Situation
In order to further the agenda of ensuring women’s human rights within the United Nations Women, Peace, and Security resolution, 1000 women from the Colombian government, local organisations and UN Women have been working to produce a National Action Plan since 2015. This process involved the recognition of reconciliatory and pacifist commitments for Colombia, encouraging diverse political participation of women from varying sociological backgrounds in Colombia. The Action Plan, endorsed by the UN, is a prototypical case for enhancing the agenda of centralising women’s role in peacebuilding globally.
The Plan is intended to promote gender equality, protect women’s human rights in situations of conflict and post-conflict environments, and strengthen security for lasting peace. It constitutes the first systematised effort to safeguard women in the armed conflict in Colombia.
Background
Since the establishment of the UNSC Resolution 1325 in 2000 the priority of centralising women’s role in peacebuilding was realised, noting the disproportionate impact of conflict on women. The Colombian National Action Plan is a product of global efforts at addressing women’s empowerment in an organised public policy space. This alliance of women’s organisations includes Sisma Mujer, Red Nacional, Limpal, Codacop, Humanas, Colombia Diversa, Ciase, and Casa de la Mujer. Whilst the Duque government (2018-2022) began the process, he did not engage in any consultation with civil society organisations.
The Plan’s coordination is under the Ministry of Foreign Relations and the Presidential Counsellor for Women’s Equality and 23 women’s organisations in Colombia that bridge dialogue between the government and civil society. With further support from the International Cooperation Gender Table, countries including Norway, Sweden, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada are funding these efforts.
In August 2022, the new government conducted consultations for its implementation. The process involved five regional sessions with wide participation, a National Forum, and thematic, and population-specific forums. The institutional inclusion of grassroots organisations is novel and prototypical for furthering women’s centrality in the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. In May 2023, Colombia hosted an inter-institutional conference on the UNSC WPS Resolution 1325 for implementing the National Action Plan.
Impact
The necessity of the Plan is in the context of the impact of armed conflict on women including forced displacement, sexual and gender-based violence, and control of territory and organisational initiatives of women among others. According to the Equal Measures 2030’s SDG Index Report women’s access to justice in Colombia is “limited” and women’s perception of security in Colombia is 12 points lower than the global average. Primarily, improving women’s participation in political processes will include strengthened coordination between national and local judicial services.
The process of development of the Plan has coordinated the centralisation of women’s experiences from diverse backgrounds in the country. It integrates various stakeholders’ contributions in a participatory approach. Yet the position of the Action Plan remains questionable. While progress is slow, the Plan must be wary of the ‘add women and stir’ approach such that the crux of gender disproportionality remains ill-addressed.
Current Action
The organisations contributing to the development of the Plan and its provisions have worked consistently to influence the Colombian government to implement it. The Permanent Missions of Colombia and Switzerland to the UN and the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders hosted a High-Level Policy Briefing on Women’s Political Participation in 2023. The platform furthered the understanding of Colombia’s solutions on WPS and the enhancement of women’s political empowerment.
Still, the existence of the document without policy action and budget allocations would be negligible in terms of impact. According to Katharina Wagner, International Civil Service Peacekeeper of the Ruta Pacifica de las Mujeres (Women’s Pacific Route) in Colombia, the Plan aims to deliver on the wider landscape of violence against women exacerbated in the context of conflict. The highlighted influence of historical discriminations is necessary for the development of the Plan.
Colombia’s Plan leads in enhancing the political participation for women amongst any other countries with implemented Business and Human Rights National Action Plans. It is structured along the UN Guiding Principles, protect, respect, and remedy. These principles allow states to take actions under the complementarity of institutions according to the specific regional contexts. Colombia’s implementation is thereby ordered in this regard and opens new pathways for state transparency in policy making and action.
The Colombian government has also endorsed the method of integrating experience and perspectives with human rights and private sector activities through the multi-actor initiative of the Plan. According to the first annual NAP evaluation report in 2016, “the Colombian Government accompanies these spaces and promotes proliferation of good practices at the regional and municipal level by facilitating spaces for dialogue and consultation between companies, the State and civil society”.
While the Colombian government is still confronting challenges pertaining to the complete implementation of the Plan, it has insisted on maintaining the participative process that led to its making. Since April 2023, the roadmap has involved over 16 women’s, feminist, and civil society organisations through whom the resolution continues to be monitored. Through an Advisory Commission under the Inter-Institutional Working Group, the experiences and knowledge of the participatory actors is being harnessed. Such experiences and knowledge should contribute to peacebuilding globally and ensure that the female perspective is given its due place in rebuilding our societies.
References
https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/feature-story/2023/10/how-womens-voices-are-shaping-colombias-path-to-peace
https://www.abcolombia.org.uk/advances-in-the-national-action-plan-resolution-1325/#:~:text=The%20aim%20of%20the%20National,long%2Dlasting%20and%20sustainable%20peace.
https://media.un.org/en/asset/k17/k171d10dxb
https://www.equalmeasures2030.org/story/first-national-action-plan-against-the-armed-conflict-in-colombia-what-impact-can-it-have-on-the-lives-of-women-and-girls/#:~:text=This%20Plan%20could%20mean%20that,gender%2Dbased%20and%20sexual%20violence.
https://www.graduateinstitute.ch/communications/news/women-and-peace-colombia-which-women-whose-peace-what-security-are-involved
https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/b956ef57-en/index.html?itemId=/content/publication/b956ef57-en#:~:text=Equal%20access%20to%20justice%20can,especially%20among%20victims%20of%20violence.
https://globalnaps.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/colombia-annual-report-on-nap-implementation-2016-17-english.pdf
In order to further the agenda of ensuring women’s human rights within the United Nations Women, Peace, and Security resolution, 1000 women from the Colombian government, local organisations and UN Women have been working to produce a National Action Plan since 2015. This process involved the recognition of reconciliatory and pacifist commitments for Colombia, encouraging diverse political participation of women from varying sociological backgrounds in Colombia. The Action Plan, endorsed by the UN, is a prototypical case for enhancing the agenda of centralising women’s role in peacebuilding globally.
