On 29 January, NIMD Colombia held a knowledge-sharing workshop for women in politics. The event provided a space for 40 women from different regions of the country to come together and share their experiences.

The participants, who have all run in past elections, reflected on the way women do politics in Colombia, the opportunities they find, the strategies they use and the obstacles that they face.

Through a series of capacity-building workshops, they shared their learnings and insights from political campaigning. Together, they were able to strengthen their skills and build their network with the other participants, who hailed from parties from the political spectrum.

The workshop was a joint initiative between the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, the Electoral Observation Mission and NIMD Colombia.

NIMD’s work to support women in politics

Supporting women in politics is central to NIMD’s programme in Colombia. For several years, NIMD has provided technical assistance to the Women’s Caucus in Congress, and facilitated joint initiatives by the Multiparty Board of Women to improve women’s political rights.

This is a key part of our work to build trust in democratic institutions and, in turn, contribute to more stable peace and egalitarian opportunities for women in politics.

As part of our programme, we also provide Training Schools for the Political Empowerment of Women, which serve to strengthen the knowledge and skills of female activists and MPs.

Through these schools, we support women in overcoming some of the systemic barriers to their participation in elections. For example, we help participants devise campaigns and use the latest technology to deliver their message to the voting public. Other subjects are the electoral political system, the political participation of women and violence against women in politics.