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What's Being Done On . . . Increasing Women's Participation in Politics ?
Babiker Badri Scientific Association for Women Studies - Sudan Contact: ahfad@sudanet.net Babiker Badri Scientific Association for Women Studies is dedicated to enhancing women's equity, empowerment, and development. Babiker's conducts fourteen-day training courses for female village leaders and two training-of-trainers courses for members of unions, the media, and NGOs. The workshops focus on democracy concepts, leadership, conflict resolution, communication skills, and the empowerment of women. The organization also publishes a magazine, "Women," aiming to strengthen networking efforts among Sudanese women and disseminating information on the status of women in Sudan. Center for International Private Enterprise - Africa Regional www.cipe.org/regional/africa/ The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), promoting market economies and democracy worldwide, organized a leadership workshop in which approximately thirty African women leaders were invited to participate in an interactive training program in Botswana. The goal of the program was to facilitate the ascent of African women to leadership roles in government, business and community life. One day of the course was telecast to 15 other African countries, thus increasing the number of women who benefited from the project. Women at distance learning centers in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda were linked via satellite with the group in Botswana for an interactive focus on tools and techniques for improving their own leadership skills and fostering development of new leaders in their community. Center for the Strategic Initiatives of Women - Eritrea www.csiw.org/ In the Horn of Africa, the Center for the Strategic Initiatives of Women works to strengthen women's political participation in civil society to attain peace, democracy and human rights. One of the organization's programs presently addresses the issue of political participation in Eritrea. It is collaborating with a government agency, the National Union of Eritrean Women (NUEW), to create programs that train women in leadership and management skills and to assist women parliamentarians and members of NUEW to effectively influence policy. Coalition for Grassroots Women Organization - Somalia Contact: cogwo@compuserve.com The Coalition for Grassroots Women Organization (COGWO), a collection of women's groups in Somalia, is committed to enhancing women's role in peace advocacy efforts. The group is implementing a program of peace advocacy and civic education aimed at promoting women's participation in the political process. COGWO is also organizing a series of workshops for representatives of women's groups based in Mogadishu. Each workshop focuses on issues relevant to increasing women's awareness of their role in peace advocacy efforts, their legal status, and how to lead and maintain effective civic organizations. The goal of the program is to mobilize women to increase their advocacy efforts, and to promote collective efforts by women to be involved in politics at all levels. Cultural Humanitarian Fund "Sukhumi" - Georgia Contact: Sokhumi@sanetk.net.ge The Fund "Sukhumi" works to render support and training for approximately 360 women entrepreneurs in the western region of Imereti, Georgia. The training familiarizes these women with the theoretical and practical knowledge to start and operate businesses; form a voluntary "Association of Small Business Women" to exchange ideas and experience; work with parliament to improve the business environment; publish an electronic and print bulletin; and provide consulting services to other new businesses and women entrepreneurs. Dulmar for Women Development, Advocacy, and Peace - Somalia Contact: ibrahim@unhcr.ch Dulmar for Women Development, Advocacy, and Peace, which is based in Somaliland, aims to promote women's empowerment. One of its areas of focus supports women's efforts to occupy senior positions in politics and in the private sector. Dulmar also produces a newsletter on political and social issues which affect women. Women Voice Journal serves as a forum for women to express themselves freely to the general public and government leaders, as an educational resource for positive interpretations of women's rights under both Islamic law and the Somaliland constitution, and as a news source on economic, social, and political issues of concern to women. Federación Latinamericana de Mujeres Rurales (Latin American Federation of Latina Women) - Cuba www.gacicuba.org/flamur1.htm Federación Latinoamericana de Mujeres Rurales works with and represents rural women throughout Latin America in order to promote women's participation at all levels of society. One such example includes a conference FLAMUR initiated in Guatemala, in which women from the rural areas came together to discuss the role of women in relation to rural development. The participants addressed various issues of development that were important to them, ranging from food to education to property. Femmes et Enfants pour les Droits de l'Homme - (Women and Children for Human Rights - Democratic Republic of the Congo Contact: fedho@mail.aton.cd Femmes et Enfants pour les Droits de l'Homme (FEDHO) works to ensure justice and preservation of human rights for women and children in the Kasai Occidental Province. FEDHO seeks to integrate women's organizations into the peace-building process in the region, and holds three-day seminars with local churches on conflict resolution. Previous seminars averaged 30 participants each, and emphasized the involvement and valuable contribution of women's groups in promoting peace and cooperation to resolve conflict. In addition, FEDHO has produced ten 30-minute radio programs on the culture of peace and the resolution of inter-ethnic conflict, broadcast on the local national station and the independent Kasai Horizon. FEDHO also works with local universities and schools to assist in creating student clubs promoting peace. Mouvement International des Femmes Democrates (International Movement of Democratic Women) -Cote d'Ivoire Contact: The Mouvement International des Femmes Democrates (MIFED) works to protect and promote the rights of African women. In order to advance women's participation in the democratic process, MIFED organizes a variety of workshops to address the role of women in the process of democratization and development. MIFED also holds training workshops on election observation. It organizes seminars to identify various traditions that remain obstacles to the political participation of women, and to develop strategies to remove those obstacles. In addition, MIFED organized a conference for 300 participants that brought together women leaders from both the government and opposition parties in Cote d'Ivoire to focus on the various political interests of women. Network of East-West Women - Russia www.neww.org The Network of East-West Women (NEWW) aims to empower women and girls throughout the East (Central and Eastern Europe, and NIS and the Russian Federation) and the West by dialogue, networking, campaigns, and educational and informational exchanges. NEWW has created the East-East Legal