Fisk for utvikling

Rapport 2021/31

Fisk for utvikling

Bjørnar Andreas Kvinge, Trond Norheim, Gunnar Sander, Xavier Gutierrez, Paula Andrea Rojas-Tirado og Ingrid Nesheim

Fisk for utvikling

Kategori	Rapporter
Underkategori(er)	UtviklingssamarbeidMiljøFiskeri og havbruk
År	2021
Rapportnummer	31
Forfatter(e)	Bjørnar Andreas Kvinge Trond Norheim Gunnar Sander Xavier Gutierrez Paula Andrea Rojas-Tirado Ingrid Nesheim
Last ned	file_download (1 MB)
Les i nettleser	find_in_page

Report 2021/31	 | 	NORAD

Appraisal of the Fish for Development project proposal for in-
stitutional cooperation between Colombia and Norway

Bjørnar Andreas Kvinge, Trond Norheim, Gunnar 	Sander, Xavier Gutierrez, Paula Andrea
Rojas	-Tirado and Ingrid Nesheim

Appraisal of the Fish for Development project proposal for institutional cooperation between Colombia an	d
Norway

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D	ocument details
Tittel	 	Appraisal of the Fish for Development project proposal for institutional cooperation be-
tween Colombia and Norway
Rapportnummer	 	2021/31
ISBN	 	978	-82	-8126	-534	-9
Forfattere	 	Bjørnar Andreas Kvinge	, Trond Norheim, Gunnar Sander, 	Xavier Gutierrez, Paula Andrea
Rojas	-Tirado	 and 	Ingrid Nesheim
Prosjektleder	 	Bjørnar Andreas Kvinge
Kvalitetssikrer	 	Haakon Vennemo
Oppdragsgiver	 	NORAD
Dato for ferdigstilling	 	28.06.2021
Tilgjengelighet	 	Public
Nøkkelord	 	Fish for development, Colombia, Appraisal,	 Fisheries, Foreign aid, Aquaculture	, Fisheries
About us
Vista Analysis	 is a social science consultancy with its main emphasis on economic research, policy analysis and advice,
and evaluations. We carry out projects to the highest professional standards, with independence and integrity. Our
key thematic areas include climate 	change, energy, transport, urban planning and welfare issues.
Our employees have high academic credentials and broad experience within consulting. When needed we 	utilize	 an
extensive network of companies and resource persons nationally and internationally.	 The company is fully employee	-
owned.
The Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) 	is Norway’s leading institute for fundamental and applied re-
search on marine and freshwaters. Our research comprises a wide array of environmental, climatic and resource	-
related fields. N=VA’s world	-class expertise is multidisciplinary with a broad scienti	fic scope in natural as well as social
sciences. NIVA combines research, monitoring, evaluation, problem	-solving and advisory services, aiming to find sus-
tainable solutions for management, industries and civil society. The institute has broad internationa	l experience and
has i.a. established a subsidiary in Chile working with aquaculture.
Link: https://www.niva.no/en/about	-niva

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Foreword
The report has been prepared 	by 	Gunnar Sander at NIVA	 and	 Trond Norheim and Bjørnar Andreas Kvinge from Vista
Analyse	, su	pported by a	 team at NIVA 	that has	 contributed with their knowledge on aquaculture and 	fisheries	; Xavier
Gutierrez	, Paula	 Andrea Roja	s-Tirado	 and	 Ingrid Nesheim.	 Haakon Vennemo has been quality assurer.	 We want to
thank pr	ofessor emerit	us Bjørn 	Hersoug for comments to the report. 	Many people have provided valuable insights
in our interviews. 	These are listed in appendix C. We are thankful for all expertise and insights.	 We thank Olav 	Rostad
and Nina Kristin Snyder at 	NORAD	 for the 	assignment	 and 	for useful comments and reflections	.
June 28	th, 2021	.
Haakon Vennemo
Partner
Vista Analyse AS

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Glossary
AUNAP	 	Colombian Authority for Fisheries and Aquaculture
CAR	 	Regional development corporations
CCC	 	Joint Coordination Committee
FfD	 	Fish for 	Development
FTS	 	Flow through systems
GDP	 	Gross Domestic Product
IAS	 	Invasive alien species
IMF	 	International Monetary Fund
IMR	 	Norwegian Institute of Marine Research
MADR	 	The Colombian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
MADS	 	The 	Colombian Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development
MFA	 	The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
NICFI	 	Norwegian International Climate and Forest Initiative
PD	 	Draft Project Document
RAS	 	Recirculating aquaculture system
TOC	 	Theory of Chang	e
ToR	 	Terms of Reference
WB	 	World Bank

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Contents
Executive summary	 ................................	................................	................................	................................	.......................	 7
1 	Background	 ................................	................................	................................	................................	.........................	 10
1.1	 	Cooperation betw	een Norway and Colombia	 	10
1.2	 	The Fish for development Programme (FfD) in Colombia	 	10
2 	Mandate and methodology	 ................................	................................	................................	................................	 13
2.1	 	Purpose and scope	 	13
2.2	 	Methodology	 	13
3 	Political and economic context	 ................................	................................	................................	...........................	 14
3.1	 	Fisheries and aquaculture in Colombia	 	14
3.2	 	Political and economic context	 	17
3.3	 	The project’s political relevance for Colombia	 	21
3.4	 	Possible conflicts of interest between small	-scale and industrial operators	 	23
3.5	 	Bottlenecks in l	icencing	 	24
3.6	 	Opportunities and barriers	 	25
4 	Risk analysis	 ................................	................................	................................	................................	........................	 27
4.1	 	Risks for project performance	 	27
4.2	 	Safeguards	 	31
5 	Project appraisal	 ................................	................................	................................	................................	.................	 34
5.1	 	The projec	t’s relevance to the FfD	-programme	 	34
5.2	 	Competence needs	 	34
5.3	 	Assessment of the results framework	 	36
5.4	 	Project management 	structure	 	41
5.5	 	Coordination with other projects and programmes	 	44
5.6	 	Budget	 	46
6 	Conclusions and recommendations	 ................................	................................	................................	....................	 47
6.1	 	Conclusions	 	47
6.2	 	Recommendations	 	48
Appendices	 ................................	................................	................................	................................	................................	. 50
A 	Terms of reference	 	50
B 	References	 	57
C 	List of interviews	 	58
D 	Production volumes and trade for Colombian aquaculture and fisheries	 	59
E 	Results framework with spe	cific comments	 	65
F 	Risk analysis review (Risk matrix and safeguards)	 	66
Figure	s
Figure 3.1:	 	GDP growth in selected countries (1990=100)	 ................................	................................	...............	 18
Figure 3.2:	 	Number of new daily confirmed Covid cases	 ................................	................................	..................	 19
Figure 3.3:	 	Share of population that has received at least one dose of vaccine per cent	 ................................	 19
Figure 3.4:	 	GDP/capita in fixed prices National currency, PPP, selected countries 2019	-2026	 ........................	 21

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Figure 5.1:	 	Description of phased project design	 ................................	................................	.............................	 42
Figure 5.2:	 	Proposed i	nterrelation of different elements of Norwegian funded support to Colombia	 ............	 45
Tables
Table 3.1:	 	Agriculture, forestry and fishing, part of value creation. Selected countries and years
(Percent)	 ................................	................................	................................	................................	.........	 20
Table 4.1:	 	The review team’s analysis of most important risks	 ................................	................................	.......	 29
Table 5.1:	 	Review of baselines for impact level	 ................................	................................	...............................	 38

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Executive summary
Vista Analyse and NIVA have made an appraisal of a 	proposed Fish for Development project in Colombia.
The team believes that the project could be an important contribution to poverty reduction in Colombia,
but that the plans seem too limited. We recommend changing the output structure and introducing
new o	utputs and activities. In total, where our recommendations call for a larger project than the draft
plans and budget. However, we conclude that the project is ready to start after including environmental
agencies in both countries to the project group. We 	recommend starting with an inception phase where
some parts of the original project plan can be executed, while other parts of the project undergo a new
planning process.
Fish for Development
The overarching vision of FfD is to reduce poverty in the collab	orating countries by producing food and
generating sources of employment. This should be achieved by 1) improving fisheries management; 2)
supporting the knowledge base; and 3) stimulating private entities.
Colombia is one of three partner countries in t	he programme, mainly because of the sectors’ potential
for strengthening rural areas and thereby contribute to the implementation of the peace accord and
rural development ambitions of the Colombian government.
Vista Analyse and NIVA have assessed propose	d plans for FfD in Colombia. The proposed project consists
of collaboration between experts in Norwegian government agencies and Colombian counterparts, with
the goal to support improved sustainable socio	-economic development for the Colombian fisheries an	d
aquaculture sectors. The review had two main purposes:
1. 	To strategically inform Norwegian aid providers on key issues surrounding the political economy
of fisheries and aquaculture in Colombia and identify key factors that inhibit policy reform in the	 sector,
as well as the factors that influence goal achievement.
2. 	To appraise the project document (PD) to assess the document’s relevance, realism, coherence,
potential feasibility, potential risks, safeguards, and the expected sustainability of the pro	ject.
The proposed project consists of collaboration between experts in the Norwegian 	authorities and Co-
lombian 	counterparts, with	 the goal to 	support i	mproved sustainable socio	-economic development for
the Colombian fisheries and aquaculture 	sectors	.
NORAD’s ambition is to enter into an agreement with the Colombian and Norwegian parties after having
considered the current review, and after the parties having finalized the PD accordingly.
Context
Colombia’s tropical ecosystems have extraordinar	ily high biodiversity in freshwater as well as in the
oceans. Over half of all marine species for which information is available are overfished. Even though
there is less information about the status in inland fisheries, overexploitation is a problem also 	for fresh-
water species.

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Aquaculture in Colombia is completely dominated by freshwater production of the introduced tilapia
and trout, but also includes the native species cachama (or pacu). Shrimp is the only species cultivated
in the ocean. Colombian ex	port of cultivated fish is limited and has struggled to be competitive. While
catches in fisheries have declined, the opposite is the case for aquaculture.

Those working in fisheries and aquaculture are small	-scale fishers and producers with lower income and
education than average, applying relatively simple technologies. Thus, the target group is highly relevant
for FfD. However, the project document contain	 little information about their situation, needs and re-
sponses to the current management system. This needs to a part of the knowledge base for the project
in order to reach FfD’s objective for poverty reduction.

Colombia is currently experiencing protes	ts and riots. A long history of internal conflicts is still affecting
the country	, leaving the country in a fragile situation	. Although Colombia is on a trajectory towards
increased economic output, large parts of the population 	is 	struggl	ing	 to make ends 	meet. A project
that can support sustainable jobs and food production in parts of Colombia where there are few job
alternatives, is welcome.	 Colombian authorities are 	promoting increased private investments in fisher-
ies and aquaculture, yet current 	profita	bility is poor.
Main r	ecommendations
The project should ensure participation from fishers, aquaculture producers and communities, aiming
to include their knowledge and develop practices of co	-management.
Focusing on inland aquaculture, possibly also inland	 fisheries, would ensure the best scope for reaching
the rural poor	. However, Norwegian competence on freshwater aquaculture in general and especially
in tropical waters is limited. 	Thus, we recommend including south	-south cooperation in the project can
be particularly useful	 for providing Colombia with relevant advice.
The 	review team recommends that the FAO guidelines are included as a basis for developing policies
and management practices that addresses the needs of small	-scale fishers and aquaculture producers.
The project should carry out an analysis of the sources and 	reasons for overfishing as well as destructive
fishing practices. Support in finding better technology or practices will be important.
The project should find mechanisms for assembling and sharing data from many stakeholders, and sup-
port development of a d	atabase that includes both fishing/aquaculture and socioeconomic information.
The proposed project is small in scope and would not be able to give the expected impact. The project
should increase its scope and activities along the lines suggested in this r	eport. This leads to that the
budget should be increased, but gradually, as new activities are introduced.
The project document reveals little information about environmental impacts of fishery and aquacul-
ture. Introduction of invasive species should be 	avoided in the framework of the project. Environmental
assessments, impact assessments and monitoring requirements should be key issues, and

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environmental agencies should be included on both sides (The Norwegian Environment Agency in Nor-
way and the Colombi	an Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development).
The project results framework must be finalized and include all relevant baselines and targets. On the
other hand, the risk matrix is not clearly related to the design as stated in the results framew	ork. The
matrix should focus on a limited number of the main risks for project management, which should be
continuously monitored. Project safeguards must meet NORAD standards on ”do no harm” and cross	-
cutting issues.
The project should incorporate a local	 pilot project to try out in practice the theoretical learning
achieved and as a way to measure local impact of any changes AUNAP or ICA would like to make. The
pilot will contribute to collaboration between regional and central authorities, as well as uni	versities.
The review team finds that the project addresses important challenges and priorities in Colombian fish-
eries and aquaculture management. We recommend that it starts up with an inception phase, allowing
for necessary changes in project design and 	budget followed by an adjusted execution phase.

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1	 	Background
1.1	 	Cooperation between Norway and Colombia
The Norwegian engagement in Colombian fisheries is shaped by the Norwegian foreign assistance policy
from 2017	-2018 (MFA 2018). The Solberg government wante	d to concentrate Norwegian foreign assis-
tance to a limited number of states and a narrower range of topics. Norway therefore should collaborate
more in	-depth and long	-term with ten partner states. The collaboration should be based on the achieve-
ment of the	 sustainable development goals and poverty reduction, taking the states’ national ambitions
as well as Norwegian foreign policy priorities into account. The government also wanted to apply a wider
set of approaches than the traditional aid by including for	 instance business collaboration, democracy,
human rights and transfer of knowledge through direct government	-to-government collaboration. The
ambition should be that the partner states in a longer term would manage without aid.
In the white paper, Colomb	ia was selected as one of the ten partner countries. A key background for
this was the Norwegian engagement in negotiations aiming to put an end to a more than 50 years’ long
civil war. A peace accord was signed in 2016 between the Colombian government and	 the largest of the
guerrilla groups, FARC, which had control over parts of the territory. The peace accord contains direct
peace related aspects such as cease fire, delivery of arms and justice for the victims, but also initiatives
to reduce the root caus	es of the conflict, such as distribution of land and regional development pro-
grammes that can offer alternative opportunities to those who had been engaged in the conflict. Such
an approach would also be important in combatting another persistent problem i	n Colombia, the pro-
duction of narcotics. Income from sale of drugs have fuelled the armed conflicts. The narco	-cartels have
a strong presence in certain regions of the country and infiltrate also legal sectors of the economy.
In Norwegian analyses of Colo	mbia, it is highlighted that the country is a medium level income state
with a considerable middle class and good competence level, though with large internal disparities. Four
strategic goals are formulated for the Norwegian efforts: 1) A final peace, bu	ilding on implementation
of the peace accord with FARC and facilitation of renewed negotiations between the government and
the ELN guerrilla; 2) Reduced deforestation as a mechanism for combatting climate change, protecting
biodiversity and the land of man	y indigenous groups; 3) Sustainable business development in areas such
as oil and gas, fisheries and sustainable ocean economy; and 4) Increased collaboration with Norwegian
companies, including in aquaculture and technology.
In 2020, a total of NOK 523.1	 million NOK was used in Colombia. Most of these funds went to govern-
ance, civil society and conflict prevention, but the environment and energy sectors were also major
beneficiaries.

1.2	 	The Fish for development Programme (FfD) in Colombia
Developing countries increasingly request transfer of knowledge and capacity building. The Norwegian
government has established a series of programmes aiming to contribute with Norwegian experiences

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and expertise on selected topics. These include oil, fish	, taxation, statistics, gender equality, digitalisa-
tion, anti	-corruption and more. 	1
The Fish for Development (FfD) Programme was launched in 2015. The intention is to utilize Norway’s
comparative advantages in responding to developing countries’ request	s for advice and capacity build-
ing in sustainable fisheries and aquaculture. The programme is responsible for coordinating all develop-
ment projects supported by Norway in these areas. The overarching vision of FfD is to reduce poverty
in the collaborating 	countries by producing food and generating sources of employment. This should be
achieved by 1) improving fisheries management; 2) supporting the knowledge base; and 3) stimulating
private entities.
Even though Colombia was not a typical country for FfD 	collaboration, the Norwegian government re-
sponded positively to a request from Colombia on collaboration and made the country one of three
prioritized partners in the programme, together with Ghana and Myanmar. A major reason for this was
the potential for	 strengthening rural areas, thereby contributing to the implementation of the peace
accord and rural development ambitions of the Colombian government.
FfD has provided support that has enabled starting a few projects in Colombia, executed by internat	ional
organisations and Caritas (see section 5.6). The project that is the subject 	of the current review is
planned to focus on institutional collaboration between Norwegian and Colombian government entities
and is in a pre	-project planning phase. Discussi	ons of its scope and content have been ongoing since
2016. Two fact	-finding missions from Norway have travelled to Colombia, and two Colombian delega-
tions have visited Norway. Many issues have been considered in this process. In the draft project docu-
ment 	(PD), there are four areas of cooperation and a budget which is lower than for the two other FfD
partner countries. Changes of government staff in Colombia following the last elections, and later the
COVID	-19 pandemic, are major reasons why the process has	 taken so long. NORAD’s ambition is to enter
into an agreement with the Colombian and Norwegian parties after having considered the current re-
view, and after the parties having finalized the PD accordingly.
The project’s ambition is to 	contribute to improved sustainable socio	-economic development for the
Colombian fisheries and aquaculture sectors Appendix A includes the proposed outcomes and output
of the project.

