72051422R00013 - Attachment J.1 - SOO.pdf

STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES

C.1. TITLE OF THE ACTIVITY

Human Rights for Peace Activity

C.2. PURPOSE

The purpose of the Human Rights for Peace Activity is to enhance peace and stability in Colombia by improving the effectiveness of national and local systems and actors to prevent and protect against human rights violations.

C.2.1 BACKGROUND

Colombia’s human rights situation remains dire despite the human rights protections in Colombian law and the 2016 Peace Accord between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Colombian Government. As a result of territorial disputes between illegal armed groups in territories abandoned by the FARC, and not yet controlled by the Colombian Government, human rights violations are rampant, including massacres, confinement1 and mass displacement. Moreover, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reports that violence has intensified in parts of Colombia2, with 65 percent of violent incidents concentrated in just 28 Colombian municipalities.3 The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated human rights violations with criminal groups taking advantage of the national quarantine to secure territorial control through the use of landmines, massacres, displacement, confinement, and forced child recruitment.4 One of the most troubling human rights trends since the signing of the 2016 Peace Accord is the increase in human rights defenders5 threats, attacks, and homicides. Colombia is one of the most dangerous places in the world for human rights defenders.6 These human rights violations disproportionately impact historically underserved populations, like youth, women, indigenous peoples, Afro-Colombians, and members of the LGBTQI+ community. For example, 59 percent of displaced communities and 98.5 percent of confined communities are indigenous and Afro- Colombian.7 The Colombian government’s capacity to prevent human rights violations remains severely limited in key regions. Its extensive regulatory framework related to human rights further hampers its effectiveness through the creation of multiple, competing prevention mechanisms.8 There are at

1 Confinement: is defined as the forcible restriction of movement on communities, often undermining and impacting that community’s access to food, health, education, security, safety, and other services.

2 https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session46/Pages/ListReports.aspx (A/HRC/46/76) 3 https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session46/Pages/ListReports.aspx (A/HRC/46/76);

https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session46/Pages/ListReports.aspx (S_2021_603_E.)

4 https://insightcrime.org/news/brief/coronavirus-recruitment-minors-colombia/ 5 “Human rights defender” is the term used in international and Colombian law, and includes social leaders, environmental and climate defenders, and other community leaders. https://www.ohchr.org/en/issues/srhr defenders/pages/srhr defenders index.aspx 6 https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/environmental-activists/last-line-defence/ 7 https://www.defensoria.gov.co/es/nube/comunicados/10268/Defensor%C3%ADa-alerta-ante-el-aumento-de-eventos-de-desplazamiento-masivo-y-confinamiento-de-comunidades-desplazamiento-confinamiento-Defensor%C3%ADa.htm 8 Examples of current Colombian Government human rights regulatory framework documents include: Decree 1581/2017, which establishes the Prevention Public Policy; Decree 2124/2017, which regulates the prevention and alert system for rapid reaction;

Decree 2137/2018, which creates coordination mechanisms like the Intersectoral Commission for the Development of the Timely https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session46/Pages/ListReports.aspx https://www.defensoria.gov.co/es/nube/comunicados/10268/Defensor%C3%ADa-alerta-ante-el-aumento-de-eventos-de-desplazamiento-masivo-y-confinamiento-de-comunidades-desplazamiento-confinamiento-Defensor%C3%ADa.htm https://www.defensoria.gov.co/es/nube/comunicados/10268/Defensor%C3%ADa-alerta-ante-el-aumento-de-eventos-de-desplazamiento-masivo-y-confinamiento-de-comunidades-desplazamiento-confinamiento-Defensor%C3%ADa.htm least six national-level coordination mechanisms with human rights functions,9 as well as distinct municipal and departmental systems. All of these coordination mechanisms are charged with related responsibilities, and the excess of spaces has resulted in convoluted and ineffective prevention approaches. Governmental and non-governmental actors do not have sufficient understanding of the human rights prevention framework, gaps in decision-making processes delay prevention, and the lack of regular meetings and information sharing hinders the ability of actors to take timely action.10

C.3. THEORY OF CHANGE

IF there is enhanced prevention of human rights violations in Colombia, improved protection of human rights defenders, and strengthened response to human rights violations, THEN Colombia will become a more stable, peaceful, and prosperous society where human rights are fulfilled.

