The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) intends to issue a Request for Applications (RFA) on/or about September 10, 2009 for an anticipated five-year cooperative agreement for the Consolidation and Enhanced Livelihoods Initiative for Montes de Maria (CELI-MM).

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project is designed to advance the Government of ColombiaÂ’s (GOC) National Consolidation Plan in the Montes de Maria region towards a sustainable end state where peace and security are permanent, civilian state entities are providing the services expected of any legitimate and democratically-elected government, licit livelihoods supplant illegal economic activities and citizen participation demands accountable and transparent governance.The conceptual anchor for the GOCÂ’s consolidation efforts in Montes de Maria is the implementation of the Returns Plan (Plan de Retornos) based on the protocols developed by the GOC (Accion Social).

Through this process of creating the legally-required conditions for the return of the internally displaced population (IDPs) of Montes de Maria to their communities, state presence will be consolidated to establish peace and security; ensure provision of basic public services; enhance opportunities for licit livelihoods and promote citizen participation.

USAID through the CELI-MM will provide technical assistance and logistics support to the Montes de Maria Regional Coordination Center (MMRCC) and social and economic development activities focused on the creation of sustainable licit livelihoods for conflict-affected populations.

The MMRCC coordinates GOC civilian presence in the region, combining various central government ministries, public services and agencies under one roof.The CELI-MM will initially focus on four municipalities targeted in the GOCÂ’s National Consolidation Plan:
Carmen de Bolívar and San Jacinto in the Department of Bolivar and San Onofre and Ovejas in the Department of Sucre.

The National Consolidation Plan focuses on these four as the priority municipalities for the Returns Plan to facilitate the return of IDPs to their homes, and as municipalities particularly affected by the conflict.

The CELI-MM implementer and USAID will work closely with the MMRCC coordinator and staff to conduct extensive consultations with civil society, local governments and other actors, and adjust or expand geographic focus as appropriate and as resources permit, within the Montes de Maria region.

The CELI-MM will avoid duplicating existing consultative mechanisms when appropriate.The CELI-MM will be predicated on the following guiding principles:• A rolling assessment of the situation and adjustment of activities or interventions will be implemented, based on the changing situation and opportunities• A permanent mechanism for consultations will be formed, as appropriate, in the context of the Montes de Maria Regional Coordination Center and will include civil society, local governments and other actors as part of the rolling assessment and activity planning.• Leadership and implementation efforts will be based in the Montes de Maria region.• Colombians and Colombian organizations will lead or co-lead; they will be the face of the program• USAID efforts will follow GOC leadership, meaning that the resources, coordination, and Substantial Involvement from USAID will take into account the level of GOC “whole-of-government” commitment made to a particular region.• Implementation must maintain flexibility and the ability to respond quickly to rapidly changing circumstances or developments• The successful applicant will develop detailed regional expertise across multiple technical areas• The successful applicant will be expected to build in the capacity to expand geographically and technically as appropriate within the Montes de Maria zone• All income generating activities will be demand-driven and have strong market linkages.• All medium and long-term livelihood activities will account for long-term sustainability both in terms of commercialization and continued technical assistance after the agreement period, where appropriate.• All efforts will result in the development and/or strengthening of Colombian organizations to ensure they have the technical and administrative capacity to assume implementation responsibility.

A brief, non-comprehensive, overview of the expected activities follows.

A more detailed description is in the Program Description.

Among other things, the successful applicant will be expected to:• Emphasize immediate, short-term interventions to meet urgent economic and social needs to demonstrate presence of the government and to help the Montes de Maria area recover more quickly from the effects of the conflict.

• Initiate medium and longer-term interventions with a particular emphasis on accompaniment and the provision of technical assistance.

• Focus livelihood and job creation efforts on small- and medium-sized rural enterprises, small farms and agribusinesses• Promote sustainable, competitive, and labor-intensive activities.

Efforts will link beneficiaries of economic interventions in the Montes de Maria zone with similar organizations, clusters, value chains, processors, and exporters in other productive zones of the country.

• Strengthen local Colombian organizations, both public and private.

The CELI-MM will build the capacity of, and develop linkages between public and private organizations• Facilitate access to basic services (including specialized services targeted at various conflict-affected populations including, IDPs, demobilized, victims, child soldiers, Afro-Colombians, indigenous, persons with disabilities and women head of households), infrastructure, and citizen security will also be a key component of this program.