The Plan is intended to promote gender equality, protect women’s human rights in situations of conflict and post-conflict environments, and strengthen security for lasting peace. It constitutes the first systematised effort to safeguard women in the armed conflict in Colombia.
Background
Since the establishment of the UNSC Resolution 1325 in 2000 the priority of centralising women’s role in peacebuilding was realised, noting the disproportionate impact of conflict on women. The Colombian National Action Plan is a product of global efforts at addressing women’s empowerment in an organised public policy space. This alliance of women’s organisations includes Sisma Mujer, Red Nacional, Limpal, Codacop, Humanas, Colombia Diversa, Ciase, and Casa de la Mujer. Whilst the Duque government (2018-2022) began the process, he did not engage in any consultation with civil society organisations.
The Plan’s coordination is under the Ministry of Foreign Relations and the Presidential Counsellor for Women’s Equality and 23 women’s organisations in Colombia that bridge dialogue between the government and civil society. With further support from the International Cooperation Gender Table, countries including Norway, Sweden, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada are funding these efforts.
In August 2022, the new government conducted consultations for its implementation. The process involved five regional sessions with wide participation, a National Forum, and thematic, and population-specific forums. The institutional inclusion of grassroots organisations is novel and prototypical for furthering women’s centrality in the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. In May 2023, Colombia hosted an inter-institutional conference on the UNSC WPS Resolution 1325 for implementing the National Action Plan.
Impact
The necessity of the Plan is in the context of the impact of armed conflict on women including forced displacement, sexual and gender-based violence, and control of territory and organisational initiatives of women among others. According to the Equal Measures 2030’s SDG Index Report women’s access to justice in Colombia is “limited” and women’s perception of security in Colombia is 12 points lower than the global average. Primarily, improving women’s participation in political processes will include strengthened coordination between national and local judicial services.
The process of development of the Plan has coordinated the centralisation of women’s experiences from diverse backgrounds in the country. It integrates various stakeholders’ contributions in a participatory approach. Yet the position of the Action Plan remains questionable. While progress is slow, the Plan must be wary of the ‘add women and stir’ approach such that the crux of gender disproportionality remains ill-addressed.
Current Action
The organisations contributing to the development of the Plan and its provisions have worked consistently to influence the Colombian government to implement it. The Permanent Missions of Colombia and Switzerland to the UN and the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders hosted a High-Level Policy Briefing on Women’s Political Participation in 2023. The platform furthered the understanding of Colombia’s solutions on WPS and the enhancement of women’s political empowerment.
Still, the existence of the document without policy action and budget allocations would be negligible in terms of impact. According to Katharina Wagner, International Civil Service Peacekeeper of the Ruta Pacifica de las Mujeres (Women’s Pacific Route) in Colombia, the Plan aims to deliver on the wider landscape of violence against women exacerbated in the context of conflict. The highlighted influence of historical discriminations is necessary for the development of the Plan.
Colombia’s Plan leads in enhancing the political participation for women amongst any other countries with implemented Business and Human Rights National Action Plans. It is structured along the UN Guiding Principles, protect, respect, and remedy. These principles allow states to take actions under the complementarity of institutions according to the specific regional contexts. Colombia’s implementation is thereby ordered in this regard and opens new pathways for state transparency in policy making and action.
The Colombian government has also endorsed the method of integrating experience and perspectives with human rights and private sector activities through the multi-actor initiative of the Plan. According to the first annual NAP evaluation report in 2016, “the Colombian Government accompanies these spaces and promotes proliferation of good practices at the regional and municipal level by facilitating spaces for dialogue and consultation between companies, the State and civil society”.
While the Colombian government is still confronting challenges pertaining to the complete implementation of the Plan, it has insisted on maintaining the participative process that led to its making. Since April 2023, the roadmap has involved over 16 women’s, feminist, and civil society organisations through whom the resolution continues to be monitored. Through an Advisory Commission under the Inter-Institutional Working Group, the experiences and knowledge of the participatory actors is being harnessed. Such experiences and knowledge should contribute to peacebuilding globally and ensure that the female perspective is given its due place in rebuilding our societies.
References
https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/feature-story/2023/10/how-womens-voices-are-shaping-colombias-path-to-peace
https://www.abcolombia.org.uk/advances-in-the-national-action-plan-resolution-1325/#:~:text=The%20aim%20of%20the%20National,long%2Dlasting%20and%20sustainable%20peace.
https://media.un.org/en/asset/k17/k171d10dxb
https://www.equalmeasures2030.org/story/first-national-action-plan-against-the-armed-conflict-in-colombia-what-impact-can-it-have-on-the-lives-of-women-and-girls/#:~:text=This%20Plan%20could%20mean%20that,gender%2Dbased%20and%20sexual%20violence.
https://www.graduateinstitute.ch/communications/news/women-and-peace-colombia-which-women-whose-peace-what-security-are-involved
https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/b956ef57-en/index.html?itemId=/content/publication/b956ef57-en#:~:text=Equal%20access%20to%20justice%20can,especially%20among%20victims%20of%20violence.
https://globalnaps.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/colombia-annual-report-on-nap-implementation-2016-17-english.pdf