C.3.1 OBJECTIVES

Objective 1: Enhanced prevention of human rights violations

Colombia’s human rights efforts have three critical shortcomings within the current prevention framework in Colombia.11 First, Colombia needs more accurate and effective information systems to identify, manage, and follow-up on risks, drivers, and patterns of human rights violations. Second, overlapping duties of human rights coordination mechanisms cause confusion among different human rights actors12 and undermine the effectiveness of prevention efforts. Third, non-governmental actors, including the private sector and civil society organizations (CSOs), need to understand, be more involved and take action in preventing and addressing human rights violations and promoting government accountability.13 There is limited accountability and oversight of government actors to implement prevention measures, including the recommendations of the Early Warning System. Non-governmental actors, particularly CSOs, have a critical role to play in human rights advocacy and in holding the government accountable to prevent human rights violations.14 Some of the most prevalent non-governmental actors in Colombia, including unions, the media, corporate foundations, non-profits, local citizens’ committees (Juntas de Acción Comunal), and social movements, have demonstrated their potential to hold the government accountable. There is also an opportunity for the private sector to become a strategic partner in the prevention and response to human rights violations given the strong business case for companies to advocate against human rights violations, as these violations can disrupt business activities and lead to negative economic outcomes.15 Offerors will propose ways to enhance the prevention of human rights violations taking into account this context, including but not limited to strengthening the Early Warning

Action Plan; and Decree 4912/2011, which creates the Program for the Prevention, the Prevention Mechanism, and risk management approaches in prioritized areas.

9 These include the National Committee of Prevention and Protection of Victims Unit (UARIV), the Intersectoral Commission of the Opportune Action Plan (PAO), the Colombian National Commission on Security Guarantees, the National Protection Unit (UNP) Directive Committee, and the Advisory Commission on Human Rights of the Ombudsman’s Office prescribed in the Peace Accord.

10 Pulso País Survey (June 2021). Datexco.

11 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fodv7IGtMLz98Inru2CkslwxJG6vSma3XlWMdqTVBN8/edit?usp=sharing 12 Human rights actors refers to all governmental and non-governmental institutions and individuals working in the human rights space.

13 https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/CivicSpace/Pages/ProtectingCivicSpace.aspx 14 https://geneva.usmission.gov/2011/09/15/civil-society-promoting-all-human-rights/ 15 https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/2021-01/2021-01-29-private-sector-protecting-civic-space-freeman-et-al.pdf.pdf https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fodv7IGtMLz98Inru2CkslwxJG6vSma3XlWMdqTVBN8/edit?usp=sharing

System (EWS), improving the coordination between mechanisms currently established in the law, and promoting government accountability in human rights prevention efforts through non-governmental actors.

Objective 2: Improved protection of human rights defenders.

Government institutions are responsible for protecting individuals or communities against threats, and for guaranteeing that protection measures do not discriminate against underserved groups.16 The continued and targeted killing of human rights defenders and underserved groups, like women, LGBTQI+, Afro Colombian and indigenous peoples, demonstrates the need for improved and inclusive protection approaches. As with prevention, the Colombian Government has an extensive regulatory framework focused on human rights protection, but implementation continues to fall short. This includes Decree 1581/2017, which establishes the Prevention Public Policy; Decree 2124/2017, which regulates the prevention and alert system for rapid reaction;

among others. Furthermore, poor coordination between security, justice, and protection institutions and policy frameworks across all levels of government undermine the effectiveness of protection efforts.

The self and collective protection strategies are tailored solutions to address human rights risks.

These strategies empower at-risk individuals and communities to proactively improve their security and focus on strengthening their capacities to design and implement practical security measures, like creating community networks. Private sector actors need to become important partners and advocates in the development of protection and response strategies, especially in light of increased threats on human rights defenders by groups that oppose licit economic development activities.17

Offerors will propose ways to improve protection efforts, considering but not limited to a better definition and implementation of local and national governments’ protection responsibilities, scaling-up citizens and communities’ self, individual, and collective protection strategies, and the provision of support to human rights defenders in emergency cases.

Special Objective 3: Coordination with USAID activities to strengthen response to human rights violations.