1 For more information, see https://www.norad.no/en/front/the	-knowledge	-bank/

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Text frame 	1.1: 	Project design
Outcome 1: Relevant governmental management institutions and academia have increased capacity
and knowledge in subjects regarding sustainable fisheries management, aquaculture and aquatic ani-
mal health
• 	Output 1.1: Increased number of staf	f in governmental management and educational 	institu-
tions	 with international postgraduate education and short courses in subjects relevant for fisheries
management, aquaculture and aquatic animal health.
• 	Output 1.2: Increased participation from academi	a in government decision	-making processes
regarding fisheries and aquaculture.
• 	Output 1.3 Increased and strengthened postgraduate offers in fisheries and aquaculture at
Colombian universities
Outcome 2: Improved knowledge base for sustainable manageme	nt of fisheries
• 	Output 2.1: Increased knowledge about the state of fisheries re	-sources (including previously
nonexploited resources).
• 	Output 2.2: Increased knowledge about fishing gear to improve selectivity and reduce 	ecosys-
tem	 impacts.
• 	Outp	ut 2.3: The EAF Implementation monitoring tool is introduced and used for selected ma-
rine fisheries in Colombia
• 	Output 2.4: Increased capacity to interact with international and regional fisheries manage-
ment bodies.
Outcome 3: Improved capacity for sustainable development of aquaculture
• 	Output 3.1: Aquaculture regulations improved.
• 	Output 3.2: Knowledge base for the development of marine aquaculture established
• 	Output 3.3: Knowledge about the prerequisite	s for an improved licensing process in aquacul-
ture established.
• 	Output 3.4: Improved knowledge of water resource management in aquaculture, with special
regard to the effects of all users on general water quality in the waterbodies.
Outcome 4: Improv	ed health management of farmed aquatic animals in Colombia
• 	Output 4.1: Improved competence and capacity of ICA laboratory in the diagnosis of diseases.
• 	Output 4.2: Increased technical knowledge of ICA professionals in matters related to health,
epi	demiology, and diagnosis.

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2	 	Mandate and methodology
2.1	 	Purpose and scope
The present review has two main purposes:
1. 	To strategically inform Norwegian aid providers on key issues surrounding the political econ-
omy of fisheries and aquaculture in 	Colombia and identify key factors that inhibit policy re	-form in the
sector, as well as the factors that influence goal achievement. This analysis will identify risks associated
with the proposed cooperation areas and the prospect of achieving results.
2. 	To appraise the project document (PD) to assess the document’s relevance, realism, 	coher-
ence	, potential feasibility, potential risks, safeguards, and the expected sustainability of the project.
The appraisal of the PD should consider findings in the politi	cal economic analysis and provide recom-
mendations.
The scope of the review is specified in the Terms of Reference (ToR) (	Appendix A	). The structure of the
report follows the ToR.
2.2	 	Methodology
NORAD’s first request for this review was to conduct a desktop study, primarily based on documents
provided. The review team received approx. 30 documents and reports about the project, and fisheries
and aquaculture in Colombia, which have been consulted e	xtensively. We have supplemented with
searches on sources on the Internet and documents received from interviewees. The most important
ones used in our work are listed in 	appendix B	.
During the discussions about the ToR, the team proposed to conduct a limi	ted number of interviews.
The intention was to get a better understanding of the project design phase and independent 	perspec-
tives	 on the fishery and aquaculture sector in Colombia. The interviews were undertaken electronically
(Teams). There were two or t	hree participants from the review team on all interviews. The conversa-
tions with the Colombian interviewees were in Spanish or English, depending on the language skills of
the participants. The team took notes, but a couple of the interviews were also reco	rded for later con-
sultation, with the consent of the interviewees. These will be deleted as soon as the review is finished.
There are clear limitations on how deeply and extensively we have been able to answer several ques-
tions from NORAD, given the n	umber of working days. Particularly the limited political 	– economic anal-
ysis would have required more extensive interviews and searches in scientific literature. We therefore
tried to answer them to the extent relevant for the primary task, the appraisal 	of the project. Many of
these issues need to be researched better after the start of the project.

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3	 	Political and economic context
The political economy of fisheries and aquaculture in Colombia has not been the topic 	of a separate
Norwegian analysis befor	e. Elements of it have been addressed in the reports from international organ-
izations such as OECD (2016), the PD and the reports from the Norwegian fact	-finding missions. A report
from KPMG also 	analysed	 several contextual issues as a background for reco	mmendations on how to
collaborate to stimulate the private sector under FfD in Colombia (KPMG 2018). Our report does only
address selected issues according to the ToR.
3.1	 	Fisheries	 and aquaculture in Colombia
In Norway, the coast, and the oceans host most o	f the commercially important activities related to fish.
In aquaculture, production of fingerlings (smolt) on land prior to introduction of the fish in cages in the
fiords is an important exception. A relatively new direction of development is the establis	hment of pro-
duction sites for salmon on land to reduce the environmental impacts and avoid the management limi-
tations on the activity in the fiords. As regards inland fisheries, recreational fishing dominates; only cer-
tain lakes are fished more intensively	.
In Colombia, this is different. Both aquaculture and fisheries are significant in the more than 20 million
hectares of aquatic ecosystems in the interior of the country as well as along the 3,000 km long 	coastline
and out in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Thus, it is necessary to keep in mind that there are four
sub	-sectors that are relevant in Colombia: Both fisheries and aquaculture occur in freshwater as well as
in marine waters (conceptually, a 2 x 2 matrix	). For FfD it should be important to have good information
on all of these as a basis for prioritisation and direction of efforts. This applies also to inland fisheries,
even though it according to the PD is not a part of the FfD project. However, 	inland f	isheries	 need to be
included somehow, at least because 	these fisheries	 may be affected by aquaculture.
3.1.1	 	Key characteristics
Unreliable statistics and missing data in Colombia are key challenges for getting an overview of 	i.a. the
resources, volumes harves	ted and farmed, value creation, employment, and contribution to food secu-
rity, livelihoods, and the national economy (OECD 2016: 10). Major reasons for this are the informal
nature of the activities, the dispersion of fishers and producers throughout the c	ountry, and limited
government capacity to cover extensive areas, some of which 	are 	still associated with security risks and
low government control. Based on descriptions in the PD and in several other documents that the re-
view team has accessed (OECD 2016	, KPMG 2018, MADR 2021), we will highlight some key characteris-
tics of fisheries and aquaculture in Colombia, with updated statistics where available:
• 	The 	wild	-living fishery resources	: Colombia’s tropical ecosystems have extraordinarily high biodi-
versi	ty in freshwater as well as in the oceans. One implication is that there is a low abundance of
each fish species, as opposed to conditions in the Norwegian cold waters with fewer species oc-
curring in larger stocks. Thus, there is a high mix of species in m	any fisheries, making by	-catch an
important issue. Over half of all marine species for which information is available are overfished
(PD: 9). There are some species that are under	-utilized and that may be sources for new

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harvesting. However, IMR has assess	ed that the shallow Colombian continental shelf provides lim-
ited possibilities for rich fisheries.
For inland fisheries, there is little information about the status of the 173 stocks that are reported to be
fished (OECD 2016:13). However, overexploitatio	n is a problem 	even	 for freshwater species. In the ma-
jor Magdalena and Cauca river basins, catches have dropped significantly, and a seasonal fishing ban
has been introduced (PD: 9). Fishing for ornamental species meant for aquariums is a peculiar sub	-sect	or
that runs the risk of overexploitation of rare and endangered species.
• 	Production volumes:	 The two sub	-sectors demonstrate opposing trends: Total catches from fisher-
ies has decreased by almost 50% from the 1990s (PD:9), dropping from 148,000 tons of fi	sh, 	crus-
taceans,	 and molluscs in the peak year 1997 to 69,000 tons in 2018 (see details in 	Appendix D	).
Aquaculture production, on the other hand, has increased steadily since the turn of the century
and reached a production of 179,000 tons in 2020. There 	are expectations for continuous growth
in freshwater aquaculture; opportunities for marine aquaculture are more uncertain due to i.a.
lack of regulation and diseases in shrimp mariculture (PD: 11).
• 	GDP:	 In terms of registered value creation, aquaculture a	nd fisheries play a minor role in the coun-
try’s economy, providing approx. 0.25% of the GDP (MADR	, 2021). The most valuable sub	-sectors
are those targeting products for export, such as tuna fishery and cultivation of shrimps, tilapia and
trout (OECD	, 2016:	10).
• 	Trade:	 Fish has increasingly become a Colombian export product. At the same time, Colombia im-
ports more fish than it exports: 70% of the fish consumed inland is imported (OECD 2016: 12, PD:
8). In a comment to this report, AUNAP referred to a more recent estimat	e at 40%. One reason for
the trade deficit is the free trade agreements that stimulate import of fish. This puts a pressure on
the prices of national producers that must compete with i.a. cheap pangasius from Asia. Colombia
account for 5% of international 	trade in ornamental fish.
• 	Employment	: Fish is more important for employment than in economic figures. Most fishers as
well as aquaculture producers operate informally, without registration or licences, making exact
calculations difficult. Other complicatin	g factors are the seasonality of the activities and the many
part	-time employed, making a definition of a “fisher” difficult. OECD (2016:10	-11) estimated that
there were between 67,000 and 150,000 artisanal fishers and 10,000	-15,000 jobs related to indus-
trial fisheries. Similarly, the estimate for jobs related to the aquaculture sector was approximately
120,000. However, when taking indirect jobs from associated activities into account, the total em-
ployment from fisheries and aquaculture was 1.5 million acc	ording to a 2012 census. That was
slightly above 5% of the national employment at that time.
• 	Socioeconomic status	: Fisheries and aquaculture are means of livelihood for the poor in Colombia.
A large percentage of the activities take	s place in some of th	e poorer regions of the country, which
also are the homelands of indigenous communities and where people displaced from the internal
conflicts are found. Moreover, a national household census from 2012 found that 3/4 of those em-
ployed in fisheries and aqua	culture production earned less than the minimum salary rate (which is
USD 245/month in 2021). Half of them had only a basic primary education level and almost one	-
fifth were illiterate (OECD 2016: 11).
• 	Nutrition	: The average annual consumption of fish in 	Colombia is only 8.8 kg, however, rising
(MADR 2021). OECD warned that these averages hide strong regional and household	-level varia-
tions. Fish is relatively expensive compared to chicken, 	beef,	 and pork, and therefore not a priority
for people with low an	d middle income that must buy their food. At the same time, fish is the

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cheapest and most easily accessible source of protein and vital nutrients for poor people living
close to rivers, lakes, lagoons and along the coast. For them, fish provides an importa	nt supple-
ment to a diet often dominated by carbohydrates.
• 	Marine 	– freshwater:	 Aquaculture in Colombia is completely dominated by freshwater production
of the introduced tilapia and rainbow trout, and the native species cachama (or pacu). Shrimp is
the 	only species cultivated in the 	ocean but	 dropped to a record low production in 2018 (see de-
tails in 	Appendix D	).
In fisheries, FAO data from 2018 indicate that the oceans contributed with the major share of the
catches, 48,000 tons vs. 22,000 tons from fr	eshwater. For employment, it is the opposite: approx. 2/3
of the fishers operate in inland waters and 1/3 along the coasts (OECD 2016: 10).
The management system:	 Responsibilit	y is	 shared between agricultural and environmental authorities
(PD; OECD 2016). The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) and the Ministry of Envi-
ronment and Sustainable Development (MADS) cooperate to develop laws and regulations related to
hyd	ro-biological and fishery resources. MADR is responsible for drafting policies, plans and programmes
for sustainable development of the agricultural, 	fishing,	 and rural sectors. In this regard, and according
to the “National Development Plan” (NDP) which i	s issued every four years, the MADR proposes pro-
grams and projects concerning promotion and research of fisheries and 	aquaculture	 to be carried out
by the Ministry itself or by its sub	-ordinate agencies. MADR also prepares and presents draft legislation
related to the agriculture and fisheries sectors to the Colombian Congress.
The main implementing agency for MADR in the sector is the National Authority for Aquaculture and
Fisheries (AUNAP). The Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) provides Veterinary 	Services for aquatic
animals. These are the two major institutional beneficiaries of the project in Colombia.
Decisions regarding management of the fish stocks are undertaken within the framework of the Execu-
tive Committee for Fisheries (CEP), an inter	-ag	ency law enforcement entity which brings together rep-
resentatives of i.a. the MADR, MADS and AUNAP. MADS in collaboration with regional authorities are
responsible for issuing environmental licences to aquaculture producers (see section 3.5).
3.1.2	 	Supplementar	y information and data sources
There are many needs for knowledge in the project, qualitative as well as quantitative. IMR (2018) em-
phasizes the need for better statistics on catch, the fish stocks and the ecosystems. OECD (2016) high-
lights the need for be	tter socio	-economic information. The PD adds needs for better knowledge on i.a.
fishing gear, environmental conditions, prerequisites for marine aquaculture regulations and improved
licencing processes, and epidemiological information. Certain of these nee	ds for better knowledge will
be addressed in the project, while other topics should be added (section 5.2).
The need for better information and updated statistics has been a topic in several interviews. We have
received references to web sites, most of 	which	 is in Spanish	. There is much information available, how-
ever	 it is	 not easily accessible for all the needs of the project. Our general impression is that data seem
to be fragmented, hard to aggregate and reconcile across different sources such as loca	l administra-
tions, has insecure quality, and variable geographical and temporal resolution	2. In the project, searches

2 Aunap 	has in the finalization phase of this report provided us with additional data and statistics. This information is shared
with NORAD.

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for supplementary information will be needed, for instance from universities, research institutions,
NGOs and traditional data holders. W	e have tried to go into detail on two types of information, the
production volumes in aquaculture and in fisheries. This illustrates some of the problems of finding
reliable and updated statistics, i.a. contradicting numbers from different sources. AUNAP a	lso has pro-
vided more detailed statistics on trade in fish and shellfish products (	Appendix D	).
3.2	 	Political and 	economic	 context
The current president Ivan Duque from Central democratic party was elected in 2018. The next election
will be in May 2022 with ch	ange of government in August 2022. A new president leads to more extensive
changes in governmental positions than in Norway, where only the minister and a few advisors change
after an election.
There have been riots and protests in Colombia in 2021. The p	rotests started as a response towards the
proposed tax reform. The tax reform has been heavily criticized for hurting the poor and the middle
class. Regressive taxes will hurt the poor instead of preventing inequality that is prominent in 	Colombia	3.
The 	protesters accuse the government of being insensitive to the people’s situation in the economic
crisis caused by the COVID pandemic and for not implementing the peace accord. Increased tension in
Colombia is considered by international investors as an incr	eased risk and hurt optimism in forecasts of
future opportunities. Thus, long	-term peace building and stability will be important for increasing for-
eign investments in all industries, including aquaculture and fisheries. On the World bank’s index for
“poli	tical stability and absence of Violence”, Colombia ranks below the 20th percentile. Colombia is still
in the recovery phase after years of internal conflicts. The implementation of the peace accord from
2016 is key in this respect. Colombia still faces cha	llenges in consolidating peace and guaranteeing po-
litical rights and civil liberties throughout its territory. The political situation and 	the country’s	 economic
development 	are	 fragile. 	The current administration is reluctant to implementing the existing 	peace
accord and has stated that it wants to revise parts of it	4. There are free elections and public institutions
seem to be functioning. Local and regional elections are generally characterized by greater opacity and
more frequent violence than 	national elections. Crime rate and homicide rate fell after 2012 and has
now levelled out at a level close to some other neighbouring countries. Colombia needs support in
building peace and stability.
Sustainable job creation is vital in creating peace. I	n this respect, sustainable jobs in rural areas can be
significant. F	fD is therefore relevant in the political	-economic context (see section 5.1 on the current
project’s possible contribution).
Colombia classifies as an emerging Upper	-middle income economy	. Gross domestic product has in	-
creased more in Colombia than some of its neighbouring countries. The figure shows GDP in Colombia
and neighbouring countries with GDP indexed and 1990	-level set to 100. The figure shows that Peru
followed by Bolivia has the	 highest growth in the period. Colombian growth seems to be placing itself
in the 	middle	5 .

3 World bank’s estimate for =ncome 	Gini	 index for 2019 is 51,3. This figure ranks between 	- perfectly egalitarian and 100.
Colombia’s index is well above USA, Europe and higher than most other countries in the region.
4 Le Monde Diplomatique https://www.lm	d.no/2021/06/den	-indre	-fiende	-gjor	-oppror	-i-colombia/
5 World bank database. GDP at constant USD. Recent data for Venezuela is missing

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Figure 	3.1: 	GDP growth in selected countries (1990=100)

Source:	 	World Bank, Vista Analyse

Growth in GDP per capita has been modest in the last decade. Again, Colombia seems to be in the
middle compared to neighbouring 	countries.	 Although GDP per capita ranks Colombia as an upper mid-
dle	-income economy, 	wealth is	 distributed	 unevenly. Colombia continues to suffer from one of the high-
est inequality rates in the west. Thus, one should aim at activities that support people on the lower end
of the income distribution. Fisheries has a small part of the GDP, but it provides jobs, i	ncomes, and food
in rural areas where economic opportunities are scarce. Some of these regions are home to indigenous
communities and people displaced by the internal domestic conflicts. A poll by Gallup from 2019	6
showed that about half of the respondent	s in Colombia stated that they had experienced lacking money
for food the last year. The situation was worse for women than for men.
The FfD project’s ambition for poverty reduction will certainly be relevant for artisanal fishers	 and rural
population	. For	 a project aiming primarily at capacity building in public institutions, it is a challenge that
these fishers’ activities often are not registered and formalised. Registration and good statistics are rel-
evant for resource management and for providing techn	ical or financial support.
COVID	-19 has affected Colombia and led to a steep temporary decrease in GDP in the second quarter
of 2020. Since then, macro	-economic figures have improved. Vaccination status shows that currently
about 10 million vaccine doses h	ave been distributed in Colombia, as of May 2021	. Colombia’s number
of 	covid	-cases has surged recently, the large number of people protesting being one likely cause. The
riots harm vaccination efficiency and health care negatively. The number of new cases 	per day in late
May and early June are the highest in the country since the pandemic started	7 (Figure 2). While some
of the neighbouring countries are on a trend with reduced numbers of new cases	, Colombia is now one

6 https://news.gallup.com/poll/272324/colombians	-wider	-divide	-rich	-poor.aspx
7 https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/colombia?country=COL~BRA~ECU~PER~VEN~PAN~BOL

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of the countries in the world with hig	hest number of new 	cases. In	 Bogota, there are only few 	available
ICU beds in hospitals	8 .

Figure 	3.2: 	Number of new daily confirmed Covid cases

Source:	 	Johns Hopkins University	, Our World in Data

Figure 	3.3 indicates that 	the 	vaccination rate in Colombia is better than most neighbouring countries
and way above world 	average,	 but below average vaccination shares in South America. The trend is very
positive, with number of vaccinations increasing significantly	 in May and June 2021.

