In 2017, Cultural Practice, LLC (CP) facilitated gender integration workshops for staff of U.S. Embassies and other US government departments and agencies in Peru and Colombia. Working with the State Department’s Office on Global Women’s Issues and FHI360, CP designed and facilitated sessions, including on gender analysis, gender integration in projects and policies, and on addressing gender equality and social inclusion in monitoring and evaluation.
Approximately 150 people attended at least one of the three workshops in Peru. The participants were from all USG departments and agencies working under the aegis of the Embassy. The level of commitment of the US Embassy to gender equality was reflected in the attendance of four section Chiefs, the USAID Mission Director, and the U.S. Ambassador.
Other sessions highlighted evidence-based reasons to invest in gender equality in Peru and focused on gender-based violence (GBV), both worldwide and in Peru, as well as USG efforts to address GBV. The sessions were participatory, with activities such as mapping GBV in Lima neighborhoods and analyzing the factors contributing to its occurrence and the challenges affecting the response of government services.
At the end of the training, participants broke into groups related to their different sectors to develop future action steps for gender integration in their work in Peru. USAID, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, and officers and staff from the consulate drafted goals around gender metrics, women’s participation in trainings, and increasing resources allocated to gender integration.
Whether the participants’ work focused on democracy and governance, alternative development, natural resources management, or another area, the workshop built their capacity to consider how gender integration could enhance the reach and effectiveness of work in their respective sectors.