The justice system and security forces presence plays a crucial role in the response to human rights violations. To break the cycle of violence and impunity, access to justice must be guaranteed for all, including those in rural areas.18 Colombia requires improved response mechanisms. USAID/Colombia has distinct activities specifically to address an improved response to human rights violations. The Human Rights for Peace Activity will collaborate with activities such as Inclusive Justice and Resilient Communities to implement USAID’s strategy of prevention, protection, and response to human rights violations, with the latter activities being responsible for the response portion of the strategy. The Human Rights for Peace Activity will define measures with these activities for technical and geographic integration and alignment, 16 Corte Constitucional colombiana, Sentencia T-719 de 2003 17 https://www.business-humanrights.org/es/de-nosotros/informes/las-personas-defensoras-de-los-derechos-humanos-y-las-empresas-en-colombia/; https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/environmental-activists/last-line-defence/ 18 https://undocs.org/A/HRC/46/76 https://www.business-humanrights.org/es/de-nosotros/informes/las-personas-defensoras-de-los-derechos-humanos-y-las-empresas-en-colombia/ https://www.business-humanrights.org/es/de-nosotros/informes/las-personas-defensoras-de-los-derechos-humanos-y-las-empresas-en-colombia/ enabling USAID to provide comprehensive support for human rights, from prevention to protection and response, including through prosecution.

Coordination with other USAID activities, USG and other international cooperation agencies: This Activity will actively seek out integration to complement other USAID activities and prevent the duplication of efforts by aligning with the Mission’s RIS in the planning and implementation of tasks. Integration opportunities may include the alignment or layering of interventions covering the same geographies or beneficiaries, shared baselines, co-development of new interventions, co-development of work plans, and collaboration on learning agenda actions and initiatives to support the capacity, and commitment of the Government of Colombia.

The Activity will also become familiar with other USAID strategies and policies, and seek out opportunities to support them such as through integration of efforts. These include but are not limited to the Agency’s Pro-Indigenous People’s Policy, Gender Equity and Inclusion Policy, Private Sector Engagement Policy, Youth Policy, USAID’s Climate Strategy, upcoming Local Capacity Development Policy, and any guidance related to free, prior and informed consent.

Given the security context in Colombia, the activity will also cooperate with the USAID Security Awareness Training Project.

When working with local partners and CSOs, the Human Rights for Peace Activity will co-create, collaborate and coordinate with USAID’s Strengthening Together Activity to improve organizational performance of such local actors.

Key Activities and possible areas of integration include but are not limited to in Table 1 below:

Table 1.

Project/Activity Area of Regional Integration

Inclusive Justice Access to legal services to investigate, prosecute and adjudicate human rights violations, including crimes against human rights defenders.

Victims Participation and Collective Reparation Program

Advance in the fulfillment of victims’ rights especially those related to non-repetition and strengthen local victims’ organizations in particular in the design of self-protection plans.

Weaving Lives and Hope Engage with civil society organizations to develop protection and prevention mechanisms by developing communication skills and strengthen local leadership

Resilient Communities Activities to promote prevention of violence and crime, specially in post-conflict areas that put human rights defenders, activists and key stakeholders at risk

Ethnic Inclusion Identify and scale-up human rights prevention and protection initiatives developed by ethnic communities, as well as enhancing the ability of national and local authorities to incorporate a differential approach in human rights decision-making

Generating Equity Activities to incorporate the Gender Approach in the design and implementation of human rights related initiatives.

Amazon Alive Work with environmental and climate defenders on prevention and protection mechanisms.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rmAUwLd0cjvjcqQN3qL6Aow3crOIx6aN

Strengthening Together Activity

Identifying key local partners and CSOs; sharing tools and learnings for these to improve performance, self-reliance and be more effective at achieving their development objectives.

Land for Prosperity Activity Formalizing land tenure and property rights to foster licit, rural economic development.

The Activity will coordinate closely with mayors, departmental governors, and local authorities, including indigenous communities and Afro-Colombian authorities. In addition, the Activity will work through the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) to coordinate and sequence interventions with other U.S. agencies, such as the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Section (INL) to support the High-Level Dialogue (HLD) in the targeted municipalities.

Offerors must plan and carry out activities with a clear understanding of the scope and impacts of other donor efforts in the realm of human rights. This includes other U.S. Government agencies and the international donor community in Colombia.

