COMMUNICATIONS THEMATIC AREA
The Fund is committed to strengthening the capacities of women and their organisations so they can continue to lead the monitoring and oversight of the implementation of the Peace Agreement — which includes historical demands — and to ensure that the exercising of their rights becomes a reality. Women have been, and continue to be, essential in promoting and advancing lasting peace strategies.
For this reason, the aim is to:
- Involve women and their organisational processes by promoting their empowerment as monitors of the implementation of the Agreement, as well as enablers of peacebuilding in their territories.
- Similarly, strengthen the mechanisms established in the 2016 Peace Agreement (Point 6) for monitoring, such as the Special Women’s Instance (IEM), and other mechanisms that must incorporate gender analysis to highlight the progress and challenges in the implementation of the Agreement.
Sowing seeds of hope in San Pedro: Yadirys’s voice in the face of fear and oblivion
Being born and bred in San Pedro de Urabá in the mid-1990s meant being starkly aware of the grandeur of the biodiversity of its mangroves and tropical rainforest, but also learning to live life with care. For its residents, each dawn could bring with it the news of another massacre or the fear of seeing how different armed groups fought for control of the territory, trampling on the dreams of a rural community that simply yearned for peace.
In that climate of uncertainty Yadirys Pérez Díaz, was born in 1994, the fifth of eight siblings. Although her childhood was marked by fear, her memories are also woven with the threads of rural pride: the scent of damp earth, the froth of fresh milk, and a deep respect for horses — a legacy from her father, Catalino. From her mother, Prisciliana Díaz, she inherited the strength of leadership: at just 12 years old, she accompanied her on her campaign for the Municipal Council, only a few months after they lost their home, which was burned down under circumstances that are still unexplained. That experience was decisive — it planted in Yadirys a deep commitment to her community and the conviction to transform pain into collective action.
It was in 2015 that her calling took concrete shape when she was chosen as the youth representative for victims of the conflict on the Effective Participation Roundtable for Victims in San Pedro de Urabá. From that point on, she began to move with greater determination towards community leadership, understanding that her voice could be a channel for transformation — not only for herself, but for many others in her region.
Today, Yadirys Yadirys is a mother of three daughters, a public administration graduate, and her commitment remains unwavering. She takes an active part in the PDET Community Roundtable, the Steering Committee, the Victims’ Roundtable, and works in the Legislative Work Unit (UTL) of the representative for the Peace Seat for the Urabá subregion. Each space has been an opportunity for her to grow as a leader, a mother, and a professional, always guided by the purpose of improving the lives of her community.
The Fund highlights the dedication of female peacebuilders as the foundations and driving force behind democratic and peaceful spaces. As a young member of her territory’s steering committee, Yadirys
now has greater tools to represent her community as a spokesperson and advocate for its needs and territorial aspirations before the relevant authorities. She also plays a key role as a monitor of the implementation of the Peace Agreement and the PDET initiatives in the Urabá region of Antioquia.