This e-Primer looks at information and communications technology (ICT) for development through a gender lens. It provides a gender perspectives to issues of ICT policies; access and control; education, training and skill development; and content development, and introduces a framework to integrate gender in ICT for development and empower women.
When I arrived in Colombia in July of 1994, I was surprised to see women in jobs usually held by men in almost every labor field, and especially amazed to see so many women in important leadership positions in finance and economics.
In Latin America, conservative Colombia was next to last-place Paraguay in granting voting rights to women. But Colombian women made up for their late start by taking only 41 years of peaceful power sharing to field two highly qualified female candidates in their 1998 presidential election.
Colombian women's remarkable achievement in such a short time led me to question why women in the United States took more time, encountered more bumps, attained a more contentious male-female power relationship and launched only one candidate in our 2008 presidential primaries.
Read more at UPI, published 23 Jan
A Practical Guide to Constitution Building provides an essential foundation for understanding constitutions and constitution building. Full of world examples of ground-breaking agreements and innovative provisions adopted during processes of constitutional change, the Guide offers a wide range of examples of how constitutions develop and how their development can establish and entrench democratic values. Beyond comparative examples, the Guide contains in-depth analysis of key components of constitutions and the forces of change that shape them.
Chapter 2 includes a section on "Principles related to gender" and Chapter 3 includes a section on "The rights of women".
Brazil's new president, Dilma Rousseff, has quickly stepped out of the shadow of her charismatic predecessor Lula. After one year in office, she is more popular than any former president was at this stage. She has surrounded herself with powerful women, who are now calling the shots in Brasília.
The epicenter of Brazilian power can be found on the fourth floor of the Palacio do Planalto in Brasília, the nation's capital. Liveried waiters elegantly carry trays of coffee through the hallways of the presidential palace, high-ranking officials wait in anterooms and air-conditioning units hum in the offices.
Planning Minister Miriam Belchior rushes past on her way to visit Chief of Staff Gleisi Hoffmann, with whom she will discuss a multi-billion-real investment program to combat poverty. On the way she is greeted by Ideli Salvatti, the woman who manages the government's relations with Congress. Two floors down, Press Secretary Helena Chagas is talking on the phone. In the front office, several women are reviewing the day's newspapers.
Read more in Speiegel Online, published 19 Jan
As we wind down from 2011 I take a few moments to reflect and look back at not just the significant events of this year but what it portends for the years to come. From the role of women in mobilizing action to what led to widespread uprising against established regimes in North Africa to the awarding of nobel peace prize to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee of Liberia; and Tawakkol Karman of Yemen women have been in news through the year.
We have also seen a renewed focus on discourses that emphasize the role of technologies in securing a range of public goods including facilitating civic engagement and social participation, and providing more efficient access to government services while enabling a more participatory form of democratic involvement. In a report in May this year, the UN special rapporteur declared Internet had “become an indispensable tool for realizing a range of human rights.” The role of women though lauded for the ease of use of social-technologies for furthering their involvement has been surrounded by doubts and questions around continuing the engagement as their countries move into the next phase.
The role of women in 2011 also presents a good starting point for an understanding of the conditions that makes a moment transformational. Transformative moments, come in personal life as much as in political life. They rely on reconfigurations of the assumptions of what is common knowledge and how this common knowledge is translated into known-knowns by the interactions on the web. That is to say, this year we saw as loudly and clearly as possible, women not only sounded the call that brought people to the streets in the middle east but were adept at using technology in sounding this call.Thereby reconfiguring the assumption of what was considered common knowledge about women in the middle east and women and technology. The shattering of this common knowledge was then followed by the “new” known-knowns on the web of “Arab women as revolutionary”.
However in my opinion the power of this newly acquired understanding of known-knowns to shape contentious gender politics is only one of the numerous important factors that is needed to effect significant change in domestic politics. Both the interaction frequency (on the web) and closeness of relationship (of the actors on the web) are characteristics which influence the strength of ties created on the web and thereby determine the power and influence of these known-knowns to impact change. As has been witnessed in the subsequent move to electoral processes in Egypt and Tunisia where realization that overthrowing dictators was easier than overturning the pervasive supremacy of men was apparent in the absence of women in the Constitutional Amendment Committee. This also speaks to the short shelf life of known-knowns of the web and avoiding mistaking information for influence in domestic decision making.