C.4. INDICATORS

Offerors must propose indicators and targets based on the technical approach and interventions included in their submission. Offerors must incorporate Foreign Assistance (F) Standard Indicators, USAID/Colombia Performance Management Plan (PMP) standard indicators and custom indicators relevant for tracking progress of the expected results of the activity, including those related to cross-cutting topics (gender, youth, private-sector engagement, environment/climate, and others). Indicators must be disaggregated by geography, and whenever possible, they must also be disaggregated by sex, LGBTIQ+ identification, age, ethnicity, and other categories to be defined by USAID. Indicators will be used as a basis for monitoring activity progress of expected results and measuring contractor performance. Below is a non-comprehensive list sample of illustrative standard indicators:

● Percent of Colombian Government institutions' prevention and protection measures (local and regional) implemented with USG support.

● Number of Colombian Government prevention and protection plans/policies implemented at the municipal level as a result of USG assistance.

● Number of civil society organizations (CSOs) receiving USG assistance engaged in advocacy interventions (DR 4.2-2)

● Number of self and collective protection mechanisms under implementation as a result of USAID assistance

● Number of Colombian Government-supported community protection measures implemented as a result of USAID assistance

● Average time taken by Colombian Government entities to offer protection measures to at-risk individuals and communities

● Number of USG engagements jointly undertaken with the private sector to achieve a U.S.

foreign assistance objective PIRS

● Number of innovations supported through USG assistance with demonstrated uptake by the public and/or private sector PIRS

● Number of public policies introduced, adopted, repealed, changed or implemented consistent with citizen input* PIRS

● Number of local women participating in a substantive role or position in a peacebuilding process supported with USG assistance PIRS

● Percent of USG-assisted organizations with improved performance CBLD-9 - PIRS

● Value ($) of non-donor resources mobilized for local development priorities CBLD-10 -

PIRS

The successful Offeror is expected to propose additional indicators and work in collaboration with USAID to determine a complete list of indicators and their respective targets and reference sheets.

C.5. ACTIVITY PARAMETERS AND CONSIDERATIONS FOR

IMPLEMENTATION

The Human Rights for Peace Activity will help achieve the USAID/Colombia’s 2020-2025 Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS). More specifically, this activity will support CDCS Development Objective 1, to build a more cohesive and inclusive society resilient to conflict, and Development Objective 2, strengthen governance to meet citizen needs and increase citizen confidence in the state.

C.5.1 Geographic and Population Targeting: The Human Rights for Peace Activity will prioritize conflict-affected municipalities and municipalities with the highest levels of human rights violations. USAID Colombia criteria that Offerors will use to define proposed target municipalities will include: 1) areas with the highest rates of human rights violations; 2) areas with a high risk of being affected by violence and illegal armed group presence; 3) municipalities where Inclusive Justice and Resilient Communities are present; and 4) Development Plans with a Territorial Focus (PDET) municipalities prioritized by the Colombian Government. Offerors may propose additional criteria to select target municipalities. The offerors will explain the geographic and population targeting they believe is the best to achieve the purpose of the Human Rights for Peace Activity, taking into account the CDCS and the Regional Integration Strategy.

The geographic scope under the Rapid Response Fund, described below, is flexible and not limited to the criteria as stated above. Nonetheless any proposal will be subject to USAID approval. Interventions used by the activity will be developed and implemented using differential approaches.

C.5.2 Grants under contracts (GUCs): USAID/Colombia recognizes the opportunities to build the capacity and improve performance of local partners, including human rights organizations.19 Over the past five years, USAID/Colombia has increasingly expanded its direct work and partnership with various types of local organizations, such as local civil society organizations, family foundations, corporate foundations, ethnic organizations and academia.

19 Colombia has a wide and diverse set of organizations seeking peace and sustainable development. Studies have found that Colombia has over 300,000 registered non-profits, community-based organizations, and ethnic organizations. This gives Colombia the second most civil society and philanthropic organizations per capita in the Western Hemisphere. These organizations have developed through years of conflict and adversity, demonstrating their resilience and dedication; however, organizational strengthening, stabilization, security conditions and strengthening prevention and protection conditions are key for their evolution.

