Recognition of A Partnership that Delivers
USAID receives Colombia’s highest civilian honor from President Santos
I do not get to write every day that USAID has received accolades from a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. That’s why I want to recount my visit to Colombia last month by leading off with its highlight: former President Juan Manuel Santos awarded USAID with the “Orden de Boyacá,” the highest peacetime distinction offered by the Republic of Colombia.
Former President Santos gave USAID the award in recognition of the enduring partnership between our two nations and our outstanding support in helping the Government of Colombia bring peace, economic opportunity, and reconciliation to its citizens after more than five decades of civil war.
It underscores the critical work that staff at our Colombia Mission has done for several decades to help the country move forward along its journey to self-reliance.
My trip to Colombia could not have come at a more pivotal moment. Just weeks prior to President Iván Duque’s inauguration, this visit was an opportunity to connect with the incoming leadership, as well as compare notes and reflections with outgoing President Santos after an eight-year term that changed the course of Colombian history and helped make it a model of development success for the entire region.
I thanked President Santos for his enduring commitment to the bilateral partnership between the United States and Colombia. Our common interests, our recognition of shared responsibility, and a mutual determination to capitalize on new opportunities to advance common goals make our relationship one of the strongest and most-productive in the hemisphere.
Our conversation also included a strategic evaluation of the daunting challenges that Colombia continues to face despite its many advances during the past two decades. At the top of the list: How our nations can best work together to address the supply and demand ends of the drug trade; protect and promote the sanctity of human rights; and support Colombia’s heroic assistance to the million-plus Venezuelans who have sought refuge across the border from their chaotic, collapsing homeland.
But mostly my visit was a time for celebrating progress.
Colombia has largely ended a conflict with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that lasted longer than the Cold War and left millions of victims. Forty percent of the municipalities sown with landmines during the war have already been declared safe. And, not surprisingly given Colombia’s beautiful cities and natural wonders, tourism is booming.
The people of Colombia deserve enormous credit for these achievements, and I am proud USAID was able to contribute to their progress. I left more convinced than ever of the value of U.S. investment in these kinds of partnerships, and in the dream of one day achieving our goal of an entire Hemisphere of Freedom.
About the Author
Mark Green is the Administrator of USAID. Follow him @USAIDMarkGreen. Our development efforts advance American interests by promoting global security, prosperity and self-reliance.
