input: [Action Item Number] 6.2.H [Action Item Name] Consolidate the Gains Made in Colombia [Lead Agency] State [Component(s)] --- [Action Item Description] 
output: Colombia and the United States have jointly made impressive gains over the past 10 years. Read more However, these gains are entirely reversible without continued United States support and sustained Colombian efforts. The United States will continue to support the Government of Colombia to stem the flow of drugs produced abroad and reduce the devastating consequences of drug production, trafficking, and consumption. As part of a multiyear strategy, the United States is transferring operational and funding responsibility for counternarcotics and security programs to the Colombian government as part of a larger multiyear strategy designed to consolidate state presence and economic development in historically marginalized regions. The expansion of security by both the Colombian military and police into areas long dominated by coca cultivation and illegal armed groups has allowed the Colombian government, for the first time, to focus on establishing government presence and integrated rural development in these areas. Voluntary and manual eradication will be emphasized, but aerial eradication will also remain an important tool, especially in remote and insecure areas where manual eradication is cost prohibitive or too dangerous. The United States Government continues to implement an integrated, sequential assistance approach designed to have a greater impact on consolidating the gains made in Colombia. Ultimately, the most effective way of reducing the production of illicit drugs is through the expansion of governance into conflict areas so that all Colombians have access to government services, protection from terrorist or criminal groups, and a licit manner in which to earn a living. This expansion of governance is the natural evolution of Plan Colombia efforts.