The Activity must have a grants under contract component to empower local organizations and community based groups, including organizations led by women, indigenous people, LGBTQI+ people, Afro-Colombian people, human rights defenders, among others. This aligns with the Biden-Harris administration to support, empower, and improve performance of local organizations and civil society organizations through a targeted localization strategy.20 The GUCs will support the organizations in the prevention of human rights violations, the protection of human rights defenders and organizations, advocacy, and oversight. GUCs can also be used to improve performance and strengthen the capacity of non-governmental organizations to become sustainable and advance these issues and partner with private sector actors to also advance these issues.

The GUCs component should consider using the OPI (Organizational Performance Index), create sustainability plans at the onstart of the work and exit strategies in the proposed interventions, ensuring sustainability beyond the Activity implementation period. The vision and steps to leave processes, products and expertise to advance self-reliance after the life of the activity are key to achieving broader goals. The Contractor must set aside a minimum of 25% percent of its total budget to provide GUCs to local organizations that include civil society organizations, the private sector - including family foundations and corporate foundations-, independent state entities, universities, individual citizens, and other relevant stakeholders.

C.5.3 Rapid Response Fund: In response to the weak implementation of the regulatory framework for protection, government budgetary limitations; timely identification of risks; lack of tailored protection options; and slow and temporary deployment of security forces to protect potential victims; the Human Rights for Peace Activity will develop a Rapid Response Fund to advance the protection to individuals, organizations and communities in response to imminent human rights threats by providing timely, flexible solutions. This fund will be activated only when all other alternatives are unavailable (i.e.: UNP response, Life-Line, etc) and could be used to provide short-term relocation or legal support.

C.5.4 Consortium with local Human Rights Organizations: To increase the likelihood of strengthening local systems and promoting sustainability, the Offeror must establish a consortium with at least two local human rights organizations on a peer-to-peer relationship that will implement the total or part of at least one of the components or subcomponents of this activity.

C.5.5 Regional/local vs. national emphasis: Although technical assistance will be provided at the national level, the Activity's primary focus will be to implement interventions and assist with the implementation of national policies at the local level. Likewise, assistance at the national level will support the streamlining of national policies that weigh and respond to regional variances and dynamics. The offeror will partner with local authorities and regional offices of national institutions, in addition to civil society organizations.

C.5.6 Build on Achievements to Date: The Contractor shall build upon project activities already completed and relationships already established over the course of the prior phases of the

20 Press release on recent visit of USAIDs Administrator, Samantha Power, to Guatemala.

https://www.usaid.gov/news-information/press-releases/jun-17-2021-usaid-administrator-samantha-power-visits-guatemala

Human Rights Program, including publications, methodologies and materials produced, as well as persons trained. To the extent possible, those activities and relationships should provide a resource for continuing and future initiatives.

C.5.7 Digital connectivity and innovation: The Offeror must address innovation in its approach in all its three objectives. Digital connectivity and innovation will play an important role in strengthening the Colombian Government, civil society and human rights defenders’ organizations. The Activity will use digital technologies to engage participants in new ways, and as a means to reduce negative environmental and climate impacts related to activity implementation. Improved access to technology will help at-risk and underserved communities to access human rights protection options, and will increase the documentation of human rights violations. The Activity will also consider using new technologies to analyze the information collected by the GOC and others in order to apply innovative approaches (e.g. Data Science, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, etc.) to help analyze trends and produce predictive analytics. This activity will integrate lessons learned from USAID’s Digital Development Strategy and the recommendations from the Digital Ecosystem Country Assessment (DECA) to explore innovative, digital solutions to pressing human rights challenges. Any new intervention including digital tools will take into account, as a minimum, the following approaches: 1) improving community digital literacy; 2) closing, not expanding, the gender digital divide; and 3) strengthening institutions and communities’ capacities to address cybersecurity (e.g. personal digital hygiene). In any case, when engaging with communities/beneficiaries in delivering digital-related services, the activity will have to take into account the Digital Principles21 to adjust to the needs of the intended beneficiaries.