Democratization takes place within a social, economic and historical context and does not necessarily entail a democratization of power relations in society at large, particularly between men and women. This of course has direct implications on the role that women can play. The inherent difficulties of building effective institutions for enabling equal democratic participation by all requires a move from mass mobilization to organizational capacities during transition. This is one of the many hurdles that women continue to face in seeking a seat at the democratic table.
However, putting the metaphorical ‘women’s right genie’ back in the bottle is no longer an option. The power of women in public spaces has never been more visually captured or vividly experienced by the world before as during the Arab spring. This year was an epochal period of activism which was built up because of this generation’s advances in education and professions while embracing the ability of Internet to communicate, organize and publicize everywhere, instantaneously. The future for women in public spaces can be best summed up in the words of Larbi Ben M’Hidi in the Battle of Algiers, “It’s hard enough to start a revolution, even harder to sustain it, and hardest of all to win it. But it’s only afterwards, once we’ve won, that the real difficulties begin.”
Piyoo Kochar
(The opinions expressed here are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of current, past or future employers)
Manuela D'Avila hopes she and women like her will change the face of government in Brazil, a country where the female presence in politics has lagged behind neighbors despite the election of Dilma Rousseff as the nation's first female president.
D'Avila, a two-time state legislator who is leading the mayoral race in Porto Alegre, Brazil's tenth largest city, is among of an unprecedented number of women running for municipal offices in 2012 elections.
Forty-seven other women are candidates to run the capitals of Brazil's 26 states. The field of contenders is still shifting, but it's a large increase from the last elections, when only 28 women ran for mayor of state capitals.
Read more in ABC News, published 29 Dec.
Wellesley College
The Women in Public Service Project
Mission
The Women in Public Service Project is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the Seven Sisters women’s colleges – Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Smith and Wellesley – to advance women to positions of influence in governments and civic organizations worldwide. The initiative is distinguished by the partners’ demonstrated legacy of educating women leaders across the globe and linking them to each other through powerful intergenerational networks.
Vision
The initiative will provide vital momentum to the next generation of women leaders who will invest in their countries and communities, provide leadership for their governments and societies, and help change the way global solutions are developed.
Working in alignment with other leading organizations and institutions in the U.S. and around the world, The Women in Public Service Project will create intensive training and mentoring opportunities for emerging and aspiring women leaders; establish and sustain a vibrant international network of such leaders; generate new, cross-culturally valid insights on women's political leadership; and gain momentum over time.
The Women in Public Service Project envisions a world in which political and civic leadership is at least 50 percent female by 2050. The Department of State and the Sister colleges are committed to building the infrastructure and convening the conversations necessary to achieve this vision.
The Women in Public Service Institute
Wellesley College in Massachusetts will host the first Women in Public Service Project Institute in June 2012 for a period of two weeks from June 11-22. The pilot institute will bring together 50 emerging women leaders from across the globe between the ages of 25-45 who are already serving in different fields of public service and/or political or elected office. The institute hopes to provide a forum for shared learning and dialogue; exchange of experiences and expertise; peer-to-peer mentoring and networking; and build an important platform for cross-fertilization of knowledge and innovative leadership skills.
Since the institute will be launched a year from the defining events of the Arab Spring it will acknowledge the uniqueness of this historical moment by including a particularly strong cohort from the Middle East and North Africa regions (MENA) as well as from other countries undergoing political and social transformations.
The Project will cover the travel and accommodation costs of all selected participants. English will be the medium of instruction and English proficiency is required of all applicants.
Ongoing and future initiatives will take place at institutes at Seven Sister campuses and abroad with technology-supported networking and mentorship; conferences, studies and other public initiatives; evolving toward the development of a uniquely powerful and visible women’s public service institute that attracts talented women from all countries and walks of life.
For more information, see The Women in Public Service Project
Background:
The International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics (iKNOW Politics) is a joint Project between UNDP, UN Women, IDEA, IPU and NDI. iKNOW Politics, is designed to increase the number and effectiveness of women in political life by utilizing a technology enabled forum to provide access to resources, expertise, dialogue, and knowledge creation on women’s political participation.
