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Millennium Development Goals
Colombia
Located in the north of South America, Colombia borders
in the northwest with Panama, in the east with Venezuela, in the southwest with Ecuador, to the
south with Peru, and in the southwest with Brazil. In addition, it meets with the Atlantic Ocean to the
north and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Colombia was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others
two are Ecuador and Venezuela ). A 40-year conflict between government forces, anti-government insurgent groups and illegal paramilitary groups - heavily funded by the drug trade - escalated during the 1990s, and still continues today. However, after decades of struggling to end its internal armed conflict, Colombia 's sound democratic political system and years of sustained economic growth remain resilient.
Undoubtedly, violence has taken an enormous human, social and economic toll on the nation, but Colombia 's economy has been on a recovery trend during the past two years. It continues to improve thanks to austere government budgets, focused efforts to reduce public debt levels, and an export-oriented growth focus. Ongoing economic problems range from reforming the pension system to reducing high unemployment. New exploration is needed to offset declining oil production. On the positive side, several international financial institutions have praised the economic reforms introduced by the current administration, succeeded in reducing the public-sector deficit below 1.5% of GDP. The government's economic policy and democratic security strategy have engendered a growing sense of confidence in the economy, particularly within the business sector. Coffee prices have recovered from previous lows as the Colombian coffee industry pursues greater market shares in developed countries such as the United States.
In terms of Human Development, it is ranked 69th in the world, which means that the country needs to consolidate efforts in order to improve living standards for its population. Regarding the Millennium Development Goals, the country's campaign 'No Excuses 2015 Colombia Without Poverty', is made up as a coalition of networks and social organizations with presence at national level which have accepted the invitation to work in favor of placing those policies on poverty at the core of the National Public Agenda.
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