Flagship Initiative Pilot in Colombia Update: October - December 2024

CONTEXT

Colombia is one of the four countries selected for the Flagship Initiative. This pilot aims to transform the humanitarian action by placing affected populations at the center of efforts to tailor responses to their priorities. Colombia’s Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), in consultation with national and local organizations and actors, prioritized the following pillars for this initiative: Community Engagement, Area-Based Coordination, Localization, Access to Funding, Simplified Humanitarian Planning and Harmonized Processes.

Below are the main achievements and progress made between October and December 2024.

HIGHLIGHTS:

The Community Engagement Thematic Group shared the document “Community participation in the humanitarian action programming and implementation process” with multiple networks and groups, summarizing 10 recommendations for community participation, and the Manifesto for Transformation to center community voices in humanitarian action.

By the end of 2024, 126 local and national NGOs were actively participating in the humanitarian architecture. Additionally, three subgroups of local and national NGOs were established in Nariño, Putumayo, and Norte de Santander.

The development of 16 territorial plans (SP), with contributions from the Local Coordination Teams (LCTs), local organizations, and communities, marked a critical step in decentralizing humanitarian planning and response. These plans reflect the specific priorities and needs of communities, strengthening the nexus between humanitarian action, development, and peacebuilding within each local context.

The capacities of 239 national and local organizations in the Localization Working Group were strengthened. This included a mapping of expertise to optimize coordination and ongoing capacity evaluations to identify strengths and areas for improvement.

A total of 24 NGOs successfully passed the due diligence review conducted by OCHA for the Colombian Humanitarian Fund (CHF) following the dissemination of key se- lection criteria as part of the evaluation and institutional capacity support for Colombian NGOs.

Two allocations of the Colombian Humanitarian Fund (CHF), totaling USD 3.5 million, were launched, resulting in the selection of 11 projects from local and national organizations. These initiatives aim to strengthen rapid response mechanisms, community protection, and resilience, representing a significant step forward in advancing localization and sustainable humanitarian action.

The update of the Humanitarian Response Plan for Com- munity Priorities (HRPCP) for 2025 provided an opportunity to integrate lessons learned from Flagship 2023, including consultative workshops—with a 160% increase in local participation compared to 2023—and the implementation of new methodologies previously piloted. A 50% in- crease in the participation of local NGOs involved in the development of the response plan was also observed.

The final quarter of the year served as a key moment for analyzing and reflecting on the Flagship experience. Following a mission to Colombia by the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Team, a report covering the four countries involved in the initiative was prepared, highlighting the main challenges and progress. Additionally, insights and perspectives from territories were shared following the Global Technical Learning workshop.