Colombian women’s peace conference in London

ABColombia, a coalition of organisations supporting human rights in Colombia, will host a public conference in London next month in association with Conciliation Resources. 

The one day event, entitled, ‘Colombia Securing Peace: Women’s achievements and the challenges ahead’, will take place on Wednesday 22 November. Bringing together Colombian women, human rights defenders, international policy-makers and academics, the conference will explore the gender dynamics surrounding the peace accord signed in November 2016 by the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

The historic deal demonstrated what can be achieved by women in peace agreements. These hard won commitments will be debated during the conference. Discussions will cover the innovative approaches used to obtain the gender commitments; what was achieved in terms of gender-based agreements; what the challenges are for implementation; and how the lessons learned in achieving a gender focus can benefit other peace processes.
 
Kristian Herbolzheimer, Director of Conciliation Resources’ Transitions to Peace Programme, will be chairing one of the key debates of the day. This session will look at challenges to the implementation of gender and ethnic provisions within the deal, including the potential impact on the economic, social and cultural rights of indigenous women. Earlier this year, Conciliation Resources supported Colombian partner organisation CIASE to establish the National Council of Indigenous Women in Colombia (CONAMIC). This is a network of women from 10 different indigenous groups working to promote the rights and active participation of indigenous women in the on-going peace process.
 
Helga Flamtermesky will also be participating in one of the day’s panel events looking at the Transitional Justice System, and the connection between this and sustainable peace. Helga is the the coordinator of the Truth, Memory and Reconciliation Commission of Colombian Women in the Diaspora (TMRC) - an initiative supported by Conciliation Resources. The TMRC brings together women in London and Barcelona, to share their stories and memories of conflict and migration, and to claim a voice in Colombia’s peace process.
 
To book your tickets for this exciting conference, visit the conference ticketing page. Earlybird ticket sales end on 15 October and ticket prices start from £15.