Figure 	3.3: 	Share of population that has received at least one dose of vaccine per cent

Source:	 	Our world in data

8 http://thecitypaperbogota.com/bogota/worst	-month	-for	-covid	-deaths	-in-colombia	-protes	ts-roadblocks	-continue/27602

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During the pandemic, the contribution to GDP and the number of workers in fisheries and aquaculture
has risen. A temporary slump in other commercial industries, showing how fishing can be an activity to
fall back to when other more profitable jobs are disa	ppearing, might have contributed to this effect.
Data suggest GDP growth from primary sector to be positive 	even	 prior to the pandemic	. The table
shows that Colombia’s share of value creation coming from primary sector has had a modest increase
the last ye	ars. Fisheries and aquaculture seem to be a minor share of this value creation.
Table 	3.1: 	Agriculture, forestry and fishing, part of value creation. Selected countries and
years (Percent)
Data unit	 	1990	 	2000	 	2011	 	2015	 	2019
Bolivia	 	15.35	 	12.97	 	9.77	 	10.24	 	12.22
Brazil	 	6.87	 	4.75	 	4.34	 	4.32	 	4.44
Colombia	 	17.07	 	8.31	 	6.09	 	5.98	 	6.74
Ecuador	 	20.52	 	15.	40	 	9.60	 	9.45	 	9.00
Peru	 	 	8.07	 	7.10	 	7.05	 	6.96
Venezuela	 	5.21	 	3.93	 	5.01
Source:	 	World Bank database
Some 	argue that the future of fish production in the world looks promising. According to Economist
Intelligence Unit, fish consumption and prices are likely to rise in the coming years in world markets.
Their view is that COVID	-19 may have a lasting impact on f	ood consumption habits, away from red meat
and towards fruit and vegetables, but also fish. EIU stresses that they expect consumers to be increas-
ingly focused on sustainable food production. This means an opportunity for fish production, but also
set clear	 demands for long	-term sustainability and eco	-friendliness of the production.	 Thus, profitability
in fish farming and fisheries is likely to rise. Forecasts by MADR also show an expected increase in fish
consumption in the coming years.
The last years’ eco	nomic and political crisis in neighbouring Venezuela has led to a steady flow of refu-
gees and immigrants into Colombia. Approximately 2 million Venezuelan refugees and immigrants have
entered Colombia, the majority in the last five	-year period. Colombia, w	ith its recent history of refugees
fleeing the country during the civil war, this spring awarded the refugees the right to register in Colom-
bia and granted them the right to work and the right to public services like schools and 	hospitals	. The
immigrants a	re dispersed throughout Colombia but are most visible in the big cities where many hope
to find a job. An influx of a large work force accepting low wages puts a downward pressure on Colom-
bian wages. Especially people in positions requiring little formal e	ducation are vulnerable for experienc-
ing reduced household income.
Some information sources indicate that tension is higher in some remote regions	9, while other sources
suggest that rural areas now is more stable than the cities. The peace process is you	ng, and it is still
tension in Colombia with risk for armed conflicts. Related to this, there is a security risk associated with
working in certain 	regions.	 If the project is choosing among relevant cases for a pilot, as described in
5.4.1, the local level	 of stability should be assessed and be an important decision criterium.

9 Current advice from The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises against all travel and
stays in the Catatumbo region in the county of Norte de Santander on the border with Venezuela. Fur	thermore, the Min-
istry of Foreign Affairs advises against travel or stays that are not strictly necessary in the province of Tumaco in the pro	v-
ince of Nariño on the border with Ecuador.

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Development of the fisheries and aquaculture is strongly affected by fiscal regulations. Understanding
the impact of fiscal regulations on the sector is key, as the effect of taxatio	n and subsidies tend to be
strong, outperforming many other factors. Offshore licenses for deep water fisheries are sold by the
government at prices depending on fish type, area and period. Colombia has some minor subsidies to
fisheries, providing boats an	d fishing nets for artisanal fishers. Public revenues from fisheries comes
from industrial fisheries and aquaculture, while most artisanal fishers do not pay taxes. As it is beyond
the scope of this report and will need closer analysis, we will just mentio	n on a general level that a
situation where small	-scale fishers do not pay taxes, while industrial fishers pay company tax, may lead
to both suboptimal production and tax evasion. There are obvious positive distributional effects linked
to food security, p	overty reduction and income distribution. Tax reforms tend to have both efficiency
effects and distributional effects, and the review team will just comment that these effects should be
better understood.
The forecast for the Colombian economy is positive	. =MF’s 	medium	-term GDP forecast	10 to 2026 shows
expected growth in Colombia to be lower than for Peru and Panama and higher than Ecuador and Ven-
ezuela. The most recent update is from April 2021, and if the effect on forecast from the protests might
not b	e included yet.

Figure 	3.4: 	GDP/capita in fixed prices National currency, PPP, selected countries 2019	-2026

Source:	 	IMF WEO

3.3	 	The project’s political relevance for Colombia
NORAD	 has asked for an assessment of the project’s relevance to the political and governmental 	prior-
ities	 in Colombia and an assessment of the project’s relevance to the main challenges in the fishery and
aquaculture sector in Colombia.

10 GDP in fixed prices. PPP, IMF forecasts from WEO database updated ap	ril 2021

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One year after the elec	tion in 2018, President Duque obtained Congress approval of his Plan Nacional
de Desarrollo National Development (PND). The PND outlines the national government’s plan for how
it will dedicate its policy efforts and economic resources over the next four ye	ars. This proposal com-
bines the government’s financial resources, approx. 150 billion COP (USD 40 million)/year, with partici-
pation from organisations and industry. The government calls this ‘co	-creating together’ and a form of
engagement that will play a 	key role in building sustainable peace. The plan focuses on reaching agree-
ments between different stakeholders and could be understood as an attempt to build peace through
reduced division lines within Colombia.
The plan aims at alleviating poverty by st	imulating the economy in several ways. The ambition is to
reduce unemployment with 1%	-point through the creation of 1.6 million jobs. Another feature of the
plan is targeting the development of international trade and the promotion of foreign investment in
Colombia. This is expected to stimulate the economy.
The PND is central in all public planning in Colombia and important for understanding policy develop-
ment 	even	 in the fish industry. A 2014 Plan for Sustainable Development of the Aquaculture Sector
(Pla	NDAS) serves as a basis for an important part of AUNAP’s work.
Colombia’s political priorities for fisheries and aquaculture include:
• 	Increased activity and value creation in the sector, both in freshwater and in the oceans, and both
in fisheries and aqua	culture
• 	Job creation in fisheries and aquaculture
• 	Reducing import of fish by increased consumption of domestic fish.
• 	Increased investments (including foreign) in aquaculture and fisheries.
The review team finds the project relevant for supporting 	Colombia’s goals. A major concern, however,
is that the project might be too narrow in scale and scope to make a significant contribution. This is
further elaborated in chapters 5.3	-5.6.
Departamento Nacional De Planeación (National Ministry for Planning 	- DNP) has identified several ob-
stacles to growth in fisheries and aquaculture:
• 	Outdated rules and regulations
• 	Reduction in resources caused by decrease in areas where fish spawn and smolt grow
• 	Low national fish consumption
• 	Fish	- and aquaculture absent in 	regional planning tools
• 	Complex and expensive administrative procedures, harming investments and supporting in	-formal
deals
• 	Absence of guarantees and financial support that would help entrepreneurs get financing in credit
markets.
Other key challenges iden	tified in our interviews and document reviews are:
• 	Low economic productivity of aquaculture that reduces its competitiveness and reduces profitabil-
ity. Tilapia and trout, the species that are most produced in Colombian aquaculture meets strong
competition 	in the international markets. The cost of feeding the fish is high compared to the mar-
ket price of the grown fish.
• 	Overfishing, resulting in i.a. reduced catches and profitability, and less secure livelihoods.

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• 	Pollution, especially discharges of mercury 	and 	cyanide	 from often	 illegal gold extraction, but also
pollutants from many sorts of industry. The resulting risks and impacts to human health can also
harm consumer’s preferences towards Colombian fish, and potentially harm the ambition for in-
creasing d	omestic demand as well as export of fish.
• 	Low investments
NORAD also has asked why capacity in the sector is low. We believe the answer is related to structural
characteristics. Fisheries and aquaculture 	are	 dominated by small	-scale fishers and producers a	pplying
local competence based on experience. Also, fisheries of industrial sized vessels are probably relying
more on experience than formal education.
Relevant capacity building for industrial aquaculture can be elaborated along the lines explained in s	ec-
tion 5.4.2. Currently, the Colombian aquaculture is not very competitive, but capacity building, innova-
tion in technology, reduction of diseases and domestication of native species will alter this in the future.
As explained in 3.2 the profitability of 	the fisheries and aquaculture may not be as high as in some other
production, but the importance of the sector must be understood	, including the fact that the fisheries
support many jobs and local food supply. Fisheries create employment in regions where o	ther industries
are absent and function as a safety net. 	 Norwegian expertise should 	look at ways to	 improv	e Colombian
aquaculture practice in order to increase productivity and competitiveness	.
The review team has not studied the distributional effects of	 increased revenues from industrial activi-
ties. When it comes to pilots and other local projects, the review team recommends a stakeholder anal-
ysis that can reveal any conflicts between project ambitions and local fishers and other stakeholders’
interests.	 Besides that, we see no political	-economic arguments that indicate that the FfD project should
be cancelled.
3.4	 	Possible conflicts of interest between small	-scale and industrial oper-
ators
Colombia has a small industrial fleet of some 150 national 	vessels. There is no information in the docu-
ments about the presence of foreign registered vessels in Colombian EEZ. In aquaculture, there are a
few medium	-sized enterprises. The rest are according to interviews only small	-scale producers.
Internationally,	 there has been considerable concern for small	-scale fishers and how their interests can
be taken care of in fisheries management. A key document in this context is FAO’s Small	-scale fisheries
guidelines (FAO 2014), which has been implemented in many diffe	rent contexts (Jentoft et. al 2017).
Better policies for small	-scale fishers may also result from long	-term political struggle, as in South Africa
(Sander et al 2020: 5	-6, with included references). According to an interviewee, Colombia has not
adopted the	 Guidelines, but hope to use the project as a mechanism for learning more about them and
possibly implement some elements. 	The review team recommends that the FAO guidelines are included
in the project outcome 2 and 3 	as a basis for developing policies and	 management practices that ad-
dresses the needs of small	-scale fishers and aquaculture producers. 	This is	 key to achieving the goals of
the FfD programme and should also be pertinent since the UN General Assembly has declared 2022 as
the international year 	of artisanal fisheries and aquaculture.

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Competition over access to resources is a common source of conflict but is not analysed in the docu-
ments the review team had access to. The analysis stops with “overfishing” without any attempt to
understand the rea	sons (weak governance?), attribute it to specific groups or see who is most affected.
The industrial fleet with more modern technology has probably a major responsibility. However, there
are many artisanal fishers, and they may in sum also put an extra loa	d on certain stocks. 	An analysis of
the sources and reasons for overfishing as well as destructive fishing practices is needed as a part of the
knowledge base to be developed in the project’s outcome 2.
Competition between the two segments of fisheries ca	n also take place over access to ocean space,
with conflicts between different gears as one component. Colombia has reserved areas within 1 nm
from the coast to artisanal fisheries. In a few special zones, such as the North Pacific CERA, this is ex	-
tended 	to 3 nm. To what extent this is a satisfying compromise is unknown. 	An analysis of competition
and user conflicts could also be included in outcome 2	. Colombian as well as Norwegian experiences for
solving this should also be included, both informal approa	ches between fishers and formal regulations.
NORAD has also asked about small	-scale fishers	’ lack of	 influence in decision making. Extensive research
would be required to answer 	this complex issue	, not least because of the many relevant decision arenas.
A general observation is that the level of organisation among small scale fishers is low, their organisa-
tions often weak and that the communities may be the nucleus for organising, not dedicated organisa-
tions for fishers. Several academic publications conte	nd that small	-scale fishers have not been fully rec-
ognized as key stakeholders in the fisheries management process (Saavedra	-Diaz et al 2016: 2). Partici-
pation may take many forms, including co	-production of knowledge and co	-management, both of which
recom	mended by OECD in Colombia (2016: 22	-23). One interviewee explained that there are examples
of sharing of information with the communities, but little co	-management. However, according to ex-
tensive interviews by fishers, community leaders and fisheries exp	erts, there is a basis for developing
co	-management (Saavedra	-Diaz et al 2016). A warning from this publication is that if the Colombian
administration continues its centralized administration without support and involvement of the com-
munity level, future 	conditions may deteriorate (ibid: 19). Exploring better possibilities for participation
and co	-management therefore should be important tasks for the project to achieve a management sys-
tem that is perceived as legitimate and acceptable, as emphasized by OE	CD (2016:17). It also seems
that co	-management would be in accordance with the government’s vision of co	-creation (see 3.4) and
a relevant response to the limited capacity and capability of the government apparatus.
3.5	 	Bottlenecks in licencing
Few Colombia	n fishers and aquaculture producers are formally registered; maybe up to 5% of the fish
farmers, according to one interviewee, 2% according to the PD. This has numerous implications for the
management, including the availability of information and reliable	 statistics, distribution of quotas, guid-
ance, and support (credits, subsidies etc), and enforcement. The problem has been raised especially for
aquaculture and is described in several documents (OECD 2016: 25, KPMG 2018; PD:13).
Low registration for aqu	aculture activities is immersed in a complex social problem, including low edu-
cation levels. Barriers mentioned in an interview are: 1) the registration process is expensive and takes
a long time; 2) it is bureaucratic and related to different institutions	 participating and providing different
types of licences for production, sanitation, environment, processing and export, respectively; and 3)
small producers make low profits and want to avoid fees. In addition, there is low capacity from govern-
ment agenci	es to cover large and in many cases inaccessible areas.

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The system for environmental licences for inland aquaculture has received particular attention in the
project. It is administered by the Autonomous regional corporations for sustainable development (	CAR).
These are 33 regional bodies that are responsible for multiple areas of development, including environ-
mental and natural resources management, having their mandate according to national law	11. Obtain-
ing a licence requires that the applicant informs 	about water usage, treatment and discharges, and land
used (interview). There should be an EIA conducted by qualified experts. There are various pieces of
national legislation describing that environmental monitoring for inland water bodies used for fish f	arm-
ing is required	12. There is ongoing work in the Colombian administration to discuss whether the require-
ments for the small and medium scale producers should be eased, as included in the objectives of a
presidential decree	.13 The Colombian government has a general strategy for making its services more
efficient, called “Estado simple”, in which digitalization plays an important role. =t is easy to understand
the need for making the licencing processes run more smoothly. 	There 	are many interests that must be
taken into consideration, for instance the risk of introducing invasive alien species and causing eutroph-
ication. Norwegian administrative procedures for aquaculture therefore also involve many actors in
complicated processe	s. The review team recommends that the environmental licencing process, includ-
ing baseline data, strategic/regional assessments, EIAs and monitoring, should be explored more in
depth in Outcome 3 (we have been explained that it to some extent will be). Our	 preliminary assess-
ment, based on the limited information we have achieved, is that there probably is a need for strength-
ening environmental elements.
This project will target institutional capacity building in central government. The project should con	-
tribute to cooperation with the CARs, avoiding tension between central policy development and re-
gional responsibilities.
3.6	 	Opportunities and barriers
NORAD has requested the team to consider opportunities and barriers for achieving the project’s oper-
ational 	goals. Issues related to this are addressed in especially sections 3.4, 5.4 (results framework) and
4.1 (risk matrix). Here, we will briefly highlight:
Opportunities:
• 	The project is desired by stakeholders also outside the government administration
• 	Aquac	ulture and fisheries have increased its economic importance the last year
• 	There are identified needs for improvements both for fisheries and aquaculture
• 	Colombia has a well	-educated middle class and many competent employees in public 	administra-
tion.
• 	Colo	mbian universities and academics are recognized as among the best in Latin America
• 	There are national plans with ambitions for the sectors

11 See information from their national organisation at https://www.asocars.org/ , and https://tierracolombiana.org/corpo-
raciones	-autonomas	-regionales	-de-colombia/
12 MADR	-Decree No.1541	-1978 surface water use concessions; Act No. 373	-1997 on the National Efficient Water Use and
Water	-Saving Culture Programme; and MADS	-Resolution No. 631	-2015 defining physicochemical parameters with thresh	-
old values for discharges fr	om different sectors, including aquaculture, and requirements for their monitoring.
13 Agreement for the sector”, signed by the Colombian president in Hanuary 2020.

