Colombia Consultation December 2007
PurposeAt the invitation of Mayor Sergio Fajardo, The Initiative for Inclusive Security visited
Medellin from December 10-16, 2007, for a series of meetings and activities to promote women’s political leadership.
Training
The Initiative co-organized a training workshop with the First Woman’s office, bringing together 47 women from the First Woman’s networks as well as other women leaders. The goal of the workshop, entitled “Beneath the Makeup: Women and Political Power” was to encourage and prepare women to leverage their leadership in the private and public spheres into elected positions. After a round of introductions and activities, Senate President Nancy Patricia Gutiérrez spoke of her experience in the world of politics, revealing publicly for the first time how her ascent in politics had brought psychological and physical abuse from her husband, whom she divorced after several years of suffering. She also spoke of the unnecessary tension between motherhood and political leadership and mentioned several family-friendly reforms to parliamentary rules she championed. Isabel Londoño, women’s caucus coordinator and member of the Initiative’s Women Waging Peace Network, spoke of the importance of joint action by women political leaders and of the challenges of running for office. Medellín First Woman Lucrecia Ramírez spoke of the successes and failures of her four years as First Woman. She highlighted the responsibility of women thrust into public life through their partnership with an elected leader, and talked at length about the importance of “pillow lobbying.”
Past In-Country Efforts
The December training in Medellin marked Inclusive Security’s fifth consultation in Colombia. The previous four trainings have taken place in Bogotá. The first consultation, held in August 2005, focused on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, under the title “Inclusive Security, Sustainable Peace: Tools for Advocacy and Action.” In December of that year, Inclusive Security returned for a second consultation. This visit consisted of various high-level advocacy meetings along with an organized visit to local women’s organizations outside of Bogotá with First Lady Lina de Uribe. In November 2006, Inclusive Security conducted a workshop for members and staff of the National Commission for Reparations and Reconciliation, and conducted a series of high-level meetings. The May 2007 consultation yielded a two-day workshop with prosecutors from the Justice and Peace Unit of the Attorney General’s Office.
Next Steps
Inclusive Security’s Colombia strategy builds on previous accomplishments to launch a gender mainstreaming drive through different actors across the Colombian political and social spectrum. A defining feature of this strategy has been the effort to reach broadly across institutions and deeply within them. A combination of high-level meetings with policy makers and contacts with implementers allows us to ensure the ideas we contribute are effectively translated into policies.
Inclusive Security’s Colombia strategic plan for 2007 is based on three pillars:
1. Increasing the number of women in elected positions and enhancing the efforts of the Women’s Caucus;
2. Mainstreaming gender issues in the work of the National Commission for Reparation and Reconciliation; and
3. Gender-sensitive implementation of the Justice and Peace Law.
Recommendations
Click here for recommendations from the May 2007 consultation in Spanish.
Click here for recommendations from the 2007 Colloquium in either English or Spanish.
Click here for recommendations from the November 2006 workshop in either English or Spanish.
Publications
Read our previous reports on Colombia:
Directory of Women Peace Experts
Use our directory to find women peace experts from Colombia.
Press Releases & Media Coverage
Colombian Leaders Agree: Empowering Women Strengthens Their Democracy
November 6, 2006
Speech to the United Nations Security Council by Colombia Representative Claudia Blum, on Women, Peace, and Security
Resources
Click here for Colombia-specific resources.