Effective participation
Page 34, 2. Political participation: A democratic opportunity to build peace, preamble
Taking account of the fact that women face greater social and institutional barriers in terms of political participation, as a result of deep-rooted discrimination and inequality, as well as structural conditions of exclusion and subordination, there will be significant challenges in guaranteeing their right to participation, and facing up to and transforming these historical conditions will involve developing affirmative measures that will safeguard women's participation in the various areas of political and social representation. To that end, the situation and condition of women in all contexts and in all special aspects will have to be acknowledged.
Page 34, 2. Political participation: A democratic opportunity to build peace, preamble
The review and modernisation of the electoral organisation and system must make provision for greater participation by citizens in the electoral process. Greater electoral participation additionally requires inclusive measures that will facilitate the exercising of this right, especially in outlying zones or zones affected by the conflict and neglect, taking account of the specific difficulties of women living in these zones in exercising this right.
Page 35, 2. Political participation: A democratic opportunity to build peace, preamble
In consolidating citizen participation on the part of women, their social agendas have to be appreciated and their contribution to public life as political subjects has to be recognised, especially in the area of the promotion and defence of their rights.
Page 35, 2. Political participation: A democratic opportunity to build peace, preamble
The promotion not only of political pluralism but also social movements and organisations, particularly of women, young people and other sectors excluded from the exercise of politics and, in general, the democratic debate, requires new forums for dissemination in order that parties, organisations and communities involved in peacebuilding can gain access to space on national, regional and local channels and broadcasters.
Page 38, 2.1.2.1. Comprehensive Security System for the Exercise of Politics
The System will include the following elements:
a. Appropriate regulations and institutions:
• Creation of a high-level unit:
o This unit will be accountable to the Office of the President of the Republic and will establish mechanisms for ongoing dialogue with political movements and parties, especially those in opposition, and the new movement arising from the transition of the FARC-EP to legal political activity. The mechanisms will include, inter alia, a system of planning, information and monitoring, and a follow-up and evaluation commission (see sub-paragraph d). The unit will promote effective dialogue with women.
c. Protection:
The Government will have the necessary resources to protect the integrity of leaders, men and women, taking part in political activity, with particular attention to their specific needs.
Page 40, 2.1.2.1. Comprehensive Security System for the Exercise of Politics
The System will include the following elements:
d. Evaluation and follow-up:
• A planning, information and monitoring system, which will be inter-institutional in nature and include representation of political movements and parties, will be set up and will make it possible to evaluate performance and results and at the same time to adapt strategy and procedures in order to guarantee conditions of security in the exercising of politics. This system will include specific information as to risks and threats concerning the participation and the political, social and community representation of women.
Page 41, 2.2. Democratic mechanisms for citizen participation, including those concerning direct participation, at various levels and in various subject areas
2.2.1. Guarantees for social organisations and movements
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A democratic, organised society is a prerequisite for building a stable and long-lasting peace, in particular within the context of the implementation of this Agreement. Thus, it is important to act in such a manner as to strengthen social movements and organisations and especially to offer guarantees for their involvement and dialogue with the authorities. In addition, on the understanding that a society in which women take an active part is a more democratic society, it is important to strengthen their organisations and to empower them as protagonists within social movements and organisations.
Page 42, 2.2. Democratic mechanisms for citizen participation, including those concerning direct participation, at various levels and in various subject areas
2.2.1. Guarantees for social organisations and movements
With these aims, the National Government will prepare a bill of guarantees and promotion of citizen participation and other activities that social movements and organisations can enjoy, on the basis of the following guidelines which will be discussed at national level and will include the participation of spokespersons from the most representative social movements and organisations:
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• Through legal and technical assistance, support for the creation and consolidation of social movements and organisations. Notwithstanding the principle of equality, support will be given in the form of extraordinary measures to organisations of women, young people and groups historically discriminated against.
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Page 42, 2.2. Democratic mechanisms for citizen participation, including those concerning direct participation, at various levels and in various subject areas
2.2.1. Guarantees for social organisations and movements
With these aims, the National Government will prepare a bill of guarantees and promotion of citizen participation and other activities that social movements and organisations can enjoy, on the basis of the following guidelines which will be discussed at national level and will include the participation of spokespersons from the most representative social movements and organisations:
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• Citizen participation forums will extend and guarantee, with equal participation between men and women, the representation of social movements and organisations, citizen control and dialogue with local, municipal, departmental and national authorities.