Despite some encouraging data and statistics on women’s participation in politics, women still lack access to political leadership opportunities and resources at local, national and regional levels. In order to provide a mechanism to share best practices on women’s political participation and leadership, UNDP, UN Women, NDI, IPU, and IDEA established a global knowledge network for women in politics (iKNOW Politics). iKNOW Politics brings together women involved in politics around the world in order to gain access to valuable resources and advisory services, share interests and experiences, participate in training and development, network and collaborate on issues of interest. Network members have access to a cadre of experts and practitioners that can advise candidates and elected officials on how to develop and implement successful campaign and lobbying strategies with the goal of getting more women involved in politics.
The use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for Development can play a catalytic role in the achievement of key development goals. By providing innovative solutions to existing traditional challenges and gaps, ICTs can be strategically deployed to tackle some of the most burning issues on a large scale and at relatively low cost per beneficiary. However, an exclusive focus on the so-called “digital divide” will not help advance this agenda. iKNOW Politics bridges this gap through the online network connecting members in 4 languages and providing a host of resources and features to facilitate global knowledge creation on supporting political participation.
| Location : | Homebased |
| Application Deadline : | 10-Jan-12 |
| Additional Category | Democratic Governance |
| Type of Contract : | Individual Contract |
| Post Level : | International Consultant |
| Languages Required : | Arabic English French Spanish |
|
Starting Date : (date when the selected candidate is expected to start) |
16-Jan-2012 |
| Duration of Initial Contract : | 6 months |
Duties and Responsibilities:
Under the supervision of iKNOW Politics Project Manager, the consultant will identify the resources from library and online platform to develop the network for supporting women in politics.
Specific Tasks - The consultant is expected to undertake the following tasks:
Competencies:
Required Skills and Experience:
Education:
Experience:
Language:
TO APPLY PLEASE CLICK HERE.
In unusually strong language, the US secretary of state accused Egypt's new leaders of mistreatment of women both on the street and in politics since the street revolt nearly a year ago that overthrew leader Hosni Mubarak.
"This systematic degradation of Egyptian women dishonours the revolution, disgraces the state and its uniform and is not worthy of a great people," Mrs Clinton said in a speech at Georgetown University.
In images widely seen over YouTube, helmeted troops were shown beating a veiled woman after having ripped her clothes off to reveal her bra and stomach.
Read more on the Telegraph, published 20. Dec
Only 15 percent of elected officials in Chile are women, the lowest in Latin America.
The Chilean government released figures on Monday for a proposed new quota law that would encourage more women to go into politics. The bill, currently being drafted, seeks to set a minimum requirement that between 30 and 40 percent of candidates for political office are women.
A number of incentives would also be put in place to encourage greater participation, including greater state funding for candidates from parties that support women as 50 percent of their candidates.
Read more in teh Santiago Times, published 13. december
How women participate in political parties – and how those parties encourage and nurture women’s involvement and incorporate gender-equality issues – are key determinants of women’s political empowerment. They are also key to ensuring gender-equality issues are addressed in the wider society. If strategies to promote women’s involvement in the political process are to be effective, they should be linked to steps parties can take across the specific phases of the electoral cycle – the preelectoral, electoral and post-electoral phases – and to the organization and financing of the parties themselves. On October 25th, the event “Breaking New Ground: Testimonials from Women Politicians in Latin America” took place in Lima, Peru, at the Hotel Sonesta.
The purpose of this meeting was to disseminate the International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics (iKNOW Politics) as a key tool to empower women who participate or wish to participate in politics. The event also served to present a testimonial video produced by iKNOW Politics that highlights the profiles and careers of nine women politicians in Latin America from the countries of Guatemala, Argentina, Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Mexico and Ecuador. In the video, each woman interviewed shares her own personal experience in getting involved in politics and her view of the challenges women face in her country when participating in politics.
Three of the video’s protagonists attended the event, including Peruvian Minister of Women Aída García Naranjo, Guatemalan deputy Otilia Lux de Cotí and Natalia Arcila Cortés, Conservative Party member of Antioquia, Colombia.
The event’s opening panel members were Minister Aída García Naranjo, Kristen Sample (International IDEA’s head of mission for the Andean region and regional coordinator for democratic, development and gender affairs) and Rossana Andía (iKNOW Politics regional coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean).