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• 	The project will be carried out in a part of the world where Norway has provided support for con-
servation of forest 	and biodiversity. There is a potential for synergies with such projects.
Barriers:
• 	Still tension in Colombia with risk for armed conflicts, especially in rural areas
• 	Related to this, there is a security risk associated with working in certain regions
• 	Poli	tical instability, riots and distrust towards the government
• 	COVID	-19 with the recent surge of cases; restrictions on travel etc. may continue.
• 	Economic slump and generally low tax levels in Colombia, restricting the government’s economic
capabilities.
• 	Lack of investors may lead to slow progress and difficulty in finding co	-funding for a pilot
• 	Diminishing fish stocks, pollution and other negative	 impacts limits the potential for achieving sus-
tainable growth of the sector
• 	Norwegian competence on freshwater aquaculture and small	-scale production is limited

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4	 	Risk analysis
4.1	 	Risks for project performance
Annex 3 to PD presents a Risk 	Analysis that consists of:
• 	A Risk Matrix which makes a distinction between external and internal risks; and
• 	Identified risks of unintended consequences of the 	project
During the discussion with NORAD about the present assignment, it was agreed to make a di	stinction
between risks and safeguards, which were reflected in the ToR/Approach document:
Risks	 are the most important issues outside the project management’s control that could negatively
affect the project’s performance. These could include political	-institutional risks (including corruption),
economic	-financial risks, social 	risks,	 and environmental risks.
Safeguards	: Measures needed to comply with the principle of “do no harm” and to avoid that the project
would contribute to adverse unintended consequ	ences, especially in the four crosscutting issues in Nor-
wegian development policy: human rights, anti	-corruption, climate and environment, and women’s
rights and gender equality. The assessment of the PD has also considered measures to avoid inadvert-
ently 	contributing to elite enrichment without poverty reduction, and the undermining of government
responsibilities.
This distinction between risks and safeguards is in line with international standards used by most devel-
opment agencies, the UN, development ban	ks, etc.
“External risks”:
It is positive that the proposed risk matrix considers probability and consequence of occurrence, as well
as risk mitigation measures, which give the opportunity to focus on the main risks. The review team
however considers that 	some of the most important risks have been left out. These include lack of reli-
able data on fish stock, species and exploitation, inhibiting efficient planning, as well as potential spread
of invasive alien species (IAS) into natural ecosystems (see table)	.
=t is important to highlight that real project risks are “outside project management’s control”. These
issues include for instance change of political priorities, staff and budgets due to political changes, which
could be a reality after the change of G	overnment in Colombia that will take place during the project
implementation. It could also include financial shocks, social uprising, natural disasters, etc. Project
management has no way of preventing these to occur, but it is possible to prepare and mit	igate the
impact in case of occurrence.
The PD considers that the major external risks that can negatively impact project implementation and
achievement of desired results are “that proposals for improved regulation, management measures and
guidelines are 	not adopted and implemented by the Colombian government”, and that there is insuffi-
cient government funding such that the fisheries and aquaculture management institutions in Colombia
are not able to deliver on their mandate. The review team does not agree	 with this analysis:

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• 	Even though, based on the draft PD design, it would be a risk that project proposals for regulations
and guidelines are not adopted and implemented by the Colombian government, the weakness in
the design is that a project results shoul	d not depend on the national multi	-stakeholder institu-
tional process and final political approval, which often could take long time. It means that the pro-
ject outputs should conclude with presentation of the draft regulations and related guidelines. The
PD	 proposal includes the project outcome indicator 3: Number of new regulations adopted, and
two project outputs that are approved guidelines: (i) National Guidelines concerning participation
in RFMOs; and (ii) Guidelines for minimising water pollution from 	aquaculture. Often the final
guidelines would be politically approved and implemented after the project has closed, especially
if the draft was finished towards the end of the project period. This does not make the project less
effective. The project impac	t and sustainability would depend on the Government’s approval (af-
ter some changes) of the measures and guidelines proposed by the project. This impact could of-
ten occur after the project (or first project phase) has ended, and the potential impact should
therefore be part of the final evaluation.
• 	Insufficient government funding for the institutions responsible for fisheries and aquaculture man-
agement is a real risk. It is however a risk that can be avoided under the cur	-rent government,
since AUNAP (under 	MADR) has been instrumental in designing the PD. The Norwegian govern-
ment should assure that project co	-funding through AUNAP and ICA is confirmed in the funding
agreement, and that incompliance would be a valid reason for not continuing project funding.
However, the review team agrees that insufficient government funding could potentially be an is-
sue after the change of government, when there normally are large institutional and budgetary
changes.
• 	There are several other risks that could negatively affect 	the project performance, 	and	 some of
them (pandemic, social unrest) are already occurring. It is therefore a question if they should be
considered part of the project baseline instead of a risk.
“=nternal risks”:
Even though “internal risks” sometimes are mentioned in risk analyses, the review team is not in favour
of including such risks because they could easily be an excuse for deficient project planning and bad
project management, including 	inefficient	 lack of 	control for monitoring of results. There are many
measures that can be taken from the project management unit (PMU) side to avoid such “risks”, e.g. (i)
a solid inception period (described in 5.	4.1) where the project operational rules are defined, e.g. 	by	-
laws for the steering committee, and regulations for who should take which decisions and the order of
decision	-making; (ii) Colombian rules and regulations to comply with, including preconditions for exter-
nally funded projects before they can initiate; 	and (iii) ToR and recruitment process for project staff,
review of staff capacity, and plan for needed staff capacity building.
The risk matrix considers as the main internal risks that relevant Norwegian or Colombian staff do not
have sufficient time to p	ut effort into the project, resulting in delays. This sentence could have been
included in any project, and is not considered very relevant, especially considering the huge effort that
both countries have gone through to prepare the PD. Another internal ri	sk factor mentioned is that the
activities are not planned sufficiently 	well and	 become less efficient. As mentioned above, this is not a
risk	, but poor project management and budgeting and can be avoided.
The risk analysis presented in PD Annex 3 has addi	tional separate tables for each outcome. However, it
seems like the risk analysis has been done somewhat isolated from the results framework, for instance,

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under outcome 1: Proposed risk: Network with universities not established or not useful. This networ	k
is a project output under result 1.3 of the Results Framework. It is therefore not a risk. A real risk would
be low interest from universities in participating in the network. Under outcome 2: Proposed “internal
risk”: =mplementation of mechanisms studie	d for reducing bycatch is not carried out. Implementation
of the mechanism is not a project activity and would therefore not affect project performance. It could
however be considered an external risk that would affect future impacts.
The risk analysis do	ne by the design team 	at the	 output level 	concern	s mostly minor risks that would
not greatly affect project performance. Even though all the risks were analysed, (see 	appendix F	), the
review team recommends 	removing the	 risk analysis on this level since it	 is giving too much detail with-
out adding much value.
Table 	4.1: 	The review team’s analysis of most important risks	14
RISK	 	CONSEQUENCE 	 	PROBABILITY
& IMPACT	 	MITIGATION ACTION	 	COMMENT FROM REVIEW
TEAM
Lack of reliable data
on fish stock, species,
exploitation, etc.
Planning activities will not be
based on correct infor-
mation, and therefore have
low relevance and impact,
and would not assure sus-
tainable management of fish
stock
3 	2 	 	Project to support i	mprove-
ment of database and data
quality
This key issue was not in-
cluded in the proposed
risk matrix, but is funda-
mental for baseline, plan-
ning, M&E
Lack of political sup-
port for implementing
more sustainable
management
measures
No move towards sustaina-
bility, with potential conse-
quence being further deple-
tion of fisheries resources,
and leading to environmen-
tal and fish health problems
in aquaculture	.
1 	3 	 	-Increase public awareness by
making data, analysis, and rec-
ommendations public.
- CCC to discuss progress at
least yearly and take action if
insufficient progress.
-Awareness of Project at high-
est level of the Colombian in-
stitutions involved
-Invite CSOs to stakeholder
meetings or present in project
Annual meeting
-Mid	-term review, and refor-
mulation if needed
- Project outputs and out-
comes in line with Colombian
policy
Additional to inviting CSOs
to stakeholder meetings,
these could be part o	f an
external advisory group
Corruption/political in-
terference related to
enforcement of laws
and regulations or
granting of licenses
As above, and imbalance in
economic benefits from the
sector, especially negative
for the poorest stakeholders

2 	2 	 	-Focus on project issues where
corruption could occur (e.g.,
procurement)
-PMU to take part in national
meetings about corruption
-Learn from the UNODC pro-
ject
A relatively small project
cannot do much about
corruption but should fo-
cus on avoiding corruption
in the use of its own
funds, to work as an ex-
ample. Especially im-
portant is to have clear
rules and mo	nitoring of
their compliance for

14 Complete risk matrix in 	appendix F

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-Meetings with the CARs to in-
crease awareness of corrup-
tion risks in licensing
-Increased focus on local activi-
ties and beneficiaries
procurement, recruitment
and contracting
Large and sudden dis-
ease outbreaks in aq-
uaculture or in terres-
trial animals.
High economic losses, mar-
ket closure and impact on
food safety. Impact on eco-
systems and biodiversity. F	o-
cus of project partici-
pants/veterinarians from Co-
lombia diverted from project
implementation.
2 	3 	 	Biosecurity measures would
improve as result of the pro-
ject.
- Change workplans to be able
to use sudden disease out-
breaks as part of the research,
training and competence build-
ing.
-Activate and update emer-
gency response plans in ICA
-Less focus on exotic spp and
more focus on native spp with
ecosystems	-based metho	ds
This is an area Norway is
well equipped to support
Spread of invasive al-
ien species (IAS) into
natural ecosystems
The escape of tilapia from
fish farming and establish-
ment of wild tilapia could re-
sult in the decline of native
fish species and 	affect the
entire ecosystem
2 	3 	 	The project will not support
further development of tilapia
production or other IAS but
concentrate on species that
are not known to be invasive.
The project would support re-
search into opportunities for
cultivation of nati	ve fish.
The spread of IAS is an in-
creasing problem in the
world, highlighted by e.g.,
UNEP, IUCN and UNCBD.
According to the Global
Invasive Species Database,
tilapia is a serious invasive
species.
Natural disasters, po-
litical unrest, security
issues or 	pandemic
limits travel and some
project activities
Project implementation
hampered, planned activities
postponed
3 	2 	 	-Virtual meetings and online
training where possible
-Project scope and content de-
signed to limit the risk that
project 	activities are affected
-Review information from rele-
vant authorities that assess
risks for natural disasters prior
to planned activities
-Strengthening of community	-
based activities that could con-
tinue even in moments of na-
tional crisis
Some of these issu	es are
already happening, so the
probability is 3. The last
mitigation action was
added by the review
team. Note that even
though Colombia still has
a high homicide rate, the
figures have gone signifi-
cantly down since year
2002, and is now lower
than many 	other countries
in the LAC region.
Colombian institutions
are modified by new
governmental man-
agement schemes
Changed priorities by the
new authorities affecting pri-
orities, budgets, and staff
members
1 	3 	 	-Colombian government to as-
sure that responsi	bility for the
project is clearly defined in
case of institutional change
- -All project staff recruited by
the Colombian institutions in-
volved in the FfD project will
be on technical merit, and with
contracts that go beyond the
period for the current gove	rn-
ment that may ensure the FfD
project continuation.
Note that consequence
was changed since original
text had little to do with
the mentioned risk

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-Immediately take action if
adaptive management is
needed.

4.2	 	Safeguards
The project design (PD annex 3 	– last part) presents a table called “=dentified risks of unintended con	-
sequences of the Project”, which is in fact the project’s safeguards. 	As mentioned above t	he safeguards
are those actions that are needed to comply with the MFA	-NORAD principle of “do no harm” and to
avoid that the project would contribute to adverse unintended consequences. The review team consid-
ers that the project plan should plan to avoid u	nintended consequences (through safeguards), not to
mitigate them.
In 	appendix F	 to the present report, we propose to take out the centre column since the planning as
mentioned should focus on avoiding occurrence, and because it does not add anything sinc	e all issues
are marked with the same colour. The general principle has been reviewed with 	focus	 on the four cross-
cutting issues in Norwegian development policy.
Human rights:	 The text “unlikely to have unintended negative consequences for human rights” i	s pro-
posed taken out, because the safeguards have the purpose of assuring this, independent of the proba-
bility. The review team considers that there is in fact certain possibility that ethnic or social discrimina-
tion (as well as gender discrimination, see 	below) could happen for individual project activities, such as
training events. It is even more important to be alert in this period of transition after the peace agree-
ment, when former guerrilla soldiers should be integrated into society, while hostility 	is still maintained
between different groups. It is not enough to say that discrimination will not happen, because the pro-
ject should take measures to assure active participation of minorities. It must be planned for each indi-
vidual activity, but it is imp	ortant that the PMU has the HR goals clear and included in their job descrip-
tions. Another important human 	right	 related aspect of the project is the improved food security from
strengthened fishery and aquaculture.
Anti	-corruption	: It is a known fact that	 corruption is present in Latin American societies, and the Colom-
bian fisheries and aquaculture sector is no exception. Weak governance is one of the main causes of the
poor condition of fisheries and is characterized by corruption, lack of stakeholder par	ticipation, political
will and capacity, weak institutional capacity and capabilities, poor enforcement, and inadequate infor-
mation (CRG et al 2006, ref. in Saavedra	-Diaz et al 2016). According to some of the interviews carried
out during the review, this 	description from some years ago seems valid 	even	 today.
There is however no indication that corruption is stronger in the fishery and fish	-farming sector than in
other sectors, but it is present e.g. in public processes for licensing, w	here weak local ca	pacity and low
salaries are incentives for small	-scale bribery. This is a problem for the fishery and aquaculture sector
but 	not	 a particular	 risk for implementing a FfD project in Colombia. On 	contrary	, the relatively low
profitability in the sector compa	red with other sectors is a factor that limit	s the linkages with domestic

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and international crime. Money from the drug trade has been flowing into more profitable sectors in
remote jungle areas, especially illegal logging and gold extraction in tropical ri	vers.
The PD design considers that increased transparency will reduce the possibility for corruption and po-
litical interests interfering with the implementation and enforcement of management measures that
will contribute towards sustainable management of f	isheries and aquaculture. Even though transpar-
ency is positive, it is a relatively weak measure. A small project such as the FfD project in Colombia would
not be able to do much to reduce corruption, however it could function as an example for how to avoid
corruption within the framework of a project, especially the use of project funds. This would especially
include procurement and contracting, as well as recruitment of project staff and consultants. The review
team added the following measures:
• 	Clear rule	s for procurement with project funds (Norwegian funding regulations) and follow	-up on
audit observations
• 	Clear rules for recruitment and contracting (TOR, staff requirements) and monitoring of 	compli-
ance
Climate and environment:	 The first and most importan	t measure 	in terms of climate and the environ-
ment	 is to comply with Colombian law, rules and regulations on environmental impacts. That means to
screen investments (relevant for fish farming) for potential negative environmental impacts, and to
carry out a	n EIA if required. Internationally funded projects are not excepted from following these reg-
ulations. In case of co	-funding, the review team considers that the issue should be important for Norway
even if Norwegian funds are not involved, because MFA	-NORAD	 would like to avoid negative impact
from co	-funded activities. It therefore refers to the proposed project pilot and investments financed by
any other source if it is carried out with advisory from Norwegian specialists. This issue has not been
considered	 in the project design, which only says that “the Project aims to achieve the opposite” and
refers to planning of the activities. EIA is under the responsibility of the Ministry of Environment and
Sustainable Development (M	ADS	), while the regional developm	ent corporations (CAR) are in charge of
the process on local level. As mentioned under the assessment of the project management structure,
the review team recommends 	including	 a delegate from the “Marine, Coastal and Aquatic Resources
Affairs Direction” (DANCRA) at the M	ADS in the project Steering Committee CCC, which would be an
assurance seen from the Norwegian side that potential environmental impacts have been considered,
as well as climate change and other environmental issues. During interviews with the Planning Depart-
ment and the Ministry of Agriculture, both mentioned that they work closely with the Ministry of Envi-
ronment and would have nothing against this ministry bei	ng incorporated in the project.
The review team has added the following two measures:
• 	Comply with national environmental regulations (considering when EIA is required) and assure
that EIAs are carried out according to high quality standards.
• 	Joint Coordination Committee (CCC) to include M	ADS
Regarding the risk that the project could lea	d to increased GHG emissions, the PD defines two 	safe-
guards	, while the review team has added one:
• 	Establish good communication between partners such that activities can be planned and exe	cuted
without excessive travel
• 	Improved food security based on fish r	ather than meat would decrease greenhouse gas emissions.

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• 	More nature	-based solutions for fish farming in rivers, lakes and lagoons instead of constructing
fish tanks.
Women’s right and gender equality
The safeguards included in the design under “gender equ	ality and women’s rights” are all good
measures, however the review team considers that they could be more specific, and propos	es to include
two concrete measures:
• 	Assure women’s participation i	n all project activities and on project decision	-making level 	(espe-
cially CCC) and advisory committee.
• 	Consider women’s views in the project design and implementation.
PD par. 6.4 has a good analysis on women’s rights and gender equality, but it is not clearly reflected in
the design, where it quite weakly says: “G	ender mainstreaming may be supported …..” and “The FfD
project will try to head for a gender balance in all activities…”. =t is also curious that the 	results frame-
work	 has no gender relevant targets, not even for participation in education and training.
Other issues	 NORAD also has requested an assessment of measures to 	make sure	 that the project 	does
not	 contribute to political destabilization, elite enrichment without poverty reduction, and the under-
mining of government responsibilities. The review team c	onsiders that since the topic of the project is
not politically sensitive, there is low possibility that it could contribute to political destabilization. How-
ever, there are different views within the fishery and aquaculture sector on the best ways forward	,
based on socioeconomic, social and environmental considerations. The danger of elite enrichment with-
out poverty reduction could be a reality if the FfD project mostly focused on large private sector bene-
ficiaries (ocean industrial	-level fishing) and not 	community level aquaculture in poorer regions of the
country. The review team considers that the decision to focus on fish	-farming and aquaculture is a good
choice with high potential for supporting the poor, however the selection of region(s) and benefici	ary
communities for a proposed pilot should consider the goal of poverty reduction.
The review team considers that there is no possibility that the project would undermine government
responsibilities, since it is the Colombian government that is in charge 	of implementation.

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5	 	Project appraisal
5.1	 	The project’s relevance to the FfD	-programme
The overall goal of the FfD programme is “poverty reduction”. This is to be achieved by three outcomes,
two of which are relevant for this project: 1) The authorities manage fisheries resources and aquaculture
production in a sustainable manner; 2) Researc	h and educational institutions assist the authorities with
knowledge, data and advice about sustainable fisheries and aquaculture. The project addresses these
challenges clearly. However, there are several limitations that means that it at best can give 	a partial
contribution to achieving the FfD outcomes.
Reaching the overarching goal of poverty reduction requires Colombian policies oriented towards this
end and the implementation of effective means to achieve it. We have not explored to what extent that
is the case in the fisheries and aquaculture policies and practices (ref sections 3.2 and 3.4 for some
reflections). As regards FfD’s outcome 1 on sustainable management, the project does not consider all
the dimensions of sustainability in a balanced man	ner. Even for addressing environmental and resource	-
economic dimensions, it aims at providing an insufficient knowledge base. Improving the effectiveness
of management for these objectives requires not only information on the natural environment, but also
knowledge on the conditions for and actual performance of managing mostly small	-scale fishers and
producers, operating in a natural environment like Colombia. (ref. section 5.2). Moreover, the project
aims at providing knowledge. Colombian authorities must	 consider recommendations and eventually
adopt and implement them before the FfD outcome 1 can be obtained.
A regards FfD outcome 2, research institutions and universities are supposed to be involved in the pro-
ject. In an interview, we have been explained	 that there is not a strong tradition for involving universities
in the management of fisheries and aquaculture in Colombia. Thus, there is a need to secure their par-
ticipation in the project (ref output 1.2, organisation and budget). In a situation where 	data deficiency
is a severe impediment to better management, it should be a key strategy in Colombia to involve all
relevant knowledge holders and compile their contributions in shared databases. Norway has tried to
improve this i.a. by the involvement of 	different sectors in the ocean management plans and platforms
such as 	BarentsWatch	15, and therefore has relevant experience to share. One of the experiences from
Norway is that this has contributed to reducing conflicts about facts and increasing collabora	tion and
trust between the involved parties. The project should include developing strategies and practical so-
lutions for compiling and sharing relevant knowledge and data, for instance starting with improving
SEPEC (see 	Appendix D	) or with pilot projects	 on certain topics or in certain regions.
5.2	 	Competence needs
The competence needed for addressing outcome 4 on fish health in aquaculture and many of the com-
petences needed for output 2 on marine fisheries are represented well in the project team. Here we
will address more problematic issues related to two needs for competence.