Page 45, 2.2.3. Citizen participation through community, institutional and regional media
The community, institutional and regional media must contribute to citizen participation and especially promote civic values, the acknowledgement of different ethnic and cultural identities, equality of opportunity between men and women, political3 and social inclusion, national integration and, in general, the consolidation of democracy. Citizen participation in community media will further contribute to the building of a democratic culture based on the principles of freedom, dignity and affiliation, and to strengthening communities with links based on good neighbourliness or mutual collaboration.
Pages 46-47, 2.2.4. Guarantees for reconciliation, coexistence, tolerance and non-stigmatisation, especiallyby reason of political and social action within the context of mutual respect
With this aim, the Government will set up a National Council for Reconciliation and Coexistence (Consejo Nacional para la Reconciliación y la Convivencia), which will be composed of representatives from government, the Office of the Inspector General, the Office of the Ombudsman, representatives appointed by political movements and parties, including such movement as may arise from the transition of the FARC-EP to legal political activity, social movements and organisations, particularly those involving women, the rural population, trade associations, ethnic minorities, churches, religious faiths, organisations based on faith and organisations in the religious sector, the education sector, inter alia. The Council will have the function of advising and monitoring the Government in implementing mechanisms and actions, which are to include:
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• The promotion of non-stigmatisation of groups in vulnerable circumstances or discriminated against, such as women, ethnic peoples and communities, the LGBTI population, young people, boys and girls and the elderly, disabled persons, political minorities and religious minorities.
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• The promotion of reconciliation, coexistence and tolerance, especially in those populations most affected by the conflict, taking account of the disproportionate impact of the conflict on women.
Page 48, 2.2.5. Citizen control and oversight
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The citizen control and oversight mechanisms envisaged will include effective participation by women.
Page 50, 2.2.6. Policy for strengthening democratic, participatory planning
The National Government will make the necessary adjustments as these emerge from the review process at all levels of the participatory system in planning processes.
d. Consolidation of institutional designs and methodology with the aim of facilitating citizen participation and ensuring the effectiveness thereof in terms of the formulation of public social policies such as in the areas of health, education, combating poverty and inequality, the environment and culture. To that end, the National Government, in collaboration with the relevant sectors, will review the sector-based participatory processes and forums and will issue instructions to the respective institutions for the latter to adapt their regulations, organisation and method of operation. The National Government will adopt measures to facilitate the effective participation of women in this scenario, including measures to make it possible to overcome obstacles concerning women's carer and reproductive roles.
e. Consolidation and promotion of the preparation of participatory budgets that take account of gender and women's rights at local level, with the following aims:
• To promote involvement on the part of men and women in prioritising a portion of the investment budget in such a manner as to reflect the conclusions arising from the participatory planning exercises.
• To provide incentives for the formulation and implementation of participatory budgets.
• To promote mechanisms for monitoring and accountability in connection with the participatory budget exercises.
Page 52, 2.3.2. Promotion of electoral participation
With a view to promoting greater electoral participation, the National Government, together with the competent authorities, will promote the following measures:
• Promotion of information, training, teaching and dissemination campaigns to stimulate electoral participation at national and regional level, with special emphasis on the promotion of greater involvement on the part of women, vulnerable populations and territories especially affected by the conflict and neglect.
• Implementation of a nationwide mass ID-issuance campaign, prioritising marginalised and rural zones, particularly those most affected by the conflict and neglect, and providing measures to facilitate access to this campaign by rural women.
Page 54, 2.3.5. Promotion of a democratic and participatory political culture
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To promote a democratic, participatory culture, the National Government will implement the following measures:
• Promotion of democratic values, political participation and the mechanisms thereof, to guarantee and enhance knowledge of them and their effective use, thereby consolidating the exercising of the rights enshrined in the Constitution, doing so by means of media campaigns and training workshops. Special emphasis will be placed on the most vulnerable populations such as rural communities, women, religious minorities, ethnic peoples and communities and LGBTI groups. The content of these campaigns will incorporate values to challenge multiple forms of discrimination.
