A Review of the European Union’s Gender Approach in Its Support for the Colombian Peace Process

Abstract

The Colombian peace process is considered a conceptually and politically innovative one due to the relevance that the gender approach acquired in the 2016 Peace Agreement. Therefore, this chapter analyses the gender and peace agenda of the European Union’s cooperation in Colombia. The results point to an increase in gender mainstreaming, especially through the European Peace Fund. This trend is reinforced by the guidelines of the Gender Action Plan III (2020–2025), which state that 85% of all new EU actions in external relations must contribute to gender equality and women’s empowerment. However, other findings point to specific actions that can be assessed from a more critical perspective, for example: “adding” women in activities that are not based necessarily on analyses about the causes of gender inequality; adopting a “family approach” outside of gender considerations; reinforcing, homogenizing and victimizing images of women when they are reduced to the category of “vulnerable groups”; subsuming support for women in actions aimed at a diverse set of civil society subjects; the lack of integral gender and intersectional approaches; and the lack of a dual strategy that combines mainstreaming with a gender line of action that has its own financing.