Email this page 

Dra. Martha Lucía Vásquez Zawadzky
Vice-President
Inter-American Commission of Women

Biographies' Main Page
 

STUDIES AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 

· Law Degree from the University of San Buenaventura, with legal studies in Liquidation of Corporations. 

· Superior legal studies in securities and guarantees administration from Los Andes University and Rosario University in Bogotá. 

· Studies in Gender and Women from the Cultural and Social Institute of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá. 

· Legal advisor for the private sector and external lawyer for several companies in the financial field in Bogotá, during 18 years (1981- 1999.) 

PROMOTION AND PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN:

· Director of Women’s Foundation for Colombia between 1999 and 2001. During that time, she promoted women’s participation in politics, in peace construction and the integration of gender perspective in government programs and development plans.  

· Member of the Coordinating Committee to carry out the Hearing on Women in the context of the peace dialogues, at San Vicente del Caguán – Caquetá, 2001. 

· Promote of the National Forum “The State Politics for Women,” performed in November, 2002.  

· Coordinator of the Women and Gender team for the Presidential campaign of candidate Nohemí Sanín in 2001-2002, member of the Peace Program Team of this campaign.  

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION: 

· Since January 2003, she holds the position of Presidential Counselor for Women’s Equity in the Alvaro Uribe Vélez Administration. 

· As Presidencial Counselor she carried out the affirmative policy Mujeres Constructoras de Paz y Desarrollo (Women as Peace and Development Builders) from which she has developed several programs, projects and strategies directed to women, such as:

• I, II and III version of the National Fair Women Entrepreneurs with the participation of women entrepreneurs from 25 Colombian departments;
   

• Program for Women Micro Entrepreneurs in 280 Colombian Municipalities;
   

• Creation and organization of 320 Community Councils of Women in 320 Colombian Municipalities of 28 Departments;
   

• Organization of 255 Encounters on Women’s Peace and Development Builders;
   

• Coordination of the Gender Mainstreaming Strategy;
   

• She also achieved the signature of two important documents: the “National Equity Agreement between Men and Women” which involves the three branches of the public power; unions, control units and public universities, and the “Effective Inclusion of Women in Politics´ Pact” signed by the political parties; and
   

• Design and execution of the Observatory on Gender Issues as an evaluation mechanism of: the state actions, laws, judicial precedents and statistics in Colombia, related to gender equity. The Observatory has published 6 magazines called Bulletins for Gender Issues.

· In the field of Gender Mainstreaming, the Presidential Counselor has designed several methodologies, conceptual elements and tools that have been nationally validated in 5 regions and that were briefed in the Manual para la Transversalidad de Género en el Desarrollo, recently published by the office. 

· During her period as Presidential Counselor in Women’s Equity, she has participated in the training of approximately 70.000 women from all the regions, regarding gender sensitive public policies, gender mainstreaming, and the importance of women’s participation in politics.  

· In her administration, she has achieved the approval of important legislative initiatives such as: The Facultive Protocol of the CEDAW Convention and the permanent creation of the Observatory for Gender Issues (Law 1009, 2006.) 

· In her international agenda during her 4 years administration, she has represented Colombia on more than 15 occasions at the Executive Committee and the General Assembly of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, and at the Inter-American Commission of Women, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the OAS, and the Beijing + 10 United Nations Conference.

PUBLISHED DOCUMENTS 

Under Martha Lucía Vásquez Zawadzky Direction, the Counselor’s Office for Women’s Equity published the following documents (2003-2006): 

Institutional Document: 

· Mujeres Constructoras de Paz y Desarrollo. Política nacional orientada a la paz, la equidad y la igualdad de Oportunidades, 2003. 

Pacts: 

· Acuerdo Nacional por la Equidad entre Mujeres y Hombres, 2003.
· Pacto para una Inclusión Efectiva de las Mujeres en la Política, 2005. 

Handbooks: 

· “Encuentros de Mujeres Constructoras de Paz y desarrollo”/ Jornadas Pedagógicas.
· “Convención de Belem do Pará”, 2004, 2005.

Bulletins of the Observatory for Gender Issues: 

· Bulletin 1. Participación Política de las Mujeres en Colombia, 2004.
· Bulletin 2. La Familia: Reflexiones, cifras y legislación, 2004.
· Bulletin 3. A diez años de Beijing, 2005.
· Bulletin 4. Mujeres Colombianas en la fuerza laboral, 2005.
· Bulletin Special Edition: La Corte Constitucional frente a los Derechos de la Mujer, 2006.
· Bulletin Special Edition: Informe de Gestión 2003 -2005, 2006. 

Memories: 

· Memorias I Feria Nacional Mujer Empresaria, 2004.
· Memorias II Feria Nacional Mujer Empresaria, 2005.
· Memorias I Encuentro de Escritoras Colombianas, 2004.
· Memorias II Encuentro de Escritoras Colombianas, 2005.

Gender mainstreaming Policy: 

· Manual para la Transversalidad de Género en el Desarrollo, 2006.
· Plan Estratégico para la Defensa Eficaz de los derechos de la Mujer ante la Justicia Colombiana, 2006.