Improvement of Labour Relations and the Promotion of Women's Economic Equality in Colombia, 2001-2005

Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), the project “Improvement of Labor Relations and the Promotion of Women's Economic Equality in Colombia” was implemented by the ILO, from November 2001 to September 2005. The project had two components: 1) labor relations and 2) women's economic equality. Labour relations component: The activities undertaken under this component were oriented to the promotion of fundamental principles and rights at work through national and regional fora and training activities. Women's Economic Equality component: Under this component, the project developed a microenterprise/gender training methodology in collaboration with its social partners. The project organized five regional methodology transfer seminars where 133 professionals representing 15 public and private institutions received microenterprise/gender training. Moreover, the Presidential Council on Women's Equity initiated a program using the microenterprise/gender methodology in ten universities, where business and economics students would conduct microenterprise/gender training for women in low-income communities, as part of their curriculum. The major impact of training was the empowerment of female entrepreneurs at the personal as well as the household level. Women's groups learned how to prepare project proposals, including business plans. As a result of this training, some women received funding from the government for the proposals they developed.