Deadline: 19-Jun-2026
UN Women Colombia has launched a call for proposals under the Coordinated Action Program to Eradicate Violence against Women and Girls in Latin America (PACTA) to strengthen prevention, protection, and response mechanisms addressing violence against women and girls in Colombia. The program supports pilot interventions promoting non-violent masculinities, institutional capacity strengthening, educational initiatives, and improved access to quality services, with project budgets ranging from $580,000 to $1 million.
Program Overview
The Coordinated Action Program to Eradicate Violence against Women and Girls in Latin America (PACTA) is a regional initiative implemented through a partnership between UN Women and the Government of Spain. The program aims to address the root causes of violence against women and girls by promoting gender equality, strengthening institutional responses, improving access to services, and transforming discriminatory social norms.
In Colombia, the initiative focuses on addressing persistent challenges related to gender-based violence, gender inequality, conflict-affected communities, territorial disparities, and barriers to accessing protection and support services. The program seeks to create sustainable and coordinated responses that improve prevention efforts while strengthening protection mechanisms for women and girls.
Through collaboration with public institutions, civil society organizations, community leaders, and international partners, the program contributes to advancing women’s rights, autonomy, leadership, and access to justice in accordance with national legislation, international human rights frameworks, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Focus Areas
The program supports initiatives that contribute to one or more of the following priority areas:
- Prevention of violence against women and girls.
- Transformation of social norms that perpetuate gender-based violence.
- Promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment.
- Development of non-violent masculinities.
- Prevention of repeat offenses among men involved in justice processes related to violence against women.
- Strengthening institutional capacities for prevention and response.
- Improvement of care pathways and referral mechanisms for victims.
- Expansion of access to protection services and support systems.
- Development of educational and awareness-raising materials.
- Promotion of women’s political participation and protection from political violence.
- Prevention of digital violence against women.
- Prevention of femicide and other forms of gender-based violence.
- Monitoring, evaluation, and evidence generation.
- Strengthening coordination among institutions and service providers.
The program emphasizes comprehensive and sustainable approaches that address both prevention and response dimensions of violence against women and girls.
Funding Information
Key funding details include:
- Minimum project budget: $580,000.
- Maximum project budget: $1 million.
- Funding mechanism: Call for proposals.
- Geographic focus: Colombia.
- Target area: Department of Nariño, including the municipalities of Pasto and Tumaco.
- Funding source:
- UN Women.
- Government of Spain through the PACTA Program.
Funding is intended to support pilot interventions, institutional strengthening activities, educational initiatives, technical assistance, and monitoring and evaluation activities aligned with program objectives.
Program Objectives
The initiative seeks to achieve several interconnected objectives:
- Strengthen women’s autonomy and empowerment.
- Improve access to quality services and protection mechanisms.
- Reduce violence against women and girls.
- Increase awareness of rights and available services.
- Strengthen institutional response systems.
- Improve coordination among stakeholders.
- Promote behavioral and cultural change among men and communities.
- Enhance prevention efforts at local and regional levels.
- Strengthen accountability and monitoring systems.
- Support sustainable progress toward gender equality.
The program aims to create long-term improvements that continue beyond the duration of funded projects.
Who is Eligible?
The call is intended for organizations capable of designing and implementing complex gender-based violence prevention and response initiatives.
Competitive applicants should demonstrate:
- Experience working on gender equality and women’s rights.
- Expertise in preventing and responding to violence against women and girls.
- Capacity to implement large-scale projects.
- Experience collaborating with government institutions and local stakeholders.
- Ability to provide technical assistance and institutional strengthening.
- Strong monitoring and evaluation capabilities.
- Knowledge of Colombian legal and policy frameworks related to gender-based violence.
- Experience working in conflict-affected or vulnerable communities.
Organizations should also demonstrate the operational and technical capacity necessary to manage projects within the specified budget range.
Required Project Activities
Selected organizations will be expected to implement a range of activities, including:
Pilot Interventions with Men in Justice Processes
- Design and implement pilot projects in Pasto and Tumaco.
- Work with men involved in justice processes related to violence against women.
- Promote non-violent masculinities.
- Support behavioral change and accountability.
- Reduce the risk of repeat offenses.
Educational and Awareness Materials
- Develop educational and pedagogical resources.
- Address violence against women within the context of Colombian legislation.
- Include content on:
- Gender-based violence.
- Femicide.
