TWENTY-SEVEN BOLD IDEAS TO REIMAGINE THE US-COLOMBIA RELATIONSHIP - Atlantic Council

Simón Bolívar and the founders of Gran Colombia—Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela—looked to the French Revolution and the Decla- ration of the Rights of Men as guiding principles for the new nation. [...] Colombia then set an example by incorporating the SDGs into the National Development Plan, including commitments at the national, regional, and local levels.2 After signing the peace agreement in 2016, the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) requested that the UN create a verification mission to monitor the reincorporation process and the safety of former FAR. [...] Our global agenda The United States and Colombia should prioritize cooperation in advancing fundamental areas of the UN’s Our Common Agenda and the objectives of the OAS’s Ninth Summit of the Americas, includ- ing strengthening democracy, the rule of law, and human rights protec- tions, as well as promoting inclusive economic growth, sustainability and climate action, and solutions to migration-re. [...] In addition, the US Department of the Treasury and the US Trade and Development Agency could work with the US private sector to identify barriers to the investment and financing of infrastructure projects in Colom- bia. [...] In the United States and Colombia, the post-pandemic recovery also requires addressing the changing nature of globalization, the implications of China’s rise and Russia’s war in Ukraine, climate change, and the disen- chantment of large sectors of the population with politicians and democracy itself.