A New Constitution: Historical Opportunity to Advance Gender Equality and Women’s Rights in Chile

When operating in a highly charged political context, where significant stakeholders can pro-actively resist change, disinformation campaigns are increasingly a fact of life. To counter this, project managers should be able to rely on a robust media/engagement strategy to counter false messages that undermine the integrity of their project.

When significant events threaten to alter the course or delivery of a project, as well as having the flexibility to extend in time it may also be beneficial to review Results Frameworks and adjust objectives and target indicators. Risk management should not shy away from worst case scenarios (who would have thought that after so much effort in Chile to draft a new Constitution during 2021-2023, there would be so little to show for it?).

Project designers and managers should always be alive to what is ultimately achievable – and limit scope and ambition accordingly. The scope of the project was very broad, with many activities and actors to cover, and challenging to manage. The UNDEF partner admits they were “carried away by the enthusiasm” of the first constitutional reform process, following the social protests of 2019. The project did not necessarily suffer as a consequence, but it placed strain on delivery.

Capturing, and preserving for future use, key takeaways and materials should be an integral part of any successful and well-run project. In the present case, the experience of the constitutional reform processes in Chile and lessons learned from the project will self-evidently be of wider interest in the Latin American region, and beyond.