Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have recognized that South-South and Triangular Cooperation are essential to addressing sustainable development challenges while leaving no one behind.
The Ministries of Foreign Affairs and international cooperation agencies of Chile, Colombia, and Mexico, together with the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ), through its implementing agency, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), have joined forces in the project “Strengthening Feminist Foreign Policy and Feminist International Cooperation (CoPEF).” The project, approved by the Regional Fund for Triangular Cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean (BMZ/GIZ), is framed within an international context marked by multiple and complex challenges and brings partners together through a community of practice to implement transformative policies that promote and accelerate the achievement of the 2030 Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Regional Gender Agenda.
*
How did the CoPEF community emerge?
The CoPEF Community of Practice, “Strengthening Feminist Foreign Policy and Feminist International Cooperation,” emerged from the recognition by the partner countries of the need to address a shared challenge: the development of a conceptual and operational framework for the institutionalization of their Feminist Foreign Policies. In addition, it seeks to guide and support other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that decide to embark on this transformation of their foreign policy and international cooperation, from a Global South perspective.
Through the establishment of a community of practice, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico—the three countries in the region that currently have a Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP)—together with Germany and ECLAC, came together to mark a significant milestone in terms of cooperation modalities. The CoPEF community represents the first initiative on gender equality and feminist cooperation supported by the BMZ/GIZ Regional Fund for Triangular Cooperation, and the first in which ECLAC participates.
*
What is the objetive of the CoPEF community?
The community was created with the aim of facilitating dialogue and participatory learning processes, building a community around the design and implementation of Feminist Foreign Policies and gender-responsive International Development Cooperation, and strengthening the capacities of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and international cooperation agencies of Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Germany.
*
Who can join this community of practice?
The community of practice is primarily intended for government officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and national international cooperation agencies of Latin American and Caribbean countries who are involved in the design and implementation of Feminist Foreign Policies and gender-responsive International Development Cooperation.
In addition, the community is open to public officials, professionals, experts, and academics, as well as members of civil society, the international cooperation community, and international organizations interested in Feminist Foreign Policies and international development cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean.