For the panel “The difficult path toward recognition and representation: A few experiences,” participants included Bethsabé Andía, the program and project coordinator in Peru for the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and guest politicians Otilia Lux de Cotí and Natalia Arcila Cortés.
After the panelists’ presentations, a debate was held between them and the attendants. The topics that surfaced included issues such as: strategies to avoid political corruption, promoting parity, public policies that encourage women’s participation in politics, the relationship between space-city and women’s political participation, quotas for indigenous women, women’s role in decision-making positions and management, public affairs agendas, human rights in Colombia, armed conflict and gender violence, caps on women’s participation in politics: material resources (individual capacities, structural flaws or affirmative action?), gender, race and women’s political participation.
The conclusions were presented by Luis Nunes, primary technical specialist at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI). Throughout the course of the event, Pilar Tello, coordinator for International IDEA’s gender training and educational programs in Peru, served as the master of ceremonies.
The attendants – some 150 people – were mostly women political party members, activists, and past and present members of Congress. All participants were given a folder containing a printout of iKNOW Politics’ Consolidated Responses and Virtual Debates, as well as a description of the Network members and the event’s panelists. A document on the Network’s background and other useful information on global, regional and national data on women’s participation in politics and areas of power were also included.
The attendants who had email addresses were able to participate in a guided registration to the iKNOW Politics website in Spanish, leading us to have some 30 new members.
Below are details of the materials distributed to the attendants during the event, which are found at the end of this summary (in Spanish):
Titles of the publications submitted:
· Gender mainstreaming in the Americas
· How to promote gender equality within political parties
· Young women’s participation in politics
· Management profile of women in local governments
· Training as a strategy to empower women who participate in politics in Latin America
· Women’s caucuses and their impacts on the political culture of Latin American countries
· Women’s participation in local governments
· Best practices used by political parties to promote women’s participation in politics
· Gender quotas as a means to promote women in politics
· The role of media and technology in increasing the number and effectiveness of women in politics
· Funding for women’s participation in politics
· Women’s political participation in the twenty-first century: the use of communication technology
· Working with men to promote women in politics
Viewing the video testimonial
To view video testimonials click here
(The videos are in Spanish and an interview is held in Portuguese with Spanish translation)
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While gender equality ratios have improved in 85 percent of countries over the past six years, economic participation and political empowerment for women has failed to match the steady progress,says a new report by the World Economic Forum.The report, "Global Gender Gap" 2011, illustrates the gender-disparity gap between men and women across 135 countries. The report measures the percentage of the gap between men and women across economic, political, educational and health-based criteria.
On average, health and education had the strongest rate of progress, but political empowerment closed a mere 18 percent of the gap.
To read the complete article, please visit www.ipsnews.net
For three Glen Cove women, being in the political arena is not only a passion, but also a balancing act.
“I already juggle work and family, so I do what needs to be done,” said Kristina Heuser, one of three women running for City Council on the Republican ticket.
Heuser, a lawyer with a local practice and resident since 2008, has two daughters, both under 8 years old.
“My children are my priority,” she said. “I try to be a good role model. I bring them to fundraisers, and they campaign with me.”
Filomena “Mena” Ricciardi, candidate and resident for over 25 years, works full time for a non-profit organization, and part time as a consultant for a company in the defense industry.
Ricciardi was actively involved in the four-year mayoral term referendum, saying she was “passionate” about the issue.
To read the complete story please visit GlenCove.
Published on 1 November 2011.
Description of government structure:
•Chief of State: President Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER *
•Head of Government: President Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER
•Assembly: Argentina has a bicameral National Congress (Congreso de la nación) consisting of the Senate (Senado) with 72 seats and the Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) with 257 seats.
* The electoral system is two-round. To avoid a runoff, the winner must win 45 percent of valid votes. Alternatively, she must win 40 percent of valid votes and at least 10 points more than the next-placed candidate.
Description of electoral system:
•The President is elected by qualified majority to serve a 4-year term.
•In the Senate (Senado) 72 members are elected by regional legislatures to serve 6-year terms*. In the Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) 257 members are elected by proportional representation to serve 4-year terms.**
* One-third of the Senate is renewable every two years.
** One-half of the Chamber of Deputies is renewable every two years. Party lists are closed. There are 24 multi-member districts. The threshold is 3 percent.
For more information, look at the IFES Election Guide