C.5.8 Private Sector Engagement (PSE):22 USAID defines Private Sector Engagement (PSE) as a strategic approach to planning and programming through which the Activity consults, strategizes, aligns, collaborates and implements with the private sector for greater scale, sustainability, and effectiveness of development. The PSE umbrella concept includes Public-private partnerships (PPPs). USAID understands PPPs as an agreement or contract between USAID and a private-sector entity, or entities, in which both parties contribute resources. Private sector partners bring special resources, expertise, technologies, advocacy capabilities, networks and other resources to the table that can augment the impact of USAID interventions when strategically aligned. Private sector engagement throughout the Activity is key for designing market-driven solutions and coalitions for change that will be sustainable beyond the life of the Activity. The offeror must address the role that the private sector can play to produce and sustain a development outcome in advancing human rights and identify strategic long-lasting engagement throughout the Activity’s objectives. Through a PSE strategy, this Activity will build the capacity of local actors, promote knowledge sharing and encourage coordination between local, national, public and private actors, with the ultimate objective of preventing human rights abuses, protecting human rights defenders, and positively transforming norms and attitudes among private sector actors. The Activity must include a strong private sector engagement (PSE) strategy and PSE F indicators. USAID’s private sector engagement team policy aims to support the development of the Activity’s PSE strategy through technical assistance and facilitating relationships with the Colombian and international private sector.

21 https://digitalprinciples.org/principles/ 22 https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1865/usaid_psepolicy_final.pdf

C.5.9 Gender equity and Inclusion: The Human Rights for Peace Activity will meet the requirements for inclusive development outlined in the USAID Colombia CDCS, the Inclusive Development Mission Order, Youth in Development Policy, and others such as the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy, racial equality executive order, disability and LGBTQI+ inclusive development, non-discrimination, equal employment opportunity and diversity. The Activity recognizes that the human rights of marginalized populations are at-risk and violated in a differential manner. As such, the core tasks must include:

• Identifying and addressing the specific, differential human rights violations and needs of marginalized groups and human rights defenders.

• Implementing a tailored approach to strengthen and advance existing and innovative inclusive solutions. This includes ensuring that human rights solutions are equitable and inclusive of women, youth, ethnic populations (including indigenous and Afro- Colombian), human rights defenders, LGTBQI+ and other possible marginalized underserved populations as both designers and beneficiaries of interventions.

• Deliberately and meaningfully including in program design the perspectives, knowledge and preferences of the marginalized communities targeted and/or potentially impacted by interventions.

• Building supportive activities that enable the inclusion of women, youth, LGBTQI+, ethnic communities, and other underserved populations in the project’s core activities and safeguarding.

C.5.10 Security: The security of beneficiaries and the contractor’s staff is of utmost concern to USAID/Colombia. Given the escalation of violence in Colombia, it is imperative that the Contractor develops a security plan that ensures institutionalized processes to track the security context in different states, evaluates the risks to beneficiaries and the Contractor’s staff, and implements steps to mitigate risks. Additionally, USAID/Colombia’s Partner Liaison Security Office is available for the contractor to help facilitate monitoring of conditions and access to the USAID portfolio of security services.

C.5.11 Environmental sustainability and climate change: The Human Rights for Peace Activity will meet the requirements for environmental sustainable development, outlined in the USAID Colombia CDCS, and climate change, according to the Agency’s Climate Strategy.

Climate change and environmental degradation can contribute to the fragility of areas experiencing or vulnerable to armed conflict and violence. Climate change heightens conflict and violence risk and fragility by exacerbating food, water, and livelihood insecurity; increasing competition over resources; shifting patterns of human mobility, movement, and migration;

degrading formal and informal coping mechanisms; undermining confidence in governments;

exacerbating social and gender inequalities; and reinforcing patterns of marginalization, exclusion, and injustice.

The Offeror must develop an environmental strategy recognizing the links between climate change, environmental degradation, and existing social, economic and political fragilities to build resilience and decrease vulnerability. The Activity will address these linkages through capacity building, community participation and leadership, engagement of environmental and climate defenders, public policy analysis, and technical assistance, among others. The Offeror is also encouraged to develop innovative methods, utilize technological solutions, think locally and regionally, and engage the private sector and local organizations in implementing this environmental and climate strategy.

C.5.12 Evaluations: Consistent with USAID’s Evaluation Policy, USAID/Colombia may conduct an independent impact and/or performance evaluation of this activity to assess and learn from its innovative nature and to gather evidence to inform and adapt current programming and/or future programming across the portfolio to prevent human rights violations. Any evaluation design would be completed in consultation with the Offeror to ensure alignment with the activity work plan and target geography. The Offeror must coordinate and cooperate with the evaluation team to facilitate the impact or performance evaluation. The Offeror’s resulting PWS must include language indicating USAID’s right to conduct such evaluations and the Offeror’s commitment to cooperate.

