategy also arises to promote the Pact for the Territorial Transformation of Catatumbo, a commitment of the Government of Colombia signed in March 2024. During the last months, the Multi-Donor Fund has led together with the National Government and local actors a participatory process in which the main needs of the territory were prioritized.

The strategy will focus its efforts on the municipalities of Tibú, El Tarra, and Sardinata , with interventions in education, health, sustainable income generation, strengthening of productive associations, and support for ethnic communities, especially the Barí people. It also emphasizes the creation of legal and sustainable opportunities, strengthening local capacities for cacao marketing, and improving rural health and education services with a differentiated approach.

"The Catatumbo region represents one of the greatest challenges and also one of the greatest opportunities for peace in Colombia. This strategy reflects the collective commitment to promoting sustainable, inclusive, and territorially focused development in a region where communities have demonstrated enormous resilience and leadership capacity," stated Mireia Villar, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Colombia and Co-Chair of the Multi-Donor Trust Fund.

For his part, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to Colombia, Nils Martin Gunneng, stated: “Undoubtedly, the impact of this strategy will be determined by its ability to leverage lasting national commitments and to coordinate with the private sector, both locally and nationally. We hope that this joint effort will contribute to peacebuilding in the region and serve as an example for this and other areas of the country.”

The Governor of Norte de Santander, William Villamizar, expressed his gratitude for the presence of the Multi-Donor Trust Fund and international cooperation agencies. "I want to emphasize that this region, with over 1.5 million inhabitants, has great potential to become a hub for agriculture, mining, and other opportunities, and is now a focus of international cooperation," he said.

Likewise, the strategy will promote the reduction of gender gaps and the participation of women and youth as key agents of change, boosting community leadership and ownership of peace and development processes.

JUAN PABLO PENAGOS RAMÍREZ