15 See https://www.barentswatch.no/en/

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5.2.1	 	Freshwater versus saltwater aquaculture
There is a striking mismatch between Colombian and Norwegian aquaculture sectors both in terms of
the marine 	– freshwater balance, and the te	chnological levels. =n Colombia, the legal definition of “con-
tinental aquaculture” includes a gradient of technology levels, from sowing of fish in natural water bod-
ies without any subsequent management (“repopulation”) to intensive aquaculture (Conservati	on in-
ternational 2020). Low intensive production for instance in ponds dominate. =n Norway, “repopulation”
is referred to as fisheries cultivation and has a long tradition. There is a limited experience on the less
intense types of cultivation that can be 	found in Colombia. Industrial and intensive salmon farming dom-
inate the Norwegian sector, however, including an inland freshwater phase where eggs grow to finger-
lings in flow	-through systems (FTS) or recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), before being mo	ved to
cages in the fiords.
This does not mean that Norway cannot give advice on aquaculture in Colombia. There are generic
issues such as fish biology, genetics, water quality, pollution from feed waste and f	aeces, 	escapes,	 and
sustainable feed production. However, FfD in Colombia will benefit from including supplementary ex-
pertise from countries with more similar technology levels in freshwater aquaculture to give relevant
advice on outcome 3.
Another issue related to thi	s is that the management of inland fisheries and parts of what is considered
as aquaculture in Colombia, pertains to the environmental administration in Norway. The same admin-
istration has important roles in pollution abatement from i.a. aquaculture and is	 responsible for inte-
grated water management (ref output 3.4). The Norwegian Environment Agency therefore should be
involved in the activities to provide Colombia with a relevant comparison.
Finally, there is a need for competence on freshwater quality a	nd ecology related to the programme. As
mentioned above, impacts of aquaculture on the freshwater ecosystem, including native fish that are
harvested, should be taken into consideration when giving advice for a better management system.
Moreover, activitie	s on integrated water use management, as suggested in output 3.4, require special
competence on the different sources of pollution and their effects	, specifically in freshwater systems
relevant for Colombia.
5.2.2	 	Competence on socioeconomic conditions and regu	lations
A common framework for studies of fisheries management divides the management system into two
main units: The governance system and the system	-to-be	-governed (Kooiman et al 2005). The latter
consists of the natural ecosystems as well as the humans 	that exploit the resources. However, only the
humans can be managed; ecosystems and the natural environment 	are	 only managed indirectly. For
making this system governable in the sense that it produces desired outcomes, knowledge is needed
about all the ele	ments in this framework and the interactions between them.
This seems not to be reflected well in the programme. The outcomes contain several explicit require-
ments for better knowledge about the resources. However, there are no requests for better information
on the situation, 	opportunities,	 and perceptions of tho	se that are to be managed. This should be a cru-
cial part of the knowledge base that is referred to in several outputs, including 2.3 about FAO’s Eco	-
system Approach to Fisheries, which includes socioeconomic issues. Similarly, there is a need to include
kn	owledge on how different types of management systems work and how they have succeeded or failed
towards different target groups and challenges. In this regard, Norwegian experiences may only be

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partly relevant. Norway differs from Colombia in many contextu	al issues, so Norwegian sol	utions cannot
be copied; elements may be adapted to the Colombian reality. Both the Norwegian and the Colombian
parts in the project need to understand the other’s context to facilitate such adaptation. We will rec-
ommend that the	 competence of the programme is supplemented by social science comp	etence on
fisheries and aquaculture management in an international context beyond Norway.
5.2.3	 	Lessons learned from prior foreign assistance
NORAD also has asked about the use of lessons learn	ed from similar projects, including experiences with
inland aquaculture. While Colombia is new in this context, Norway has been engaged in inland aquacul-
ture in Africa. This has been criticized harshly by Norwegian experts (Bistandsaktuelt 2017), claiming
that 1) Aquaculture leads to detrimental damage to freshwater ecosystems, i.a. due to oxygen depletion
and the introduction and spread of farmed fish, such as tilapia, that replaces local fish stocks, including
those harvested; 2) Aquaculture does not bene	fit poor people; traditional inland fisheries produce fish
more cheaply; 3) The potential of inland fisheries is underestimated; catches in Africa grow by 4	-5%
annually; and 4) Most aquaculture requires more protein than it produces. In the following debat	e, they
were accused of making too general statements, i.a. not distinguishing between small	-scale and indus-
trial aquaculture	16. Our concern here is not to say who is right about Africa. The key issue is that the
objections they present are serious and mus	t be considered in a Colombian context. Experience from
foreign assistance in i.a. Africa should be brought into the project when addressing them, combined
with evaluation of Colombian experiences.
As regards the Norwegian participants’ use of such knowle	dge, it is important that the individuals that
are selected for the programme are well familiar with experiences from tropical climate. This must be
considered in the selection of personnel for the programme and their training.
5.3	 	Assessment of the results f	ramework
The project management structure, efficiency and quality:
The review team considers the Results Framework (Annex 1 to the PD) as the core of the project de	-
sign, because it should clearly define what the project will achieve and when the differ	ent partial results
are expected, which makes it different from a standard logical framework. It is a planning and monitor-
ing tool that is useful for the project manager, the project management unit and the supervisors on
Colombian and Norwegian side, as w	ell as the basis for progress reports and evaluations. Under the
condition that it is well prepared with specific baselines and targets it is an efficient instrument for plan-
ning, monitoring, reporting and control.
The positive side of the Results Framewor	k presented is that it reflects that the design team under	-
stands the structure and purpose of a results framework. On the other hand, it seems like this annex
has been prepared in the end, and has not been finalized, because it lacks consistency. It is fo	r instance
lacking several baselines and targets. It is also important to assure that each baseline and corresponding
targets are measured with the same value (e.g. numbers with numbers). A target without a baseline has
no value, and in those areas where n	othing has been done before, the baseline would be zero, then

16 Lenke: https://	www.bistandsaktuelt.no/arkiv	-kommentarer/2017/ensidig	-om	-fiskeoppdrett	-i-sor/

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only measuring the project’s own result. =n all cases where baseline is not zero, the target should meas-
ure the total on different years (including baseline) to facilitate monitoring. In the cas	es that the lack of
baseline is due to lack of data, it would be necessary to carry out a baseline study, to be done as soon
as possible or not later than during the inception phase. =t is not the review team’s role to update the
Results Framework and defi	ning targets because that would require additional information, however all
its content has been reviewed and suggested changes were included in the table. One aspect to high-
light is that there are no gender relevant targets (see 4.2).
5.3.1	 	Assessment of the de	scription of the current situation/baseline
The description of the current situation in the sector is relatively good, but the problem is the lack of
updated and reliable data that could function as a baseline for the project. This is the case both for the
ocean and for freshwater, as well as for both fishery and aquaculture. A clear weakness is the lack of
information on inland fish resources. According to information obtained during interviews and from
other sources, this is not a weakness only for the PD	, but reflects the situation in the sector, which is
strongly limiting the possibility of efficient planning and sustainable management of the resources. To
address this issue, the review team recommends two measures:
• 	To carry out a baseline study during t	he inception phase for all targets in the results framework
that are lacking baseline figures; and
• 	To support AUNAP and the Colombian Government in general in improving its database on fisher-
ies and aquaculture.
The review team has assessed the expected p	roject effectiveness (impact, outcomes and outputs). An-
nex 7.6 presents detailed comments to a lot of the indicators and baselines. It would be the best to
reduce the number of indicators on impact level, and only maintain those that have 	a reliable baseli	ne
and possibility to measure progress. The indicators should only cover issues where the project has a
reasonable impact, considering the size of the intervention and type of outputs under each outcome.

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Table 	5.1: 	Review of baselines for impact level
Issue	 	Current proposed
baseline
Review team’s comments
Marine fisheries Capture (2019) 	 	94.000 tonnes 	 	“Marine capture increased…” should not be an
impact indicator for the FfD project because: (i)
Current marine fish stock is going down, with un-
sustainable capture level; (ii) Marine capture is an
unreliable indicator for available fish stock; (iii)
There is not reliable baseline data; (iv) The project
is too small to have any impact on overall fish
stock; (v) The project is focus	ed	 mostly on fish
farming/aquaculture
Total aquaculture production
(2019)
171.000 tonnes	 	Good impact indicator for the project
The aquaculture and fisheries
share of GDP
0.2% (and 3.2 % to
the agriculture Sec-
tor)
Should only include % of total GDP, because: (i)
this sector is not agriculture; and (ii) the income
from agriculture varies a lot (therefore not a use-
ful indicator for this project)
Income generated from the fi	sh-
eries sector (2019)
USD 112 Million	 	These two data were presented as a common in-
dicator: Proposed to separate
Income generated from the aq-
uaculture sector (2019)
USD 52 Million
Value Added Tax (VAT) gener-
ated from the aquaculture and
fisheries sector (2019)
16 % (USD 26.2 Mil-
lion)
A better indicator for the project would be VAT
from only the aquaculture sector
Source:	 	Vista Analyse
RV Nansen was in Colombia in 1987. With Colomb	ia as one of the three partner states in FfD, the Nan-
sen	-programme should pay another visit to Colombia. This will be important for achieving objectives
about better information about the stocks and about implementation of the Ecosystem approach to
fisheri	es (output 2.1, 2.3), as well as improving the knowledge base for marine aquaculture (output 3.2).
While this may take a few years, opportunities for using other vessels for joint cruises with Norwegian
personnel should be explored. It is of vital importan	ce that the sampled data are relevant for Colombian
fisheries management, accessible for Colombian academic and government parties, and are being ac-
tively used in sustainable fisheries management.
5.3.2	 	Assessment of the main activities and main objectives
Even though not all information in the results framework has been filled in, it seems to be a clear relation
between most activities and outputs, and between outputs and outcomes. There is however no realism
in the relation between the outcomes and the exp	ected impact “=mproved sustainable socio	-economic
development for the Colombian fisheries and aquaculture sectors”. First of all, grammatically this sen-
tence implies that the sector is sustainable today and will be improved. Secondly, the project is small
and only focusing on institutional capacity building in certain thematic areas, so it is a too huge step to
go from this to sustainable socio	-economic development for both the fisheries and aquaculture sectors.
Even though the proposed project impact could	 be a long	-term goal 	- maybe the institutional goal for
the two target institutions 	- the design team should try to define the project impact, that would be

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reached at the end of the project or short time after. An option would be “improved public sector c	a-
pacity for management of the Colombian fisheries and aquaculture sectors”.
The review team considers that the project has consistency and realism in what has been proposed.
Regarding the indicator to develop national guidelines/plan for implementation of 	a one	-stop	-shop, this
would be realistic during the project period if the target is understood as complied with when the pro-
ject presents a draft (not including the consultation	- and political approval process).
The main target groups for the project are 	AUNAP and ICA. The project is designed to prioritize activities
that will enhance these institutions’ capacity for sustainable management of fisheries resources and
aquaculture production. =t is however a weakness that the PD doesn’t define how the capacit	y building
would (indirectly) benefit local stakeholders such as fishery communities and organizations, aquaculture
producers, etc.
The review team recommends incorporating a local pilot. Our suggestion is to choose a local region in
Colombia and use curr	ent activities there, including procedures undertaken by the local institutions, as
valuable real	-life input to the project. This will include contact between central agencies and regional
offices.
The project should also, as previously mentioned, support	 data gathering and management, which
would benefit both the two Colombian institutions and the project itself.
5.3.3	 	Theory of change
The review team has assessed the causal links between the problem description and chosen objectives
and activities (theory of c	hange 	- TOC). The project document describes a lot of problems in the sector,
but it is difficult to find clear links between the project outcomes and resolution to these problems
(except for disease control).
The problem lies in the design process, which 	normally for a TOC analysis starts with establishing a
problem tree (in this case it could have been two, one for fisheries and one for aquaculture). The prob-
lem tree establishes the causes, main problems and consequences, and the analysis discovers that s	ome
problems are the main ones 	– while others are sub	-problems of the main problems. Once the problem
tree is agreed it is relatively easy to establish the TOC for a project, which could focus on only one main
problem, but preferably should check that some	one (maybe other projects) is covering the other main
issues.
In the case of the Colombian FfD project, the process was completely different: It started with gathering
a long “wish	-list” that the two Colombian institutions would like to get financed, then 	reducing the num-
ber in dialogue between Colombia and Norway, considering as an important element which ser	-vices
Norwegian institutions would be able to provide. The problem with this process is that it does not guar-
antee that the project would focus on th	e most important problems. The wish	-list process most often
leads to parallel activities and individual outputs that are resolving some problems but gives low total
impact. For the FfD project it is reflected in the very little relation between outcomes an	d impact.
The project proposal has the advantage from a TOC point of view that it concentrates mainly on institu-
tional capacity building. The review team is not able to tell if the outputs prioritized are those that would
lead to the strongest outcomes and	 impact. Some very important activities might have been taken out

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simply because it was considered that Norway would not be able to provide 	them	. That is no problem
if they are	 covered by other sources or projects, and that donor coordination is assured. H	owever, the
project should be able to include expertise from other countries than Norway if needed, and if experts
are found in other tropical countries it would comply with the NORAD goal of supporting south	-south
cooperation.
The Theory of Change as pre	sented in the PD including fig 1 clarifies that the project design is a series
of activities and outputs mostly in parallel, and the TOC for the 5	-year project period would in fact end
with “proposals for new regulations...”. Since it will take time before	 new regulations are discussed,
approved and implemented, the next three levels in the TOC diagram would in the best	-case scenario
happen ex	-post or during a second project phase. It is recommended to define an immediate impact,
also called “project impact	”, that would be reached during implementation (see also review of Results
Framework). The project design would have benefitted from support of an expert on project design and
TOC, to facilitate a participatory TOC exercise and restructure the design. This	 is more than just a for-
mality because it would clarify which issues are important, including drivers and barriers for each step.
Considering the long design period and the positive attitude of collaboration from both countries, the
review team will not 	propose starting from scratch with a new design process, however it would be
beneficial for the effectiveness and efficiency of the project implementation that the TOC is re	-visited
during the inception phase. 	The TOC	 should then define a matrix of activit	ies with a logical sequence,
including interrelations between the activities (what comes first, and which outputs must build on other
outputs). A useful operational tool for this exercise is MS Project, which also considers the time needed
for each part of	 the process (consisting of many micro steps).
5.3.4	 	Monitoring and evaluation
The monitoring and follow	-up of the project propose to use annual work plan for planning and coordi-
nation. The activities shall be monitored quarterly in the Joint Implementation Grou	p (CCC) and the
results reported annually. Even though it is not specified in the PD chapter on project follow	-up, the
review team assumes that the results framework will be basis for the monitoring. The 	results framework
(when finalized and corrected) is 	a simple user	-friendly monitoring tool. The Project Manager (leading
the project management unit) must oversee 	the preparation of	 annual work plans, updat	e the results
framework each quarter, and on this basis prepare the annual reports, to be presented to the CCC and
discussed in the Annual Meeting. The Results Framework should be used as the main planning, moni-
toring, and reporting tool. This might seem ob	vious, but it is not uncommon that the project manage-
ment unit (PMU) forgets about the results framework after the project is approved and starts preparing
annual plans without considering the content of the framework. The fact that the results framework i	s
not yet finalized gives an indication that this could happen, so it is necessary to raise an alert. Each
annual report should present the updated results framework with the results achieved on each target,
and comment on progress and possible delays.
The	 PD proposes that project risks should be monitored and managed by the CCC. This is not opera-
tional, because the CCC would consist of different persons in the two countries. The Project Manager
must oversee updating the risk matrix as a continuous process,	 and at least quarterly, and report on it
to the CCC as an annex to the yearly report. Any changes in the matrix should be discussed in the CCC
and the Annual Meeting.

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The Annual Report should also inform on how safeguards have been dealt with and highli	ght any issues
that could have come up during the last year, including crosscutting issues given priority by the Norwe-
gian cooperation 	- human rights, women’s rights and gender equality, climate and environment, and
corruption.
The PD has no detail on the 	reviews to be carried out. We propose that the project should have two
reviews/evaluations:
• 	Mid	-term review (MTR) is done by an external team, with 	a focus on effectiveness and efficiency.
The MTR should recommend any changes that must be done to improve p	roject per	formance, and
the report would be discussed in CCC	. CCC then	 decides which actions to take (during year 3)
• 	Terminal evaluation (TE) is also done by an external 	team and	 will cover all the OECD	-DAC project
evaluation criteria. If a second phase is	 expected, the TOR for the TE could also include assessment
of the draft proposal for the new phase (during year 5).
5.4	 	Project management structure
5.4.1	 	Assessment of the project management structure
Project management has not been awarded a specific organisatio	n or person. The project has probably
underestimated the need for project management, and it will increase with our suggested amendments.
We believe good coordination is important on both sides, and of vital importance in Colombia. We see
that the involved	 partners have the will to drive the project through. A larger project that includes a
pilot might lead to a situation where a dedicated project manager can help the project succeed. Spanish
lingual skills would be a clear advantage. To assure effective an	d efficient project management, a Co-
lombian counterpart person should be determined, and a project management unit (PMU) established
with participation of staff from the institutions involved.
The PD mentions, additional to the Ministry of Agriculture and 	Rural Development (MADR), AUNAP and
ICA, several other Colombian stakeholders that would be involved, including FEDEACUA, the university
sector, ANALDEX Tuna Industry Chamber, ACODIARPE Industrial and Fishing Vessels Owners Association,
the National Fishin	g Promoters Association APROPESCA, and Small	-scale Fishermen Associations. These
have been involved during the design phase, which is a strength. It would be an important task during
the inception phase to consult with all relevant stakeholder groups, incl	uding those mentioned, the
Ministry of Environment (to be included in CCC), indigenous and afro	-descendent communities, as well
as women organizations or a MADR gender expert, to assure gender mainstreaming of the project con-
tent and activities.
Covid 19 m	akes a risk on/ risk off lever in project planning. Thus, we recommend seeing the first part of
the project as an inception phase. The concept is briefly described in chapter 4. The inception phase
reduces the need for having everything ready at start	-up a	nd opens up for using lessons learned during
this inception phase in planning the project implementation design and activities in detail.
In the inception phase the budget needs are limited. The project start	-up and implementation will not
be slowed down b	y introducing this face, rather the contrary, because the inception phase would assure
that the project is executed efficiently and without unnecessary bottlenecks. Obviously, introducing new
partners such as the Ministry of Environment to the project grou	p should be done from the start.