- Digital violence.
- Violence against women in political participation contexts.
- Support awareness and prevention efforts among diverse audiences.
Institutional Strengthening
- Provide technical assistance to relevant institutions.
- Strengthen prevention and response capacities.
- Improve service delivery systems.
- Enhance coordination among stakeholders.
- Support compliance with national legal frameworks.
Care Pathway Improvement
- Strengthen referral and support mechanisms.
- Improve activation of care and protection routes.
- Increase efficiency and responsiveness of services.
- Improve quality standards for victim support systems.
Monitoring and Evaluation
- Develop monitoring frameworks and tools.
- Establish indicators and performance measurement systems.
- Measure project outcomes and impacts.
- Generate evidence to inform future programming.
- Align reporting systems with UN Women Colombia guidance.
Expected Results
The project is expected to contribute to measurable improvements in the prevention and response ecosystem for violence against women and girls.
Anticipated outcomes include:
- Improved access to support services and protection mechanisms.
- Increased awareness of rights among women and girls.
- Greater knowledge of available services and assistance pathways.
- Enhanced institutional capacity to address violence.
- Improved coordination among service providers.
- Increased effectiveness of prevention initiatives.
- Strengthened response mechanisms for survivors.
- Improved perceptions of service quality and responsiveness.
- Reduced barriers to accessing justice and support services.
- Increased adoption of non-violent behaviors among targeted participants.
These outcomes are intended to contribute to sustainable and long-term reductions in violence against women and girls.
Why This Program Matters
Violence against women and girls remains a significant human rights and development challenge across Latin America. In Colombia, the effects of conflict, social inequalities, and territorial disparities continue to create barriers to safety, justice, and access to essential services.
The PACTA Program addresses these challenges through a comprehensive approach that combines prevention, institutional strengthening, cultural transformation, and survivor-centered support systems. By addressing both individual behaviors and structural barriers, the initiative seeks to create lasting improvements in gender equality and women’s empowerment.
The program’s emphasis on transforming harmful social norms and strengthening institutional responses helps ensure that prevention and protection efforts become more effective, accessible, and sustainable over time.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Failing to demonstrate experience in gender-based violence programming.
- Submitting projects that focus solely on awareness without addressing institutional strengthening.
- Providing weak monitoring and evaluation frameworks.
- Failing to align activities with Colombian legislation and policy frameworks.
- Insufficient stakeholder engagement and coordination plans.
- Limited strategies for sustainability beyond the funding period.
- Inadequate approaches to working with men involved in justice processes.
- Weak evidence of organizational capacity to manage large-scale grants.
- Lack of measurable outcomes and impact indicators.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the PACTA Program?
PACTA is the Coordinated Action Program to Eradicate Violence against Women and Girls in Latin America, a regional initiative implemented by UN Women and the Government of Spain to strengthen prevention and response efforts related to gender-based violence.
What is the main goal of this call for proposals?
The call aims to strengthen women’s autonomy, improve access to quality services and protection mechanisms, prevent violence against women and girls, and enhance institutional capacities in Colombia.
How much funding is available?
Applicants may submit proposals with budgets ranging from $580,000 to $1 million, depending on the scope and scale of the project.
Where will project activities be implemented?
The initiative focuses on Colombia’s department of Nariño, particularly the municipalities of Pasto and Tumaco.
What types of interventions are required?
Projects must include pilot interventions promoting non-violent masculinities among men involved in justice processes, educational material development, institutional strengthening activities, improved care pathways, and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
What forms of violence are addressed by the program?
The program addresses violence against women and girls, including domestic violence, femicide, digital violence, political violence against women, and other forms of gender-based violence recognized under Colombian law.
Why is institutional strengthening an important component?
Strong institutions are essential for providing effective protection, support, and justice for survivors. Improving institutional capacities helps ensure better service delivery, stronger coordination, and more effective responses to violence.
Conclusion
The PACTA Program represents a significant investment in preventing violence against women and girls while strengthening institutional responses and protection systems in Colombia. Through funding of $580,000 to $1 million, the initiative supports innovative and evidence-based approaches that promote non-violent masculinities, strengthen care pathways, improve service quality, and enhance women’s access to rights and protection mechanisms. By combining prevention, institutional reform, and survivor-centered support, the program contributes to long-term progress toward gender equality and safer communities in the department of Nariño and beyond.
For more information, visit UN Women.