Crafting Policy Together: The Colombian State and International Organizations' Role in Addressing Venezuelan Forced Displacement

This article examines the relationship between international organizations and recipient states in shaping forced displacement policy, focusing on Colombia’s engagement with international actors. As the highest recipient of Venezuelan migrants, under the Duque administration, Colombia introduced in 2021 the Temporary Protection Statute for Venezuelan Migrants (TPS), a 10-year stay permit granting Venezuelans access to rights and a pathway to permanent residency. The measure was praised by international actors as ‘generous’ and ‘unprecedented’. Drawing on a qualitative analysis of 60 interviews with key policymakers and representatives of international organizations, as well as an examination of policy documents, we argue that Colombia’s collaboration with international aid is neither one-sided nor purely strategic. With support from international organizations’ funds, personnel, and ideas, Colombia established the Border Management Office (BMO), an institution directly attached to the presidency, that played a key role in designing the TPS. The BMO’s functioning illustrates how Colombia not only leverages foreign partnerships to deliver its responses but is also shaped by international frameworks. This reciprocal relationship highlights Colombia’s role as both a shaper of domestic policy and a responder to global agendas. The study offers new insights into the agency of Global South states in international aid, challenging the views of them as either passive recipients of external influence or mere rent-seekers.