Gender Approach: A Requirement for Peacebuilding

Abstract

After the signing of a peace agreement, countries enter into a process to determine what elements will be taken into account for the peacebuilding phase that begins. This is the case of Colombia; a country that today tries to decipher how it is to live in peace, after more than 50 years of conflict. This essay deals with the general topic of peacebuilding and focuses on a specific issue, the relationship between peacebuilding, gender approach, and education for peace. Thus, the paper will try to solve the following research question: should the gender approach be included in one of the essential elements of an educational pedagogy for peace in Colombian schools? The outline of the present essay is as follows: first, the objective of determining whether or not the gender approach should be considered as one of the elements of a peace education pedagogy; second, the background of Colombia's current situation related to peace education and the gender approach; third, the literature review; fourth, an analysis of two cases considered successful; fifth, a series of recommendations; and to finish; sixth, the conclusion of the paper that shows the need to include a gender approach in a peace education pedagogy for children.