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Figure 	5.1: 	Description of phased project design

Source:	 	Vista Analyse

The Inception phase can initiate activities that are ready to start. Budgets 	for	 this phase 	are	 likely to be
sufficient. When Covid	-19 restrictions are abandoned, travel is needed. The inception phase could end
in a progress report, that gives an opportuni	ty to adjust the project plan according to lessons learned
so far.
As explained earlier in the report, we believe Norwegian competence on inland aquaculture is limited.
The relevance of Norwegian technologies may also be of limited relevance. Thus, the pro	ject needs
maturing mutual understanding and knowledge. The review team see	s the need of competence building
both on the Norwegian side 	and	 the Colombian side. The budget must include mutual capacity building.
We recommend NORAD to reassess these matters.
Effective mutual learning means Norwegian participants should have a long	-term perspective on their
involvement and have time and interest of building their own knowledge on Colombian fisheries and
aquaculture. One success factor of the project is to have	 a stable core team.
Colombia’s neighbours such as Ecuador, Peru and Chile have more experience in aquaculture in tropical
waters and mountain areas. The project might benefit from south	-south cooperation	, which is a priority
area from 	NORAD	’s side. Whethe	r this should be organized within 	FfD	 or a parallel project is beyond
this review to consider. Both south	-south cooperation and use of consultants with local expertise and
Spanish language skills would be of significant help to Colombia.
Assessment of the 	chosen means of carrying out the program. Are there alternative activities, outputs
and outcomes which are more effective for reaching the impact?
As described in chapter 5.3, the review team consider	s that	 the 	FfD	 project in Colombia 	lacks	 sufficient
envi	ronmental competence and would probably benefit from including concrete results in the environ-
mental area.
Possible added outcomes or outputs:

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1. 	Integrated watershed management 	– Colombian waterways are important for the local com-
munities by providing foo	d, drink, irrigation, transport, potential sport and leisure activities and have
aesthetic and natural values. Seeing all effects in relation to each other is an important aspect of all
economic activities. The CARs are already doing important work 	in these matters. We recommend this
field of work as an important part of inland aquaculture ma	nagement. This workflow should consider
potential environmental, economic and socio	-economic effects.
2. 	Integrated marine management 	– When saltwater fisheries ar	e included in the programme,
focus on integrated marine management is important. This workflow may be linked to the Oceans for
Development programme, securing coherence between the two different programmes.
3. 	 Monitoring of fish stock and environmental fa	ctors in river systems 	– When assessing the en-
vironmental and socio	-economic effects of new aquaculture projects in inland waterways or planned
changes in inland fisheries, the initial situation of fish stocks should be estimated. Further, as new ac-
tivitie	s are introduced changes in fish stock and fish stock composition should be monitored.
4. 	Data collection and data management of fish stock data and environmental data
5. 	Invasive species. In the adjusted risk matrix introduction of alien Tilapia 	species or other IAS in
the vulnerable ecosystems of Colombian waterways should be a major concern	, focusing on local spe-
cies as alternatives to industrial species from other parts of the world. Furthermore, look at regula-
tions and procedures for avoiding 	introduction of new invasive alien species through commercial ac-
tivities in Colombia.
Should the resources within the project have been distributed differently to increase goal achievement?
The review team recommends building a stronger environmental focus	 in the project. Environmental
issues that should be included is described in 5.1	. The relevant Norwegian executive agency for inland
fisheries is The Norwegian Environment Agency. The project would benefit from including experts from
The Norwegian Environ	ment Agency. Our suggested new outcomes and outputs in the previous 	para-
graph	.
Symmetrically, we suggest including Colombian environmental agencies	: Ministerio de Ambiente y De-
sarrollo Sostenible, Ideam etc.
In addition, we have also introduced the idea 	of an inception phase to establish the project before trav-
elling makes it easier to carry out the whole project.
We suggest focusing on building up competence both on Colombian and Norwegian side, as Norwegian
expertise on tropical freshwater aquaculture i	s limited. Thus, the Norwegian participants should be a
stable, committed team of relevant experts with time and resources to focus on Colombia.
The duality of the project, where the complexity of Colombian nature and watersheds and the complex-
ity of the e	xisting regulations in Colombia on one side, and Norwegian complexity in industrial saltwater
aquaculture and Norwegian regulations and advanced fish stock management on Norwegian side de-
mands committed mutual competence building.
This should be included 	in 	the 	project plan and be reflected in budget.
5.4.2	 	Ambitions and resources
Are the ambitions realistic when considering the total budget?

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The following recommendations from this report all support increasing 	the 	budget:
• 	It seems that project administration 	is not given enough attention.
• 	Two phases may increase administration.
• 	The inclusion of several issues raised in this report.
• 	Inclusion of Colombian and Norwegian environmental agencies
• 	Inclusion of time for Norwegian partners to increase knowledge of Col	ombian fisheries and aqua-
culture.
• 	Pilot
The review team suggests 	the 	budget to be increased for the whole project period, due to increased
scope, need for competence development on both sides, need for local expertise in Colombia and in-
creased need for pro	ject management.
For budgetary purposes, the need for mutual competence building might increase necessary travel
needs beyond what has been planned for. Obviously, it will also take some project time.
Once the COVID	-19 restrictions are removed, there might	 be a ketchup effect on travels	. The first year
after the inception phase is finished may lead to several necessary travels.
The quality of the underlying analysis and planning process of the project, including participation of
relevant stakeholders in the process.
The process of developing the project has been long and included many people. The project description
may suffer	 for being developed over time and with too little focus on creating consistency between
desired tasks and the budget. This is described in chapters 5.4 to 5.	6.
5.5	 	Coordination with other projects and programmes
The PD (p 27 	– 29) refers to several other proj	ects in the FfD 	portfolio	 in Colombia:
• 	=nternational programmes that have a component in Colombia: UNODC’s FishNet addressing fish-
eries crime and a FAO project on responsible fisheries and aquaculture.
• 	Projects (co	-)financed by FfD in Colombia: A study by KPMG on private sector initiatives (KPMG
2018); two Caritas Norway projects on developing the skills of youth for the 	aquaculture	 sector
and one on improving productivity, profitability and sustainabili	ty of tilapia 	production	 in two re-
gions; two Conservation International projects on sustainable fishery management and poverty
reduction (	Eco Gourmet	) and on a legal diagnosis of aquaculture in Colombia; and UN=DO’s project
on strengthening quality and sta	ndards in compliance capacity of shrimp and tilapia aquaculture
(GMAP).
There could be projects financed by others that also are of relevance for FfD. The review team broadly
sees two rationales for coordination. First, there is a need to avoid overlaps	, ensure complementarity,
coordinate efforts, find synergies and learn from experience gained in several projects. Second, there is
a need for the Norwegian partners to the FfD programme to build knowledge about Colombia, both the
general societal context 	and the specific nature of its fisheries and aquaculture. This takes time.

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In the interviews, we have asked for coordination mechanisms. The Government of Colombia has a
general mechanism for coordinating foreign assistance (APC). From the donor side, the	 Embassy in
Bogota referred to broader mechanisms for coordination, which do not address fisheries and 	aquacul-
ture	. However, there are coordination mechanisms mostly by Colombian stakeholders in the fishery
sector called “Mesas de pesca”. =n the autumn of 	2020, NORAD took the initiative to establish a 	network
of actors with fisheries and aquaculture	-related projects in Colombia that will meet at regular intervals
to coordinate and share information.
The review team supports NORAD’s initiative for coordinati	on and exchange of experiences. This should
be maintained throughout FfD’s engagement in Colombia. =t would be best to organize outside the cur-
rent project since it will have a broader scope and wider participation.
In addition, we will highlight the need	 for better exchange of experiences, building of better Norwegian
competence on Colombia and coordination of the work of Norwegian public and private organisations.
As regards the governmental programmes, there are no coordination mechanism for Colombia be	-
tween FfD and e.g. Oil for development and Norwegian International Climate and Forest Initiative
(NICFI). There are also tasks in the FfD programme that can be expanded into an Oceans for develo	p-
ment programme in Colombia. NICFI is by far the largest fund	ing from Norway to Colombia and goes
together with the Norwegian support for the peace process. Many communities including indigenous
peoples are supporting nature	-based solutions that involve protection of natural vegetation around riv-
ers and lakes, which	 also is feed for herbivore freshwater fish species. A potential parallel NICFI financed
watershed management project should however have its own design and would therefore not delay
approval of the FfD project.

Figure 5.	2: 	Proposed interrelation of different elements of Norwegian funded support to Co-
lombia

Source:	 	Vista Analyse

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The programme should have a website to provide access to its work for other actors in Colombia	.
5.6	 	Budget
Assessment of the structure of the budget and its level of detail.
NORAD has explained how 	the 	budget 	is low compared to some other 	FfD	 projects	, in order	 to focus on
a few important outcomes. The FfD Colombia program was supposed to have a limited scope.	 It was
decided in 	the 	original project design to start 	on a small scale 	small and if successful expand. This strat-
egy may have reduced attention on the most important issues that are relevant to 	FfD	. We have sug-
gested inclusion of one or more environment	al outcomes. (See 5.1).
There are some arguments for holding budgets low when so many uncertainties exist. We suggest start-
ing a bit slow and then ramping up when project design can be further developed. The budget structure
should separate the inception 	phase from the general project execution.
The budget needs to be adjusted to eventual changes in outcomes and outputs. In 5.4 we propose some
new possible outcomes/outputs/activities. Given the implementation of some of our suggested out-
comes/outputs, 	the 	budget needs to be increased. Redesigning the project can be done during the in-
ception phase. A rough estimate indicates that the new activities would require additional funding of at
least 15 million NOK (approx. 50/50 between data management and pilots),	 plus national co	-financing
from the beneficiaries. The review team will not create a detailed budget or time schedule for new
possible activities. A top	-down rough estimate may be more confusing than useful. We suggest normal
budgeting when 	a new 	project design is decided. Any new activities need to be planned bottom	-up be	-
fore any reasonable budgets can be made. New outputs and new partners will lead to more man	-hours
and more travel costs in total budget. The budget will have to be increased sign	ificantly. The inception
phase may, on the other hand, not be very expensive.
NORAD	’s guidelines for budgets seem to have low levels of contingency, which might be a good policy
given 	NORAD	’s activities. To secure comparable figures, budgeting of this proj	ect should be done tech-
nically in the same way as for other 	NORAD	 projects. The important part is to have detailed plans for
the activities and include all costs expected to 	oc	cur. This chapter has described some 	reasons why	 the
figures 	are	 too low.
Assess	ment of indirect operating costs/administrative costs in the budget.
Travel costs are included on the activities where 	they	 ha	ve	 been identified, as necessary. It is likely that
we will experience a sort of ketchup effect on travels after the pandemic is 	over. Our view is that it is
probably money well spent to travel when it is opened and reasonably safe. We will recommend travels
to venues for different types of aquaculture and fisheries, both inlands and in the oceans.
Assessment of sustainability	 and 	exit strategy.
A sustainable project demands good cooperation and communication between the involved partici-
pants. We believe focusing on Colombian perspectives, building up Norwegian and Colombian compe-
tence on the matters and involving local expertise wi	ll help on the long	- term sustainability of the pro-
ject. An exit strategy could include establishing south	-south cooperation and the successful implemen-
tation of formal competence by the proposed university degrees.

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6	 	Conclusions and recommenda-
tions
6.1	 	Conclusi	ons
The review team finds that the project addresses important challenges and priorities in Colombian fish-
eries and aquaculture management. It has been planned for a long time, and several components could
be started up. We would therefore recommend that i	t starts up with an inception phase. This should be
used to make the necessary changes in project design and budget and should probably last until most
implications of Covid19 on travel have ceased.
The political analysis reveals a lack of connection betwe	en the limited project and the 	ambitious	 goals.
The proposed project is small in scope and would not be able to give the expected impact. The project
would benefit from increasing its scope and activities along some of the lines suggested here. Certain
new	 outcomes and new tasks should be included and will have cost implications. There is also a need
for mutual learning, travel, and project management, that will affect costs. This leads us to conclude
that the budget should be increased, but gradually, as n	ew activities are introduced, and the project
group gains experience. FfD should also consider supplementary beyond this project to reach the ob-
jectives of the programme.
Increased focus on achieving FfD objectives of poverty reduction is important for a	chieving FfD 	objec-
tives	. This is also key for the programme to contribute to the peace accord’s goal of reducing root causes
of the internal conflict. It would require supplementary activities that may benefit marginalized groups
in rural areas. This includes activities directed	 at getting better information on social, economic, and
cultural aspects of especially small	-scale fishers and aquaculture producers for developing knowledge	-
based national policies. For efforts to improve the management of the sectors, it is of special im	portance
to understand how they react to current regulations and the extent to which and how they self	-organize
their activities. Experience with co	-management from Colombia and other relevant countries should be
synthesized and applied in the project.
It seems that focusing on inland aquaculture, possibly also inland fisheries, would ensure the best scope
for reaching the rural poor. However, we will warn that Norwegian competence on freshwater aquacul-
ture in general, and in tropical waters in special, is	 limited. Thus, the project’s success depends on dia-
logue and inclusion of a broader competence than the Norwegian. Thus, we recommend south	-south
cooperation with neighbouring and other relevant countries.
The project would also need supplementary activi	ties for contributing to environmental 	sustainability
of aquaculture and fisheries. This includes knowledge about those to be managed, the effectiveness of
relevant management regimes and the inclusion of environmental agencies on both sides (The Norwe-
gian	 Environment Agency in Norway and the Colombian Ministry of Environment and 	Sustainable	 De-
velopment). Their inclusion may help the project in giving better advice on the management of environ-
mental risks, including in the context of Colombian initiatives o	f creating more efficient 	licensing	 proce-
dures.

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Colombia contains forests and aquatic environments with an extraordinary biodiversity with 	significance
to the whole world. The review team has added introduction of invasive species as a 	serious	 risk with
the potential for irreversible negative effects.
The project document reveals little information about environmental impacts of aquaculture. For a pro-
ject aiming to support a growing industry with better regulation, it should be paramount to build these
activities on a better scientific understanding of the ecology of the freshwater basins and better data.
This should also include impacts on inland fisheries. Environmental assessments, impact 	assessments
and monitoring requirements therefore should be key 	issues. These are also relevant for the manage-
ment of the oceans. Some capacity building in how to assess sustainable fish stocks has been included
in output 2.1	.
The project results framework structure is good, but must be finalized, and include all rele	vant baselines
and targets. 	The risk matrix is not clearly related to the design as stated in the results framework. The
matrix should focus only on a limited number of the main risks for project management, which should
be continuously monitored. Project 	safeguards must assure to do no harm and thereby comply with the
cross	-cutting issues in Norwegian development policy.
To secure that the project can carry fruits after the project period ends, we recommend developing a
pilot. 	The c	urrent situation in Col	ombia indicates that technology transfer and relevant capacity building
is likely to be more effective if knowledge could be tested in a real project. The pilot will contribute to
collaboration between regional and central authorities.
The suggested acti	vities under output 4 on improved health management of farmed aquatic animals
seems well justified based on the information in the PD and associated documents and should start up
as suggested.
6.2	 	Recommendations
Recommendations are listed chronologically as 	they appear in the report (numbers refer to sections in
the report).
1. 	The project should include FAO’s guidelines for small	-scale fisheries and recommendations for
small	-scale aquaculture producers. (3.4)
2. 	The project should carry out an analysis of the sources and reasons for overfishing as well as
destructive fishing pr	actices. (3.4)
3. 	The project should analyse competition over use of ocean space, including gear conflicts. (3.4)
4. 	The project should ensure participation from fishers, aquaculture producers and communities,
aiming to include their knowledge and develo	p practices of co	-management. (3.4)
5. 	Strategic/regional environmental assessments, environmental impact assessments, monitor-
ing and baseline data should be included, both for inland water bodies and oceans. (3.5)
6. 	Risk analysis should focus on the ext	ernal risks for project implementation (4.1)
7. 	Safeguards should cover the four crosscutting issues of Norwegian development cooperation
(4.2)
8. 	Universities’ participation in the project should be ensured (5.1)

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9. 	The project should find mechanisms for 	assembling and sharing data from many stakeholders
(5.1)
10.	 	FfD in Colombia should incorporate supplementary expertise from countries with more similar
technology levels in freshwater aquaculture to give relevant advice on outcome 3. (5.2)
11.	 	The projec	t should develop a knowledge base that includes knowledge on the socioeconomic
situation and fishing/aquaculture practices of the regulatees. There is also a need to incorporate 	na-
tional	 and international experiences with management practices relevant for 	Colombia (5.3)
12.	 	The result framework should be finalized according to the proposed recommendations (5.3
and Annex)
13.	 	The Norwegian Environment Agency and the Colombian Ministry of Environment should be in	-
volved in the activities to provide sufficient	 environmental competence (5.3)
14.	 	The competence of the programme should be supplemented by environmental and social sci-
ence competence on fisheries and aquaculture management in an international context. (5.3)
15.	 	The competence in the project should in	clude experience from foreign cooperation in i.a. Af-
rica also when designing programs for inland aquaculture in Colombia, combined with evaluating Co-
lombian experiences (5.3)
16.	 	The project should include environmental outcomes. (5.3)
17.	 	With Colombia as	 one of the three partner states in FfD, the Nansen	-programme should pay
another visit to Colombia
18.	 	The project should start up with an inception phase followed by an adjusted execution phase
(5.4)
19.	 	The project should incorporate of a local pilot pro	jects to try out in practice the theoretical
learning achieved and also as a way to measure local impact of any changes AUNAP or ICA would like
to make. (5.4)
20.	 	Project administration should be included in the project description and in the budget. (5.4)
21.	 	The project must ensure mutual competence building on both sides. There is a need to secure
continuity in involved personnel on both sides. (5.5)
22.	 	NORAD's initiative for a network of actors working with fisheries and aquaculture in Colombia
should	 be maintained throughout the lifetime of FfD's engagement in the country. There should al	-so
be a mechanism for exchange of experience across Norwegian programs (5.5)
23.	 	The budget is insufficient, needs to be reassessed after new project design and shou	ld be in	-
creased for execution phase(5.6)

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Appendices
A	 	Terms of reference
Terms of reference for quality assurance of the Fish for Development Programme 	Document	 for insti-
tutional cooperation between Colombia and Norway

1. 	Background
The Fish for Development (FfD) programme was established in 2016 to support partner countries in
their efforts to ensure sustainable fisheries and aquaculture and to increase th	e sustainable production
of fish and seafood. FfD	’s identified main partner countries are Colombia, Myanmar and Ghana. The
main purpose with the programme is to develop 	institutional	 cooperation with partner countries within
the fisheries and aquaculture s	ectors.
Colombia formally requested cooperation with the FfD programme in a letter to the Norwegian Ministry
of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in 2016. The request was followed up by two fact	-finding missions by technical
teams from Norway (2017 and 2019), a conc	ept note from National Authority for Aquaculture and Fish-
eries (AUNAP) (2017), and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Kingdom of
Norway and the Republic of Colombia in April 2018.
 A project document (PD) has now been developed (mostl	y through digital dialogue). The PD describes
a project (hereafter called ‘the FfD project’ in this document) designed to address selected challenges
within the management of fisheries and aquaculture in Colombia. The selection is based on Colombian
reques	ts combined with an assessment of where Norway has relevant expertise and experience.
 The Norwegian institutions involved in the project are the Institute of Marine Research (IMR), the Di-
rectorate of Fisheries (DoF), the Norwegian Veterinary Institute (	NVI) and the Norwegian Food Safety
Authority. On the Colombian side the involved institutions are AUNAP and the Colombian Agricultural
Institute (ICA). The main target group of the project are AUNAP as the main management institution for
the fisheries sect	or, and ICA as the main institution with responsibility for aquatic animal health in the
fish farming sector. The project is designed to prioritize activities that will enhance AUNAP’s and =CA’s
capacity for sustainable management of fisheries resources an	d aquaculture production.
This is a 5	-year project with planned impact being “=mproved sustainable socio	-economic development
for the Colombian fisheries and aquaculture sectors”. :ence, the project tar	-gets socio	-economic de-
velopment through sustainable 	management of Colombia’s fisheries resources and aquaculture pro-
duction. Without sustainable management, the potential economic gains from fishing and aquaculture
are likely to be short	-lived as fish stocks are overfished and development of the aquaculture	 industry is
hampered by negative developments in both fish health and the environmental status of the ecosys-
tems used for fish farming in Colombia. There is a lack of data from fisheries and aquaculture sector.
The existing data for the latest decades ind	icates a strong decline in quanta of fish harvested and a
strong increase in aquaculture volumes.

