Colombia

The domestic armed conflict in Colombia lasting more than 50 years has brought about deterioration of public security and large numbers of conflict victims. However the recent peace talks between the government and guerrillas have made significant progress, resulting in improvement of security condition in urban areas and Colombia is seeking stable economic development. On the other hand, disparities in wealth between the urban areas and regions remain large and it is necessary to challenge regional development for Colombia's future sustainable economic development. In addition, Colombia highly depends on natural resources of petroleum, coal, etc., and agriculture sector. Therefore strengthening of its international competitiveness through the promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises and the diversification of industry is important. Moreover, large influx of internally displaced people caused by the conflict into urban area brings serious urban environmental problems, and tackling the natural disasters is also an urgent task. In response to these issues, JICA's support to Colombia is primarily focused on 1) balanced and sustainable economic growth, and 2) environmental issues and disaster prevention.