About the Author: Melanne Verveer serves as the Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues at the Department of State.

From warm and walled Cartagena to temperate and sprawling Bogota, Colombia is a country whose 46 million people represent the very definition of a nation redefining itself. I recently had the opportunity to spend a few days in Colombia, where Secretary Clinton launched WEAmericas, a new initiative focused on women entrepreneurs — one of the greatest drivers of economic growth. I also visited Bogota, where I spoke with government and civil society leaders on the global scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) and how we can better collaborate to prevent, respond to and address this issue.

More than 50 years of internal armed conflict has had a devastating impact on many of Colombia’s women. Nearly 80 percent of those displaced by the conflict are women and children. Only a small number… more »