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, progress has been slow in meeting the needs of women, people with diverse gender identities and sexual orientations and ethnic communities.

The challenges in this area include the slow implementation of the 130 gender-focused measures in the Peace Agreement. There is also only limited political participation and representation of the aforementioned groups in decision-making spaces, as well as insufficient resources and support for civil society actors to implement gender measures. In addition, unequal power relations and gender discrimination dynamics hinder the successful implementation of the Peace Agreement's gender measures.

Objective

The political empowerment of women and people with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, particularly in rural areas, has been significantly bolstered.

Approach

The PazDiversa Project provides advice and support, reflecting the principles of Feminist Policy, focusing on non-discrimination, equal opportunities, participation, empowerment, transparency and accountability. It carries out the following key activities aimed at women and individuals of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities:

• Increasing their political involvement and enabling them to play a pivotal role in implementing specific gender measures within the Final Peace Agreement.
• Enhancing the social and economic strengths of civil society actors so they can implement specific gender measures in the rural reform of the Final Peace Agreement
• 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.

Last update: November 2023