Project Launch. “Enhancing Women’s Participation in Local Politics and Decision Making”

In the 2005 National Report on Millennium Development Goals, the Government of Turkey set the target for women’s representation as 17% in the parliament by 2015. Given the current low level of participation of women in politics in Turkey (9% in Parliament and 1% at local level), UNDP is helping to build women’s capacities by promoting their engagement and leadership in the upcoming local elections and engaging media for awareness raising campaigns during the whole pre-electoral process at local and national level.

We are pleased to invite you to the launch of the UNDP project on “Women in Local Politics and Decision Making” on September 9th, 2008, Tuesday, at Ankara Ambassadore Boutique Hotel, Atlantis meeting halls. During the afternoon session, the

“Enhancing Women’s Participation in Local Politics and Decision Making” project, funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) and executed by UNDP, aims to help the government of Turkey increase women’s participation in politics.

Kvinnoforum (“Women’s Forum”), a Swedish NGO, provides the technical expertise for the project. At local level, the major partners are Women’s Coalition and the Local Agenda 21 (LA-21) Women and Youth Councils.

Taking as a premise the fact that women can participate by voting and by becoming advocates, activists and political party members and candidates, two specific components have been envisaged:

a) On one hand, capacity development measures. Empowerment of women to become potential candidates for the local elections and awareness of men and women from political parties, promoting women’s involvement to the decision- making arena at the local level and developing necessary skills for policymaking.

b) On the other hand, awareness raising campaigns, provision of education for women and men on rights and obligations as active voters and therefore as responsible citizens. As a major partner for this, local and national Media will be targeted. Within this logic, a communication strategy will be developed at the national and local level with the Media organizations.

The project activities are designed to be implemented in five provinces of Turkey which are:
• Aegean region: İzmir
• Black-Sea region: Trabzon
• Central Anatolia region: Eskişehir
• Eastern Anatolia region: Van
• Mediterranean region: Adana

For this first day event, a workshop entitled “Setting the agenda for women’s political participation: role of political parties, media and CSO” has been previewed. The workshop, which will be conducted by Kvinnoforum and UNDP Turkey, will have as participants women parliamentarians, political parties’ presidents for local administrations, civil society organizations, academicians, municipal council members and media representatives.

The main outcome of the workshop will be the elaboration and future dissemination through the media of a commonly agreed roadmap for the promotion of women’s participation for the coming local elections in April 2009.

As a result, the project will help the government of Turkey to contribute to the increase of women’s participation in politics, on its way to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal 3, on Gender Equality for Democracy.

For more information consult the following web link:
http://www.undp.org.tr/Gozlem2.aspx?WebSayfaNo=1446