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The institutional cooperation program has limited resources and cannot aim to tackle all challenges in
the management of fisheries and aquaculture sector. B	ased on the limitation of what Norwegian fishery
and aquaculture institutions can contribute to, and the preparation work by technical teams and the
partners involved, the following goals have been developed.
In addition to the institutional cooperation, 	Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (	NORAD	)
supports separate projects with relevance to fishery and aquaculture, and in	-formation about these
projects will be available.

The goals of the institutional cooperation programme between Norway and C	olombia are defined as
the following:

Impact: Improved sustainable socio	-economic development for the Colombian fisheries and aquacul-
ture sectors

Outcome 1: Relevant governmental management institutions and academia have increased capacity
and knowle	dge in subjects regarding sustainable fisheries management, 	aquaculture	 and aquatic animal
health
• 	Output 1.1: Increased number of staff in governmental management and educational institu-
tions with international postgraduate education and short cour	ses 	in subjects relevant for fisheries man-
agement, aquaculture and aquatic animal health.
• 	Output 1.2: Increased participation from academia in government decision	-making processes
regarding fisheries and aquaculture.
• 	Output 1.3 Increased and strengthen	ed postgraduate offers in fisheries and aquaculture at Co-
lombian universities

Outcome 2: Improved knowledge base for sustainable management of fisheries
• 	Output 2.1: Increased knowledge about the state of fisheries re	-sources (including previously
no	nexploited resources).
• 	Output 2.2: Increased knowledge about fishing gear to improve 	selectivity	 and reduce ecosys-
tem impacts.
• 	Output 2.3: The EAF Implementation monitoring tool is introduced and used for selected marine
fisheries in Colombia
• 	Output 2.4: Increased capacity to interact with international and regional fisheries management
bodies.

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Outcome 3: Improved capacity for sustainable development of aquaculture
• 	Output 3.1: Aquaculture regulations improved.
• 	Output 3.2: Knowledge	 base for the development of marine 	aquaculture	 established
• 	Output 3.3: Knowledge about the prerequisites for an improved licensing process in aquacul-
ture established.
• 	Output 3.4: Improved knowledge of water resource management in aquaculture, with special
regard to the effects of all users on general water qua	lity in the waterbodies.

Outcome 4: Improved health management of farmed aquatic animals in Colombia
• 	Output 4.1: Improved competence and capacity of ICA laboratory in the diagnosis of diseases.
• 	Output 4.2: Increased technical knowledge of ICA p	rofessionals in matters related to health,
epidemiology,	 and diagnosis.

2. 	Purpose
Both the Norwegian partners to the project and 	NORAD	 have been unable to travel to Colombia due to
Covid	-19 and therefore a better understanding of context is necessary before reviewing the project.
This appraisal is a two	-fold assignment, both a targeted Political Economy Analysis on central topics for
su	stainable management of the fisheries and aquaculture sector, and a quality assurance of the PD for
Institutional Co	-operation between Colombia and Norway.
The purpose of the limited Political Economy Analysis is to strategically inform Norwegian aid pro	viders
on key issues surrounding the political economy of fisheries and aquaculture in 	Colombia and	 identify
key factors that inhibit policy reform in the sector as well as the factors that influence goal achievement.
The analysis shall identify risks asso	ciated with the proposed cooperation areas and the prospect of
achieving results.
The appraisal of the PD will assess the FfD project document’s relevance, real	-ism, coherence, potential
feasibility and potential risks, safeguards and expected sustainabi	lity of the development project. The
appraisal of the PD should consider findings in the political economic analysis and provide recommen-
dations.

3. 	Scope of work/priority issues
The assignment is limited in scope and shall include an assessment of t	he following points:
1. 	Political economy analysis relevant to fishery and aquaculture sector in Colombia
• 	The political system and economic situation 	– its influence on the fishing and aquaculture sector
o 	Updated information1 about development in 	relevant figures and economic indicators for this
project. Inclusive different types of aquaculture production and different type of fisheries harvested (for

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example: small scale, industry, inland, ocean, import, export, fleet categories/	-size/numbers, aqu	acul-
ture categories/	-size/numbers).
o 	Assessment of the project’s relevance to the political and governmental priorities in Colombia.
Political will and incentive for responsible fisheries and aquaculture management in Colombia. Assess-
ment of the project	’s relevance to the main challenges in the fishery and aquaculture sector in Colom-
bia. Why is the investment in capacity building in this sector so low? Are there other sectors who are
prioritized/more profitable?
o 	Possible conflict of interest between s	mall	-scale and industry level in both the fisheries and
aquaculture sector should be assessed regarding contribution to poverty reduction/socio	-economic de-
velopment. Identify who has limited or no influence in decision making
In addition, bottlenecks in 	governmental administration and control of the sector, herby
 	registration of licences and registrations of aquaculture and fishery actors should be assessed.
 	the system for environmental control of inland aquaculture implemented by various Regional
Autonomous Corporations (CARs).
o 	Cooperation areas 	– opportunities and barriers for achieving FfD programme operational goals
o 	Focus on the proposed cooperation areas in draft PD and highlight opportunities and barriers.
Provide strategic inputs on ho	w to best secure effective implementation and achieve operational goals.
Risk analysis
• 	The Consultant should, based on the PD as a minimum, identify the most important issues out-
side the project management’s control that could negatively affect the p	roject’s performance. These
could include political	-institutional risks (including corruption), economic	-financial risks, social risks and
environmental risks.

Safeguards
• 	The Consultant should assess and recommend the safeguards needed to comply wi	th the prin-
ciple of “do no harm” and to avoid that the project would contribute to adverse unintended cons	e-
quences, especially in the four crosscutting issues in Norwegian development policy: human rights, anti	-
corruption, climate and environment and women	’s rights and gender equality.
•
• 	The consultant should also assess if the PD is considering measures to avoid inadvertently con-
tributing to elite enrichment without poverty reduction, and the undermining of government responsi-
bilities.

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2. 	Assessment of the project’s coherence and 	relevance to the FfD	-programme (Included in report
if draft is written by 	NORAD	, otherwise excluded)

• 	Coherence with Norwegian development aid and country programme in Colombia
• 	The project design’s relevance to the priorities of the FfD programme
• 	Potential synergies and donor coordination in the fisheries and aqua	-culture sector
3. 	Assessment of the capacity and competence of the partners
• 	Assessment of the quality of the competence of the expected project partners
• 	Assessment of the releva	nt competence to the goal achievement in the project and the Colom-
bian needs, for example to what degree are Norwegian competence relevant for inland aquaculture in
Colombia.
4. 	Assessment of the results framework
• 	Assessment of the description of the current situation/baseline,
• 	Assessment of the main activities and main objectives (impact, outcomes, outputs) and target
group, e.g. consistency and realism,
• 	Assessment of the causal links between the problem des	cription and chosen objectives and
activities (theory of change).
• 	Assessment of the quality and sufficiency of the indicators, baseline and tar	-get values, data
sources and plans for evaluations.
• 	The quality, simplicity and user friendliness of the	 planned monitoring system for the project

• 	Other comments on the results framework.

5. 	Assessment of the project management structure, efficiency and quality
• 	Assessment of the project management structure
• 	Assessment of the chosen means of	 carrying out the project. Are there alter	-native activities,
outputs and outcomes which are more effective for reaching the impact? Should the resources within
the project have been distributed differently to increase goal achievement? Are the ambitions r	ealistic
when considering the total budget?
• 	Assessment of whether technical challenges have been sufficiently considered for the imple-
mentation of the programme, especially due to the Covid	-19 pandemic.

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• 	The quality of the underlying analysis and pla	nning process of the project, including participa-
tion of relevant stakeholders in the pro	-cess (including women and ethnic minorities).
• 	Analysis of ambition level in relation to the resources alloca	ted to the project and project dura-
tion.
• 	The relevance of the project concerning challenges that the project is supposed to solve and
the interests of the involved stakeholders.
• 	The use of lessons learnt from earlier experience with similar projects and/or the best available
knowledge and evid	ence, for example experiences with inland aquaculture.

6. 	Assessment of budget and sustainability of the project
• 	Assessment of the structure of the budget and its level of detail.
• 	Assessment of indirect operating costs/administrative costs in the	 budget.
• 	Assessment of sustainability2 ref. 3.1 and exit strategy.
• 	The assessment of risk is already defined in 3.1, but has relevance for 3.6.

4. 	Implementation of the appraisal

Due to Covid	-19 restrictions this assignment is a desk apprais	al, undertaken without field visits or direct
visits to partner institutions. The assignment shall be conducted based on studies of available documen-
tation and where possible through interviews with representatives of relevant stakeholders in Colombia
and 	Norway. 	NORAD	 will provide a list of relevant institutions and contact persons in Norway and Co-
lombia, however, developing the full list will be the responsibility of the consultant. 	NORAD	 will provide
relevant project background information.
An incepti	on meeting with 	NORAD	 shall be held as soon as possible. Continuous dialogue with 	NORAD
throughout the assignment is required. The appraisal will be carried out within the end of May 2019.

If the report contains sensitive information, the sensitive in	formation should be included in a separate
report. This can be discussed further with 	NORAD	.

5. 	Reporting
The report will not exceed 30 pages excluding annexes and will include a summary (2	-3 pages) with main
conclusions and recommendations. To the 	extent possible, the 	recommendations	 will directly relate to
the Project Document as it stands.

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A complete draft report shall be submitted in English and in electronic form to 	NORAD	 by 19 May 2021:
olav.rostad@norad.no; nina.kristin.snyder@norad.no and cc post	-SKP@norad.no. The Embassy and
NORAD	 will submit possible comments within one week after receiving the draft. The final report shall
be submitted no later than 31 May 2021.

6. 	Competence of the team of consultants
7.

The Consultant should ensure that the team has the following background and competence:
• 	Solid understanding of Colombia
• 	Experience with conducting similar political economy analysis
• 	Experience and	 knowledge of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors
• 	Experience from conducting appraisals of Norwegian development aid projects

7. 	List of Documents

-Project Document for The	 institutional Cooperation under the Fish for Development Programme in
Colombia (2021	-2025) 2021
-Assessment of opportunities for private sector development cooperation in Colombia, KPMG 2018
-AUNAPs Concept note 2017
-IMRs fact finding report 2018

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B	 	References
Bistandsaktuelt 2017: The debate can be found in several articles linked to Kolding, J & Næsje, T.F.
Uheldige konsekvenser av oppdrettsbistand. Web link: 	– Uheldige konsekvenser av oppdrettsbistand
(bistandsaktuelt.no)

FAO 2014: 	Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small	-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food
Security and Poverty Eradication	. Available at 	http://www.fao.org/voluntary	-guidelines	-small	-scale	-fish-
eries/en/
FAO. 2021. 	Fishery and Aquaculture Statistics. Global aquaculture production 1950	-2019	 (FishstatJ). In:
FAO Fisheries Division	 [online]. FAO, Rome. Updated 2021. 	www.fao.org/fishery/statistics/soft-
ware/fishstatj/en	. Accessed 25 May 2021.
FAO. 2020. 	Fishery and Aquaculture Statistics. Global capture produ	ction 1950	-2018	 (FishstatJ v4.01.0).
In: FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department [online]. FAO, Rome. Updated 2020. 	www.fao.org/fish-
ery/statistics/software/fishstatj/en
FAO Fisheries Division, Statistics and Information Branch (2020). FishStatJ: Universal software for fishery
statistical time series. FAO, Rome.
Jentoft, 	Chuenpagdee, Barragán	-Paladines & Franz (eds.)	 20	17: 	The Small	-Scale Fisheries Guidelines.
Global Implementation	. Springer International Publishing. Available at
https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319550732
KPMG 2018: Fish for development.	 Sustainable fishing and aquaculture production in Colombia. Assess-
ment of opportunities for private sector collaboration. KPMG report to NORAD.
Le Monde Diplomatique (2021) Article about the tax reform, the peace process and security policy. Web
link: ht	tps://www.lmd.no/2021/06/den	-indre	-fiende	-gjor	-oppror	-i-colombia/
OECD 2016: Fisheries and aquaculture in Colombia.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) 	– Utenriksdepartementet: 	Meld. St. 17 (2017	–2018), Partnerland i
utviklingspolitikken. Available at: 	Meld. St. 17 (2017	–2018) 	- regjeringen.no	 . See also 	Utvikling er mer
enn bistand 	- reg	jeringen.no
World Bank’s index for political stability and absence of violence 	https://info.worldbank.org/govern-
ance/wgi/Home/Reports
Saavedra	-Diaz, Pomeroy & Rosenberg 2016: Managing s	mall	-scale fisheries in Colombia. 	Maritime Stud-
ies	 (2016) 15(6)
Sander, G. Santos, J. & Pretorius, K. 2020: Training the front	-line officers for better combat of fisheries
crime. A mid	-term review of the FishFORCE project at Nelson Mandela University, Sou	th Africa. Report
from Norwegian College of Fisheries Science to NORAD, June 2020.

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C	 	List of interviews
The review team has interviewed:
• 	Patrick Debels, Regional Coordinator CLME+ Project UNDP/GEF
• 	Saulo Usma, Freshwater Specialist, WWF Colombia
• 	Kirsti Andersen, Economy, Commerce and Culture Advisor, Royal Norwegian Embassy, Bogota.
• 	Dr. Daniel Arboleda, Ministry of Agriculture and rural development
• 	Maria Aguilera, Ministry of Agriculture and rural development
• 	Alvaro Ortega, Ministry of Agriculture	 and rural development
• 	Yeili Danielly Rangel Penaranda, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and tourism
• 	Fernando Henao 	– Director of Sustainable Development, Department of Planning
• 	Angie Paola Zamudio Villarreal, Department of Planning
• 	Maria Olga Peña Mariño, D	epartment of Planning
• 	Javier Plata, Main contact for the project in AUNAP
• 	Olav Rostad, 	NORAD
• 	Nina Kristin Snyder, 	NORAD

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D	 	Production volumes and trade for
Colombian aquaculture and fisher-
ies
The presentation of statistics here illustrates some of the pro	blems with finding relevant information,
ref. section 3.2. The underlying detailed overviews and calculations are presented in Excel sheets that
can be sent to NORAD to be available for the project.

