How to promote gender mainstreaming and participation of women in local policies and service delivery.
Amid democratic backsliding and shifting political power dynamics, local and participatory governance remains an important driver of inclusive and sustainable development. In this spotlight interview, Karen Marriner, The Hague Academy’s Alumni Ambassador for Latin America and the Caribbean, discusses fostering resilience and participatory governance in 2025.
“How have insights into participatory approaches to local governance influenced your work?”
Following training on participatory approaches to local governance, Karen Marriner focused on engaging local communities in the development and implementation of projects.
“The training gave me new perspectives on engaging people in governance. In a session on participatory budgeting in the Gender-Responsive Governance course, I remember a professor recommending: Don’t just design the workshop. Talk with the communities first and let them participate and lead their own project.”
Karen’s work as a professor at the Universidad Externado de Colombia, led her to leading Governance Labs (GobLabs)*, where students gain practical experience in their studies, organising workshops with local communities.
“We worked hand-in-hand with community members, learning from their insights.” By co-creating workshops with rural communities, they ensured trust
and sustainable outcomes, breaking away from top-down approaches.
“Your research in collaboration with a fellow Colombian alumna into the barries faced by women in leadership will inform the Government’s Plan for the Substitution of Illicit Crops. How did this project come about?”
“We saw a great opportunity to give recognition to women’s leadership and ensure their experiences inform future policies,” Karen shares about her partnership with fellow alumna Dahiana Manjarres. Their research on Colombia’s Comprehensive Plan for the Substitution of Illicit Crops (PNIS) programme identified barriers faced by women leaders, with the findings set to shape government guidelines promoting inclusivity.
“This work is the result of a collaboration between research professors from the Research and Special Projects Center (CIPE) of the Faculty of Finance, Government, and International Relations (FIGRI) at Universidad Externado de Colombia, and the Directorate for the Substitution of Illicit Crops. Specifically, it was guided by the leadership of Dahiana Manjarres, whom I met during one of their courses. Dahiana and I joined forces because we share the same interest and wanted to highlight the barriers faced by women leaders. Through a survey, we identified obstacles stemming from their roles as women, farmers, and coca growers.”
The study will be a valuable resource for the Colombian government as it improves the programme.
“Your work is not without its challenges. How have you become more resilient?”
Adapting to reduced budgets has been a significant challenge for Karen Marriner. “We changed our focus to smaller projects that could still make an impact,” she says.
As Colombia took in Venezuelan refugees a few years ago, migrant protection programmes received generous funding from the previous government. Recently, the issue has fallen off the political agenda and the budget was cut.
“As much as we felt frustrated, we needed let go of our ideal way of doing things and come to terms with the new reality. One of the most important things was becoming more resilient to be able to identify new opportunities.”
By forming a new partnership with the Swiss government, they could continue to provide support to vulnerable communities on a smaller scale, working with existing NGOs in the communities.
“What projects are you excited about in 2025?” 
Karen Marriner looks forward to establishing a community of practice for organisations working on migrant protection in Latin America.
“Recognizing the abundance of organizations addressing similar challenges, we have launched a collaborative knowledge platform: Protección Migrantes Latam. This platform serves as a space for connecting diverse organizations across Latin America, fostering collaboration, sharing best practices, and amplifying collective impact. By creating this digital hub, we aim to consolidate resources, promote innovative solutions, and ensure a more coordinated response to the pressing needs of migrants and their communities.”
What advice would you give to your peers working in policy development and project implementation?
“Listen. Set aside your own assumptions and take the time to understand what communities truly need,” Karen advises. Listening to communities led her to rethink pre-planned solutions, ensuring that initiatives were genuinely responsive to local needs.
“We worked on a project for strengthening the capacity of local governments when it comes to supporting victims. I had already been doing these workshops for a while and was running through the steps as usual, when the representatives from the municipalities stopped me. It was refreshing to see that they had a very different idea of what they wanted and, importantly, what they did not need.”
In conclusion, Karen Marriner’s insights into policy development and project implementation highlight the importance of fostering resilience and participatory governance in 2025. In some ways, participatory approaches to local governance is key to fostering resilience.
Karen Marriner, is the alumni ambassador for Latin America and the Caribbean. She is a specialist in development and public policy with a Master’s degree in Development Studies. She has extensive experience in project management, monitoring and evaluation, social impact initiatives, and policy strengthening to enhance livelihoods for vulnerable populations.
*GobLabs: The Government and International Relations programme adapted the University of Twente’s educational model (TOM), Netherlands, which aims to position the student as an active and decisive agent in their own learning process. This methodology is project-based, seeking to identify, understand, and propose solutions to real-world problems (University of Twente, 2017).
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