Coalition, which examines and monitors the impact of the post-communist transition on women's lives. Women's rights lawyers from 14 countries in the former Soviet Union have developed this coalition to strengthen women's legislative status and sense of citizenship in their respective countries. A Legal Fellowship Program also provides recently graduated women lawyers with intensive four-month placements with internationally recognized human rights organizations. Following their placements, fellows complete a one-year follow-up women's rights project in their home country. NGO "Modar" - Tajikistan Contact: Mirzoeva@td.silk.org NGO "Modar" seeks to improve the status of women as full participants in the civil life of Tajikistan by eliminating discrimination in the educational, economic and political spheres. "Modar" publishes training materials on the rights of women as a subset of human rights education, and offers training courses to familiarize trainers with these published materials. Fourteen seminars are offered throughout Tajikistan for educators, civic activists, and government officials. In addition, "Modar" provides a semi-monthly radio program to publicize its work and bring its message to the general public. Sisterhood is Global/Jordan - Jordan www.sigi.org/sigi.htm Sisterhood is Global/Jordan (SIGI/J) seeks to empower women to play a more meaningful role in the Jordanian democratic transition. In 2002, SIGI/J is organizing and sponsoring 14 trainings for a cross-section of Jordanian women in the areas of human rights, democratic participation and empowerment. Through manuals, workshops, trainings and other educational publications, the SIGI/J works with a diverse constituency of Jordanian women to increase their political awareness, communication and advocacy skills, and overall knowledge and confidence. Stability Pact Gender Task Force - Central and Eastern Europe www.stabilitypact.org/stabilitypactcgi/catalog/cat_descr.cgi?subcat=1&prod_id=4 The Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe works to strengthen the countries of South Eastern Europe in their efforts to foster peace, democracy, respect for human rights, economic prosperity, and to achieve stability in the whole region. The Stability Pact Gender Task Force conducts the "Women Can Do It" program to promote political empowerment of women through awareness building, networking, lobbying, and training. The program's four areas of focus include: pre-election training of women candidates, strategy sessions integrating gender equality into political party work, elected/appointed women's training in good governance, and political skills training for Roma and other minority women. Supporting Democratic Electoral Processes in Pakistan - Pakistan Contact: sdepp@sdepp.info Supporting Democratic Electoral Processes in Pakistan (SCEPP) is a multi-donor project being implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with the Election Commission of Pakistan as its National Executing Agency. SDEPP believes that through strengthening electoral processes and institutions and raising awareness of the importance of gender issues, greater numbers of Pakistani citizens, including the poor and women, will have a say in the election of their government representatives at each tier of government. SDEPP carries out various activities to promote women's political participation, including workshops and seminars on gender issues and capacity-building. SDEPP has undertaken advocacy and awareness-raising campaigns in 75 out of 96 districts in Pakistan. The American Center for International Labor Solidarity - Middle East and North Africa Regional Contact: solidaritycenter@solidaritycenter.org The Solidarity Center works to meet the unique needs of women trade unionists to take their rightful places as community and trade union leaders within viable civil society organizations. It assists participants in their quest for greater influence and participation by defining leadership roles and skills, and by reinforcing their understanding of workers' rights and opportunities. The Center integrates strategic planning, educational sessions, material-development workshops and publications into a comprehensive program that also focuses on exchanging ideas between US trade unionists and those in Jordan, Lebanon and Morocco. The Women's Affairs Technical Committee - Palestine Contact: watcorg@palnet.com The Women's Affairs Technical Committee (WATC) is a Palestinian non-governmental organization devoted to the abolition of all forms of discrimination against women. The WATC works to empower women through activities including civic education training, legislative and advocacy campaigns, newsletters and reference publications, radio programs, and welfare assistance programs. The WATC provides a human rights and democracy training program in seven rural villages in the northern West Bank to empower 140 women to play a stronger role as decision-makers in community development, and as advocates for a democratic Palestinian state. Women in Development Association - Albania Contact: ufpwc@fpwc.tirana.al The Women in Development Association seeks to help Albanian women assume a greater role in government and business, and to increase their influence on public policy debates and policy making. Most recently, the Association has organized a series of eight grassroots seminars to encourage women's participation in the local political process, promote greater awareness among local government officials of women's rights issues, and assist Albanian women in their efforts to articulate policy options for their problems. The Association has also published a series of civic education materials on women's rights, highlighting the role of women in the country's political and economic transition. Women for Women's Human Rights - Turkey http://www.wwhr.org/id_637 The Women for Women's Human Rights (WWHR) works to promote women's human rights through advocacy and lobbying, networking, publishing, and action-research projects. The WWHR offers a Women's Human Rights Training Program that has trained thousands of women since 1995. The program aims to enable women to reach a level of critical understanding of their legal rights, raise social consciousness pertaining to the human rights violations women face, and provide women with the knowledge and skills to create strategies. Using a manual specially developed for the program, the WWHR trains dedicated social workers, psychologists and health care personnel, who then offer 16 weekly workshops for women in their respective communities. Workshop topics include "Constitutional and Civil Rights," "Women and Politics," and "Women Organizing." About "What's Being Done On . . . " For three months at a time, we highlight the activities of various organizations in different global regions, and links to important resources, that are focused on a particular theme or area of democracy work. Each new theme is announced via DemocracyNews, and the information from the previous installment is placed in the archives below. We hope to receive and post information about the work you or others may be doing that is focused on these issues. Send information via e-mail to the or by fax to (202) 378-9889. |
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