C.5.13 Baseline: Consistent with USAID’s Evaluation policy, USAID/Colombia may conduct a baseline independent study. Any baseline design would be completed in coordination with the Offeror to ensure alignment with the activity work plan and target geography. The Offeror must cooperate with the baseline team during the design, data collection and use and dissemination phases. The Offeror’s resulting PWS must include language indicating USAID’s right to conduct such a baseline and the Offeror’s commitment to cooperate.

C.5.14 New partners initiatives and local solutions: To increase the likelihood of sustainability, the HR4P Activity will support a local solutions approach wherein local actors -governments, civil society, the private sector, religious organizations, universities, individual citizens, and other stakeholders - work with the Offeror to jointly produce a development outcome. The activity will seek out new and underutilized partnerships where appropriate and in relation to the award. When necessary, the HR4P Activity will work with the local solutions entity to build their capacity towards managing direct partnerships with USAID in the future to increase the pool of local partners for future USAID programming. See: USAID New Partnerships Initiative and USAID’s Local Systems Approach

C.5.15 Annual Stakeholder Dialogues: With regards to Objective 1, the Activity will support annual stakeholder dialogues with USAID -- both in Bogota with Colombia human rights stakeholders and in Washington D.C. with international ones -- to share their direct experiences and feedback to help USAID tailor human rights interventions and best address opportunities and challenges.

C.6. ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT

The Human Rights for Peace Activity will employ adaptive management, including problem-driven iterative adaptation techniques, through coordination with Colombian and U.S.

government entities. The activity will also include flexible, emergency response measures, and employ co-creation and participatory processes. Considering the centrality of human rights protections to effective Peace Accord implementation, adaptive approaches will ensure that the new activity remains responsive to emerging needs. Adaptive management approaches used by this activity will be informed by local realities and will involve conflict sensitive approaches.

The activity will prioritize early analysis of stakeholders, local conflict dynamics, and the relationship between government and non-government actors. Preliminary analyses will enable the activity to continuously monitor local context and will inform adaptive management and Do No Harm and conflict sensitivity approaches. Context monitoring will be conducted in coordination with civil society, target communities, Colombian Government human rights institutions, local public and private actors, USAID’s Partner Liaison Security Office, and regional bodies like Regional Peace Councils.

The Offeror must ensure technical and programmatic flexibility within and across program components to respond to changing circumstances, cultural dynamics, in the area of human rights within the scope of this contract. The offeror will outline its approach to keep abreast of changes in the situation on the ground, such as a political economy analysis or other assessments, and how it will maintain the flexibility to accommodate changes. Approaches that work in one region may need to be adapted and modified to fit changing demographics, regional idiosyncrasies, and indigenous dynamics in another area of the country. The Offeror will outline its approach to adapting interventions on a regional and sub-regional basis to achieve the greatest activity outcomes possible. These adaptations may involve the Offeror employing a decentralized approach to implementation to ensure that activities are able to progress in individual regions regardless of challenges that arise at the national or regional level.

The Contractor must include such situational analyses and scenarios as part of its regular reporting and engage with USAID to make appropriate programmatic adjustments.

The Offeror must incorporate collaborative learning and adaptive management into its management approach. The proposal must take into account and reflect USAID/Colombia’s commitment to obtaining stakeholder input for our activities, coordinating all implementing partners’ efforts for greater efficiency and effectiveness, and measuring high-level indicators in an effort to: 1) promote collaboration and multi-stakeholder engagement in design evidence-based interventions; 2) innovate, reflect, and iterate to strengthen activity implementation and foster greater replication/scaling; 3) coordinate, collaborate and explore synergies with other USAID implementing partners, other donor programs, government stakeholders, and private sector players (businesses, industry groups, investors, etc.; 4) generate, capture, share, and apply information and knowledge to support and improve development outcomes; 5) use the information to improve the cost-effectiveness of interventions over the life of the activity; 6) build on lessons learned from previous and current/existing human rights activities, including those of other donors that have demonstrated successful approaches to achieve the objectives described in this SOO; and 7) promote collaborative learning and exchanges with relevant institutions, stakeholders, and development partners.

[END OF SECTION C]