Aquaculture production
The National Authority for Aqua	culture and Fisheries (AUNAP) presents data on the fisheries through
the Colombian Fisheries Service for Statistics (SEPEC). The information on the web site was difficult to
access. For 2016	-2019 it is divided by municipalities (several hundred), while for	 1997	-2015, it can be
accessed by specie and years. Table A.4.1 shows consolidated data for the years 2016	-2018:

Table 	D.1: Main species produced by aquaculture in Colombia 2016	-2018, according to SEPEC

Between 2016 and 2018, which is the most recent 	year in SEPEC, three types of freshwater fish repre-
sented 98	-99% of the total production:
1. 	Two Tilapia species (O. niloticus and O. spp.) that together represented between 83 to 90% of
the total fish farmed (23 195 to 29 459 tons/year).
2. 	Rainbow trout	 (O. mykiss) landing represented 5 to 8% of the total (1.372 to 2.057 tons/year).
3. 	Three species of “Cachama” (called white, black and hy	brid “Cachama”) represented 1 to 9% of
the total (312 to 2 717 tons/year).	 Species / Landings (Tons/yr)	2016	2017	2018
Bacachico (	Prochilodus magdalenae)	38	 	 	56	 	 	596
Cachama blanca / white (	Piaractus brachypomus	)	1.836	 	 	312	 	 	2.605
Cachama negra / black (	Colossoma macropomum)	187	 	 	-	 	 	74
Cachama híbrida / hydrid (blanca con negra)	20	 	 	-	 	 	38
Tilapia plateada / Nile (	Oreochromis niloticus	)	11.312	 	 	13.420	 	 	6.399
Tilapia roja / red (	Oreochromis	 spp.)	9.526	 	 	7.794	 	 	18.266
Trucha arcoiris - Rainbow Trout (	Oncorhynchus mykiss	)	2.057	 	 	1.724	 	 	1.371
Carpa / Carp (	Cyprinus carpio	)	122	 	 	118	 	 	1
Otros peces cultivados / Other farmed fishes	98	 	 	99	 	 	110
ACUIC. PECES / FISH FARMING	25.195	 	 	23.524	 	 	29.459
Camarón blanco / shrimp (*1. 	Litopenaeus vannamei	)	4.497	 	 	4.479	 	 	114

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Small production of the carp (C. carpio), “Bocachico” (P. magdalenae) and other species (named as Pi-
rarucú, Sábalo, Chilocidio, Dorada, Sabaleta, Chango y Bagre) have registered volume from a few to
some tens of tones per year, altogether just 1 	– 2 % of t	he total production.
Shrimp (L. vannamei) production was at an 	annual	 average of 8.847 tons per year between 1999 and
2018, reaching a maximum of 34.826 tons in 2008. Since then, it has been an unstable decrease over
time, reaching a minimum record of only 114 tons in 2018.
FAO is another source of information, presentin	g data reported by Colombian authorities (FAO 2021).
Here, species names are presented in English, which makes comparisons with Spanish names in SEPEC
challenging. The FAO data do not coincide with those found in SEPEC. According to it, six species ac	-
coun	ted for 94 	– 97% of the FW aquaculture production (tons range for 2017	-2019): (1) Tilapias Nei
(50.450	-70.906 Tons), (2) Pirapatinga (White “Cachama”, Piaractus brachypomus; 21.150	-30.797 tons),
(3) Nile tilapia (19.400	-25.051 tons, (4) Rainbow trout (17.4	50	-26.471 tons), (5) Netted prochilod (Bo	-
cachico, Prochilodus reticulatus; 0	-2.550 tons); (6) Cachama (0	-1.800 tons). Longer	-term production
volumes based on these data are found in Figure 	D.1.

Figure 	D.1. Production volumes of different species in 	Colombian aquaculture, based on FAO (2021)
The regional distribution of aquaculture is presented in Figure 	D.2.

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Figure 	D.2: Distribution of aquaculture in Colombia (MADR 2021).

Catches in fisheries
For fisheries, we present data on catches from FAO.	 As for aquaculture, data are provided for individual
species. In Figure A.4.3, we have grouped the data into freshwater and saltwater fisheries. We see that
volumes from marine catches increased significantly in the 1990s before a decline. Inland fisher	ies have
been more stable, although also declining. The major marine species caught are tuna (Yellowtail, Skip-
jack and Bigeye tunas 	– 38 300 tons in 2018). The major catches in inland fisheries are Prochilodus
mariae (called boca chico, 15 870 tonnes), fol	lowed by siluroids fish (222 tonnes), Nile Tilapia (155
tonnes) and Trahira fish (115 tonnes).

Figure 	D.3. Annual catches in Colombian inland and marine fisheries, based on FAO (2021).

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Catch volumes in SEPEC are generally higher than in FAO. For insta	nce, SEPEC do report 36 000 tons
caught in freshwater in 2018, whereas FAO reports 22 000.
Another significant inconsistency in numbers can be found if FAO numbers are compared with the PD.
Here, it was quoted that AUNAP estimated the national fisheries p	roduction in 2018 to be 194 000 tons
(PD:8). The FAO numbers that we have used in section 3 of the report, is 62 000 tons. We have not tried
to find out whether this simply is a misunderstanding or if it represents systematic differences in differ-
ent stati	stics.

Colombian trade in fish and shellfish
AUNAP has contributed with data on trade in 2019, included below. Updated numbers are published
every three months and can be accessed at 	https://www.treid.co/post/importaciones	-y-exportaciones	-
de	-pescado	-en	-colombia

The value of fish	-shellfish products imported in 2019 accounted for closely USD 229	.3 million, including
cost, insurance and freight (CIF). From that number, the five most important fish	-shellfish products im-
ported by Colombian companies were shrimp & prawns USD 36.0 million (CIF), salmons USD 24.8 million
(CIF), frozen fish USD 24.3 mil	lion (CIF), salmon filets USD 16.6 million (CIF) y and frozen filets USD 16.0
million (CIF) (Fig 	D.4).

Figure 	D.4. The five (5) top fish	-shellfish products imported by Colombia in 2019
The fish	-shellfish imported by Colombia in 2019 came from 42 diff	erent countries. The top five were
Chile with an import of USD 55.6 million (CIF), Vietnam USD 46.5 million (CIF), Ecuador USD 41.4 million
(CIF), China USD 21.7 million (CIF) y Argentina USD 14.1 million (CIF) (Fig 	D.5).

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Fig 	D.5. The top five countries from which fish	-shellfish products were imported by Colombia in 2019
The value of fish	-shellfish products exported in 2019 accounted for closely USD 90.0 million Free on
Board (FOB). From that number, the five most important fish	-shellfish products exported by Colombian
companies 	were Tilapia	 filets USD 40.1 million (FOB), Yellow Fin Tuna USD 8.1 million (FOB), Frozen Tuna
USD 7.4 million (FOB), White tuna USD 6.7 million (FOB), and Skipjack Tuna USD 6.3 million (FOB) (Fig
D.6).

Fig. 	D.6. The top five fish	-shellfish products exported by Colombia in 2019
The fish	-shellfish exported by Colombia in 2019 went to 17 different countries. The top five were USA
with an export worth USD 51.3 million (FOB), Ecuador USD 10.3 million (FOB),	 Guatemala USD 6.1 million
(FOB), UK USD 2.5 million (FOB) and Peru USD 2.4 million (FOB) (Fig 	D.7).

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Fig 	D.7 The top five countries to which Colombia exported fish	-shellfish in 2019

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E	 	Results framework with specific
comments
The annex is provided as a separate Excel file to NORAD

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F	 	Risk analysis review	 (Risk matrix
and safeguards	)
F.1.1	 	Summary	 of risk assessment
Overall, the major external risks that can negatively impact Project implementation and achievement of
desired results a	re that proposals for improved regulation, management measures and guidelines are
not adopted and implemented by the Colombian government, and that there is insufficient government
funding such that the fisheries and aquaculture management institutions in 	Colombia are not able to
deliver on their mandate. The main internal risk factors are that relevant Norwegian or Colombian staff
does not have sufficient time to put effort into the project such that planned activities are delayed.
Another important intern	al risk factor is that the activities are not planned sufficiently well such that
they become less efficient in reaching the goals of the project, e.g., if training is not sufficiently targeted
to the participants.

F.1.2	 	IMPACT: Improved 	sustainable socio	-economic development for the Colombian
fisheries and aquaculture sectors
The identified external and internal risks and consequences related to the achievement of project im	-
pact is presented in the table below. These are general risk fac	tors that also apply to most of the out	-
comes in the project. Risk factors related specifically to each outcome are also presented unless they
have already been presented under the risk factors for Impact.

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EXTERNAL RISKS	 	CONSEQUENCE 	 	PROBABILITY &
IMPACT	 	MITIGATION ACTION
Inadequate public
funding allocated to
AUNAP/ICA for nec-
essary personnel in-
put into the Project.
All aspects of project im-
plementation hampered and
identified challenges in
fisheries and aquaculture
not addressed, or	 threat to
sustainability of project re-
sults.
2 	3

- The bilateral agreement be-
tween the Colombian and Nor-
wegian governments should
specify the Colombian counter-
part staff, level, duration and
budget cost.
-Project activities to be inte-
grated in workplans of AUNAP
and ICA
-Awareness raising of the 	pro-
ject at management level in
AUNAP and ICA
-Establish t	he Joint Coordina-
tion Committee	 (CCC) with by	-
laws. The CCC will help the im-
plementation of the project by
ensuring the endorsement of
the project workplans at the top
level of the involved instituti	ons,
necessary integration of the
project workplans into the insti-
tutional workplans and efficient
coordination among the in-
volved Colombian institutions
Lack of reliable data
on fish stock, species,
exploitation, etc.
Planning activities will not
be base	d on correct infor-
mation, and therefore have
low relevance and impact
3 	2 	RED	 	Project to support improvement
of database and data quality
Lack of political sup-
port for implementing
more sustainable
management
measures
No move towards sustaina-
bility, with potential conse-
quence being further deple-
tion of fisheries resources,
and leading to environmen-
tal and fish health 	problems
in aquaculture	.
1 	3 	 	-Increase public awareness by
making data, analysis and rec-
ommendations public.
- CCC to discuss progress at
least yearly, and take action if
insufficient progress.
-Awareness of Project at highest
level of the Colombian institu-
tions 	involved
-Invite civil society organiza-
tions to stakeholder meetings or
present in parts of the Annual
meeting of the project. Relevant

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EXTERNAL RISKS	 	CONSEQUENCE 	 	PROBABILITY &
IMPACT	 	MITIGATION ACTION
NGOs are: MARVIVA, CI,
FFCC, WWF
-Mid	-term review, and reformu-
lation if needed
- Project outputs and outcomes
are in li	ne with stated Colom-
bian policy goals.
Corruption/political
interference related to
enforcement of laws
and regulations or
granting of licenses
As above, and imbalance in
economic benefits from the
sector, especially negative
for the poorest 	stakeholders

2 	2 	 	-As above
-Colombian project group take
part in national meetings about
corruption
-Learn from the UNODC pro-
ject in Colombia
-meetings also with the CARs to
increase awareness of corrup-
tion risks in licensing (Associa-
tion of CARs)
-Incre	ased focus on local activi-
ties and beneficiaries
Low compliance with
fisheries/aquaculture
laws and regulations
on the part of private
sector operators
As above	 	 	1 	2 	 	-Stakeholder meetings/include
private sector operators (also
representatives for small scale
producers) included in the prep-
arations for new regula-
tions/laws (this is mandatory in
Colombia)
-Improved communication/ in-
formation to small producers
about new regulation
-Enough trained govt local staff
and budget to ass	ure monitoring
& control
Change in political
power or large macro-
economic shock
Political will or economic
ability to support Project
eroded
1 	2 	 	- CCC to have sufficient power
to act in case of external factors
affecting the project
Large and sudden dis-
ease outbreaks in aq-
uaculture or in terres-
trial animals.
High economic losses, mar-
ket closure and impact on
food safety. Impact on eco-
systems and biodiversity.
Focus of project partici-
pants/veterinarians from
2 	3 	 	- Biosecurity measures would
improve as result of 	the project.
- Change workplans to be able to
use sudden disease outbreaks as
part of the research, training and
competence building.

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EXTERNAL RISKS	 	CONSEQUENCE 	 	PROBABILITY &
IMPACT	 	MITIGATION ACTION
Colombia diverted from
project implementation. 	 	-Activate and update emergency
response plans in ICA
-Less focus on exotic spp and
more focus on native spp with
ecosystem	s-based methods
Natural disasters, po-
litical unrest, security
issues or pandemic
limits travel and some
project activities
Project implementation
hampered, planned activi-
ties postponed
3 	2 	RED	 	-Virtual meetings and online
training where possible
-Project scope and content de-
signed to limit the risk that pro-
ject activities are affected
-Review information from rele-
vant authorities that assess risks
for natural disasters prior to
planned activities to assess risk
-Strengthening of community	-
based ac	tivities that could con-
tinue even in moments of na-
tional crisis
Colombian institu-
tions are modified by
new governmental
management schemes
Changed structure could re-
quire changes in project
and result in delays
1 	3 	 	-Colombian government to 	as-
sure that responsibility for the
project is clearly defined in case
of institutional changes
-Immediately act if project ad-
aptation is needed

INTERNAL RISK	 	CONSEQUENCE 	 	PROBABILITY
& IMPACT	 	MITIGATION ACTION
Key personnel in Co-
lombia without
enough time to devote
to Project
Limited Project implemen-
tation with subsequent neg-
ative effects on the overall
Project goal
1 	3 	 	-Project goals are aligned with
Colombian priorities
- Workplans and Timing of work
to be agreed early
-Awareness of Project 	at highest
level of the Colombian institu-
tions involved
- Training to assure efficiency of
key staff (also in case of new staff
being involved)

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INTERNAL RISK	 	CONSEQUENCE 	 	PROBABILITY
& IMPACT	 	MITIGATION ACTION
Key personnel in Nor-
way not available to
devote time to Project
Limited Project implemen-
tation with 	subsequent neg-
ative effects on the overall
Project goal
2 	2 	 	-Awareness of Project at highest
level of the Norwegian institu-
tions involved
-Inter	-institutional committee of
Norwegian partners involved
-Workplans and Timing of work
to be agreed early.
Staff trained by the
Project not main-
tained or used in rele-
vant tasks
Limited Project implemen-
tation and sustainability
with subsequent negative
effects on the overall Pro-
ject goal
1 	2 	 	-ICA and 	AUNAP to plan for the
use of trained personnel
-Employees with permanent con-
tracts have to work for 4 years af-
ter a sponsored 2	-year education
abroad (already gov. rule)
-Training of new key staff being
involved
Training is not rele-
vant or not 	provided
to relevant employees
As above	 	1 	2 	 	-Clear communication prior to
planning of training to increase
relevance
-Clear criteria for selection of par-
ticipants for each type of training
-Establish a committee across in-
stitutions in Colombia to select
and prioritize candidates for mas-
ter studies
-The project training to be inte-
grated in institutional staff devel-
opment plans
-Evaluation of training to be used
when planning subsequent train-
ing
Key personnel quit
(external risk) or are
reallocated to other
tasks
Disruption in project man-
agement and implementa-
tion
2 	2 	 	-Awareness of not reallocating
-Periodical meetings in the Co-
lombian institutions to share in-
formation/ and to ensure that ac-
quired knowledge is spread
within the instituti	on and to en-
sure that the high level in the in-
stitutions are informed/involved
-Training of new key staff being
involved
Ineffective project
and financial manage-
ment
Project implementation
hampered, undue advantage
1 	3 	 	-Assure highly experienced pro-
ject manager and key staff

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INTERNAL RISK	 	CONSEQUENCE 	 	PROBABILITY
& IMPACT	 	MITIGATION ACTION
-Clear and effective project man-
agement structure to be set up in
the Institutional cooperation con-
tract
-Sufficient planning, coordina-
tion and communication about
upcoming activities
- Norwegian auditor general/ac-
counting rules
-Ask for and follow advice to im-
prove management effectiveness
Overlap with other
donor projects
Inefficient use of 	resources	 	1 	1 	 	-Colombian project group to keep
all parties updated on all relevant
projects
-Regular meetings with other rel-
evant projects
-Coordination also with people
involved in international coopera-
tion in fisheries
Low English level
limit the 	benefits of
participation in pro-
ject activities
Limited increase in capac-
ity and knowledge, commu-
nication problems may de-
lay project implementation.
1 	2 	 	-English training provided by
project prior to master studies
-Selection of candidates also
based on 	English proficiency
-Providing English	-Spanish in-
terpreters in working ses-
sions/short courses
-translation of documents and
reports where necessary
Weak coordination
and communication
among collaborating
partners both between
and within countries
Project activities are not
sufficiently planned and
therefore either not con-
ducted or conducted with-
out reaching their full po-
tential
1 	2 	 	-Clear and 	effective project man-
agement structure to be set up in
the Institutional cooperation con-
tract
-Sufficient time for planning and
preparation of capacity building
activities in budget
-Involve decision	-makers and
colleagues in the project
-Project to support	 inter	-institu-
tional collaboration in the sector
(including other projects) and be-
tween countries in the region

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F.1.3	 	Risks related to Outcome 1:
Relevant governmental management institutions and academia have increased capacity and knowledge
in subjects regarding sustainable fisheries management, aquaculture and aquatic animal health

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F.1.4	 	Risks related to Outcome 2:
Improved knowledge base for sus	tainable management of fisheries

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F.1.5	 	Risks related to Outcome 3:
Improved capacity for sustainable development of aquaculture

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F.1.6	 	Risks related to Outcome 4

F.1.7	 	Identified potential unintended consequences of the Project and safeguards
UNINTENDED	 CONSEQUENCE 	 	Probabil-
ity	 	SAFEGUARDS
Gender equality and women’s rights:
The undermining of the role of women as
stakeholders and decision	-makers in the
fisheries sector by not including women as
invited stakeholders to stakeholder plat-
forms including those settled in remote ar-
eas of the country
 	-Assure women’s participation on project decision	-
making level (especially CCC) and advisory com-
mittee
-Make ef	fort to ensure that female stakeholders are
also represented in stakeholder meetings
-Inviting women from isolated geographical areas
in the country and supporting their participation

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UNINTENDED	 CONSEQUENCE 	 	Probabil-
ity	 	SAFEGUARDS
-Making preparatory meetings and getting involved
diverse and widely representative stakeholders for
each of the activities.
Gender equality and women’s ri	ghts:
The undermining of gender equality in
governmental agencies if female employ-
ees of the partner institutions and other rel-
evant agencies are not included in Project
activities

-Ensuring that relevant women are included in the
Project activities
-Cons	ider women views in the project design and
implementation
-Keeping records of gender balance of Project ac-
tivities
Human rights and discrimination: The risk
that project activities could lead to human
rights violations
 	Making preparatory meetings and getting involved
diverse and widely representative stakeholders for
each of the activities (including local fisher com-
munities, indigenous peoples and afro	-descend-
ants).

Corruption: The risk that the Project itself
could lead to increased corruption
 	-Project should through increased transparency re-
duce the possibility for corruption and political in-
terests interfering with the implementation and en-
forcement of management measures that will con-
tribute towards sustain	able management of fisher-
ies and aquaculture
-Clear rules for procurement with project funds
(Norwegian funding regulations) and follow	-up on
audit observations
-Clear rules for recruitment and contracting (TOR,
requirements) and monitoring of compliance
Greenhouse gas emissions: The risk that
the Project itself could lead to increased
emissions
 	- Establish good communication between partners
such that activities can be planned and executed
without excessive travel
- Improved food security based on fish r	ather than
meat would decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
- More nature	-based solutions for fish farming in-
stead of constructing fish tanks
Environmental damage: The risk that the
Project itself could lead to environmental
problems
 	-Successful 	implementation of the Project aims to
achieve the opposite
-Planning and advice prior to activities that may
consider any possible environmental problems.
-Comply with national environmental regulations
(including when EIA is required)

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UNINTENDED	 CONSEQUENCE 	 	Probabil-
ity	 	SAFEGUARDS
-CCC to include Ministry of Environment and Sus-
tainable Development

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