1. Formulation

Current laws and regulations, including the National Constitution, public administration regulations and specific provisions governing the Environment, Housing and Territorial Development sector, establish as fundamental objectives of the Ministry the formulation and adoption of sector policies, general plans, programs and projects.

Based on these provisions and Technical Quality Standard GP1000, the Ministry has undertaken an internal analysis and collaboration process for the definition of the sector policy formulation process. As a product of these actions, it has defined, through the promulgation of Resolution 2190 of 2006, the agencies and mechanisms that will allow it to optimize the process of formulating and monitoring policies and documents of the National Economic and Social Policy Council (CONPES).

The purpose of this Resolution is: "To establish within the Ministry of the Environment, Housing and Territorial Development the agencies responsible for: 1) Guiding the formulation of CONPES sector policies and documents, and 2) Adopting decisions related to the content and scope of CONPES sector policies and documents." These agencies are shown in the following chart:

Executive Committee

Minister, Presiding

Vice Ministers

Director of Planning, Technical Secretary

Operating Committee

Director of Planning, Presiding

Technical Directors - MAVDT

Head of the Legal Office

Guests

Work Groups

Made up of people designated by the Operating Committee

Collaboration among all of the actors involved in the respective issues is one of the determining factors for the success of the sector policy formulation and implementation process. The following table identifies the principal actors involved in the process:

The following methodological instruments have been developed for the purpose of invigorating and guiding the actions and tasks performed at each step of the policy formulation process:

• Methodological Guide for the Formulation and Monitoring of Sector Policies
• Basic table of contents for policy and CONPES documents
• Format for the presentation of comments on the policy documents that are being developed
• Protocol for the presentation of policy initiatives and CONPES documents
• Resolution 2190 of 2006
• Procedure for the formulation of sector policies

These instruments, together with the Quality Management System documentation, support the process within a framework of continuous improvement and optimization of the resources available for the formulation of sector policies.

In this context, it must be kept in mind that the policy initiatives usually have different origins. However, the 2006-2010 National Development Plan, "A Community State: Development for All", established the formulation of the following policies as a priority for the current period of government:

2. Monitoring

The current National Development Plan, "A Community State: Development for All " (2006-2010), in Chapter 6, "A Better State at the Service of the Citizens", identifies the challenges of the Community State within the administrative model for the economic intervention of the State, and prioritizes planning as one of the most important tools for strengthening the capacity to confront these challenges. It highlights the need to strengthen the State''''s capacity to identify public policy priorities, and to develop and apply evaluation and monitoring methods as instruments for obtaining reliable information on which to base decision-making in the implementation of these policies.

In this context, the implementation of a model for evaluating and monitoring public policies related to the Environment, Housing and Territorial Development Sector takes on special importance.

Given that the Ministry of the Environment, Housing and Territorial Development, in exercising its legal authority pursuant to Law 99 of 1993 and Decree 216 of 2003, is responsible for leading the formulation and adoption of policies that guide sector management, it must also establish a system for monitoring and evaluating sector policies.

In view of the diversity of policy formulation and implementation initiatives and the multitude of proposals for monitoring the commitments that are derived from adopted policy documents, some practical methodologies have been designed for monitoring progress:

• Matrix for reporting the progress in implementing processes for the formulation of CONPES documents and sector policies.
• Matrix for reporting the progress of fulfilling commitments derived from approved CONPES documents.

In an initial phase, the Ministry of the Environment, Housing and Territorial Development has established a program to monitor the fulfillment of the institutional commitments defined in the documents adopted by the National Economic and Social Policy Council (CONPES), which are strategic priorities for the sector.

Consult the Ministry''''s CONPES Progress Report

To read CONPES documents of interest, search on the website of the
National Planning Department - NPD