Pursuing peace and gender equality in Colombia

Context

In 2016, the Government of Colombia and the former guerrilla group Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias - Ejército del Pueblo (FARC-EP) signed an agreement to end the armed conflict and build stable and lasting peace. In terms of its implementation, little progress has been made in meeting the needs of women, people with diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and ethnic communities.

There is only limited political participation and representation of these groups in decision-making spaces, and insufficient resources and support are available for civil society actors to implement gender measures. In addition, unequal power relations and gender discrimination dynamics hinder successful implementation of the Peace Agreement's gender measures.

Objective

State institutions and civil society organisations have the capacity to implement gender-specific measures of the Peace Agreement and the National Action Plan of Resolution 1325 on ‘Women, Peace and Security’, taking into account an intersectional approach.

Approach

The project’s measures are aimed at women and individuals of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. They include:

• Increasing their political involvement and enabling them to play a pivotal role in implementing specific gender measures within the Peace Agreement.
• Enhancing the social and economic strengths of civil society actors so they can implement specific gender measures of the Peace Agreement, particularly in rural areas
• Encouraging people to question traditional gender roles while promoting peaceful conflict resolution and non-violent communication as well as offering psychosocial support to those affected.
• Strengthening the capacities of state and civil society actors for the implementation of Colombia's National Action Plan on Resolution 1325 on the ‘Women, Peace and Security’ agenda.

Last update: January 2025