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• A programme to promote political participation and leadership by women.
Page 55, 2.3.6. Promotion of the political representation of populations and zones particularly affectedby the conflict and neglect
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In any event, candidates must be people who regularly live in said territories or have been displaced from them and are in the process of returning. Candidates may be registered by significant groups of citizens or organisations in an electoral district, such as rural organisations, organisations of victims (including displaced people), and organisations of women and social sectors working to build the peace and to improve social conditions in a region, inter alia. The National Government will launch processes to strengthen social organisations in these territories, in particular victims' organisations with a view to promoting their participation in the electoral district.
Page 55, 2.3.7. Promotion of women's political and citizen participation within the context of this Agreement
The National Government and the FARC-EP acknowledge the important role played by women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in the consolidation of peace, and also the need to promote and to strengthen women's political and citizen participation even more within the context of the end of the conflict. Their leadership and participation on an equal footing are necessary and essential in terms of public decision-making processes and the formulation, implementation, evaluation and monitoring of government policies aimed at achieving a stable and long-lasting peace.
Page 55, 2.3.7. Promotion of women's political and citizen participation within the context of this Agreement
The National Government and the FARC-EP reject any form of discrimination against women and reaffirm that their contribution as political subjects in public life is vital for strengthening democracy and for maintaining and fomenting the peace. In implementing all that which is agreed in Chapter 2 of this Agreement, the gender-based approach will be guaranteed and the necessary affirmative measures will be designed and adopted to strengthen women's participation and leadership and, in general, to promote fulfilment of the aforesaid proposals.
The strengthening of women's political and citizen participation on an equal footing includes the adoption of measures that will guarantee balanced representation of men and women in shaping all the forums referred to herein. Likewise, balanced participation and leadership by women within social movements and organisations and political parties must be promoted. With the aim of raising awareness of women's rights and promoting new leadership roles for them, training programmes are to be implemented concerning their political rights and forms of political and citizen participation.
The aforesaid has no bearing on the duty to step up compliance with international undertakings and regulations and also national regulations in this area.
Page 56, 2.3.8. Creation of a new space for providing media access to political movements and parties
To supplement that which is agreed within the context of sections 2.2 and 2.3 concerning media access for social movements and organisations and political movements and parties, respectively, the Government undertakes to provide a closed institutional TV channel designed for political movements and parties with legal status for the purposes of the dissemination of their political platforms within the context of respect for ideas and difference. This channel will also be a way in which to provide information on the work of victims’ organisations, social movements and organisations, to promote a democratic culture of peace and reconciliation and of non-discriminatory values with respect for the right of women to a life free of violence, and also to publicise progress made in terms of implementing the plans and programmes agreed with the context of this Agreement.
Citizenship
Page 12, 1. Towards a New Colombian Countryside: Comprehensive Rural Reform
Equality and a gender-based approach: acknowledgement of women as independent citizens with rights, who, irrespective of their marital status, or relationship to their family or community, have access, on an equal footing to men, to ownership of land and production projects, funding options, infrastructure, technical services and training, inter alia; attention is to be given to the social and institutional conditions that have prevented women from gaining access to the assets of production and to public and social benefits. Such recognition requires the adoption of specific measures in terms of planning, implementation and monitoring of the plans and programmes covered in this agreement so that these can be implemented whilst taking account of the specific needs and distinct conditions of women, in accordance with their lifecycle, painful experiences and needs.
Page 45, 2.2.3. Citizen participation through community, institutional and regional media
In addition, in an end-of-conflict scenario, the community, institutional and regional media will play a part in the development and promotion of a culture of participation, equality and nondiscrimination, peaceful coexistence, peace with social justice, and reconciliation, its content
incorporating non-discriminatory values and respect for the rights of women to a life free from violence.
Page 52, 2.3.2. Promotion of electoral participation
With a view to promoting greater electoral participation, the National Government, together with the competent authorities, will promote the following measures:
• Implementation of a nationwide mass ID-issuance campaign, prioritising marginalised and rural zones, particularly those most affected by the conflict and neglect, and providing measures to facilitate access to this campaign by rural women.
