Introduction

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) exert substantial influence on social, political and economic spheres globally. These organizations represent diverse efforts of collective action, political intervention, social service delivery, and watchdog activity over government and business sectors. Since the 1990s, the rise of these organizations and their influence has been referred to as a “global associational revolution” (Salamon, 1994). NGOs are part of the third sector (that is, outside of government and market sectors) and considered self-governing entities that do not distribute the excess of their revenues over expenditures among stakeholders. They are assumed to have a purpose for the public benefit that is agreed by associates of the organization (Vakil, 1997; Boris, 2006).

This chapter focuses on NGOs in policy analysis in Colombia and is organized as follows. First, it reviews definitions and terms related to the third sector in the context of Colombia. This followed by an outline of Colombia's third sector government relations over the past several decades. In the context of Colombia, NGOs provide many public services and advance many other important public goods through policy analysis and advocacy. In particular, the role of NGOs in policy analysis is important given the country's transition into a post-agreement period. Therefore, the chapter examines the role of NGOs in policy analysis in institutional spaces and through the lens of the sector's umbrella organization, the Colombian Confederation of Nongovernmental Organizations (Confederacion Colombiana de Organizaciones No-Gubernamentales – CCONG) in the postagreement and the peace process, and in the implementation and monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Colombia.

Defining the third sector in Colombia

The third sector in Colombia is diverse as it includes unions, community-based organizations, universities, religious groups and philanthropic foundations, among others. We focus on NGOs that are engaged in the provision of public goods and services, including direct service delivery, human rights promotion, and monitoring of government and corporate sectors. They operate in a complex context in Colombia due to the country's history of violence and internal displacement, managing tense relationships with both national and local governments, and confronting recent challenges such as the Venezuelan migration crisis. The NGOs that we are most interested in are known legally as foundations and corporations/associations in Colombia. Foundations are notfor-profit, voluntarily created organizations that dedicate their assets to a public benefit and reinvest into the foundation any profits.