The technical assistance consisted of periodic workshops, conferences, and the production of inputs and papers tailored to the needs of the GoC to provide policy alternatives for income generation for the poor population. These notes and papers were discussed extensively with the GoC and were used by the National Economic and Social Policy Council (Consejo Nacional de Política Económica y Social—CONPES) to draft their income and employment strategy document.

Since 2004 the World Bank has been supporting the efforts of the Government of Colombia to deepen its knowledge on poverty and inequality, particularly through technical assistance provided to the 2006-07 Poverty and Inequality Reduction Mission (Misión para la Reducción de la Pobreza y Desigualdad—MERPD). Results from this collaboration suggested the need to improve the country’s methodology for poverty measurement and also the need for further research into increasing the productivity of the poor.

In September 2008, the National Planning Directorate (Dirección Nacional de Planeación—DNP) requested the Bank’s support in preparing income and employment generation strategy documents with CONPES and reviewing poverty measurement methodology and data gathering. Since then, the World Bank has worked closely with the Government of Colombia(GoC) on their CONPES process and documents, which were the basis for income and employment generation policies for the poor approved by the CONPES in August 2009.

The technical assistance provided by the Bank to the GoC has remained flexible in order to meet the requirements of the DNP. The Bank’s main activities consisted of:
i) technical assistance on poverty measurement (ongoing);
ii) a conference on employment and development in November 2008; and
iii) technical assistance to the CONPES on income and employment generation.

 

* The report comprises two volumes. The papers were prepared by World Bank staff and consultants in accordance with the priorities of the GoC’s CONPES process. The papers were presented in an employment conference organized by the World Bank and the GoC in November, 2008.