Other
Summary: this category includes references to both women and women's organisation in areas and forums not covered under 'general quotas', 'effective participation and citizenship'
Page 11, 1. Towards a New Colombian Countryside: Comprehensive Rural Reform
The effectiveness, transparency and proper development of the CRR are largely dependent on the promotion of broad participation on the part of communities through the generation of participatory and democratic institutional forums where said communities have the capacity for change and to affect the planning, implementation and monitoring of the various plans and programmes agreed upon. Participation is also a guarantee of the greater inclusion of rural communities – women and men – in the political, economic, social and cultural life of their regions and thus of the nation.
Page 17,
1.1.5. Large-scale titling of small and medium-sized rural property:
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The participation of women and women’s organisations in the various spaces created for conciliation and the resolution of conflicts concerning land use and possession will be promoted.
Page 18, 1.1.8. Certain mechanisms to resolve conflicts concerning possession and use of land and the strengthening of food production: with a view to contributing to land tenure regularisation and the protection of property rights, promoting appropriate use of land, improving land planning and management, preventing and mitigating conflicts concerning use and possession, and, in particular, to resolving conflicts that jeopardise or limit food production, the National Government will:
• Set up flexible, efficient mechanisms for conciliation and conflict resolution concerning land use and possession, aimed at guaranteeing effective protection of rural property rights; resolving conflicts concerning rights of land possession and use; and, in general, promoting the regularisation of rural property, including traditional mechanisms and participative intervention by communities in conflict resolution. Furthermore, the National Government will, to the same end, set in motion a new rural land legal system that will enjoy appropriate coverage and capacity across Colombia, with emphasis on prioritised areas, and with mechanisms that guarantee access to justice that is expedite and timely to the rural poor, with legal advice and special training for women regarding their rights and access to justice, together with specific measures for overcoming barriers that constitute obstacles to the recognition and protection of women’s rights over land. The participation of women and women’s organisations in the various spaces created for conciliation and the resolution of conflicts concerning land use and possession will be promoted.
Page 22, 1.2. Development Programmes with a Territorial-Based Focus (DPTFs)
1.2.1. Objective: the objective of the DPTFs is to achieve the structural transformation of the countryside and the rural environment and to promote an equitable relationship between rural and urban areas, with a view to guaranteeing:
• The recognition and promotion of community organisations, including organisations of rural women, enabling them to become protagonists in the structural transformation of the countryside;
Page 111, 4.1.2. Aims
The National Comprehensive Programme for the Substitution of Crops Used for Illicit Purposes will be implemented within the framework and as a part of the Comprehensive Rural Reform (CRR) and must achieve the following aims:
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• Strengthening the participation and capabilities of small-scale farmer’s organisations, including rural women’s organisations, to provide support (technical, financial, human support, inter alia) for their projects.
• Involving women as active subjects in the agreement processes in relation to voluntary substitution, recognising their active role in the processes of rural development.
Page 116, 4.1.3.5. Participative construction and development of the comprehensive community-based and municipal plans for the substitution of illicit crops and alternative agrarian development (Planes integrales comunitarios y municipales de sustitución y desarrollo alternativo, CPSAD):
• Community assemblies:
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The community assemblies form the basis of the participative planning scheme. This begins with the drafting of a proposal containing a comprehensive vision for the territory and identifying the needs, opportunities and priorities, within the framework of the NCPS and in accordance with the content thereof. The community assemblies will incorporate all the communities in the area affected, including the producers of crops used for illicit purposes, and will ensure the effective participation of women in these spaces.
Page 118, 4.1.3.5. Participative construction and development of the comprehensive community-based and municipal plans for the substitution of illicit crops and alternative agrarian development (Planes integrales comunitarios y municipales de sustitución y desarrollo alternativo, CPSAD):
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• Comprehensive community-based and municipal plans for substitution of illicit crops and alternative agrarian development
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For the implementation of the substitution plans, preference shall be given to contracting community organisations and the creation of jobs in the areas related to the NCPS shall be promoted, for which purpose social and community organisations and cooperatives, also including rural women’s organisations, shall be strengthened and solidarity-based associative practices and technical training shall be promoted.