User login
 
Skills Building

Nepal: Women in Student Politics

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Wed, 2012-02-08 19:08

Summary: 

Many female students, mostly of government colleges, are getting attracted towards political activities and getting actively involved in it. They say they are involved in student politics to work for students, and are moving ahead with male counterparts in the political path.

Ishu Lama, Treasurer of FSU at Pashupati Multiple Campus, Chabahil has been involved in student politics for the last five years. “I find politics is the best place if you want to do good for someone where you can make policies for others benefit,” cited Lama.

Body: 

Read the complete story at The Himalayan Times, published 7 February 2012.


India: Child Politicians Bring Change to Rural India

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Tue, 2012-01-31 23:39

Summary: 

Pooja Gujjar is the deputy “sarpanch” – Hindi for leader – of her school’s Bal Panchayat in the village of Chaudhula, Viratnagar, Rajasthan, and she’s 11 years old. The Bal, or “children’s” Panchayat, is promoted by non-profit organizations across India to encourage children in rural areas to improve their own lives, as well as work with the Gram Panchayat to implement their initiatives.

Pooja’s experience in the Bal Panchayat holds real potential. The 73rd Amendment, which was implemented in 1993 to give constitutional mandate to the Panchayat system, requires that no less than one-third of all seats be reserved for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and women. The amendment has given women, in particular lower caste women, the impetus and government support to seek power in a patriarchal society, where women have historically played a subservient role, not least of all in politics.

Body: 

Read the complete story at The New York Times, published 1 February 2012.


Papua New Guinea: IFES Conducts Lobby Training Program, PNG Parliament Poised to Vote on Reserved Seats for Women

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Tue, 2012-01-31 23:28

Summary: 

After many years of advocacy, women’s groups and activists watched as the Parliament of Papua New Guinea (PNG) voted to amend the constitution and create an additional 22 reserved seats for women. The 22 seats will be added to the current seats in parliament, held by 108 men and only one woman. Parliament also needs to pass an organic law on the reserved seats by a super majority of 73 votes. Parliament also needs to pass an organic law on the reserved seats by a super majority of 73 votes in order for it to go into effect.

IFES conducted a lobby training program for 25 activists as part of the U.S. State Department’s Women Advocating for Voices in Government project, working closely with the National Council for Women (NCW). One of the highlights of the training was a presentation by Dr. Eric Kwa, professor at the PNG University Law School, on how a bill becomes a law.  Many participants did not understand the legislative process and few knew that the constitution was the supreme law of the land or that parliament could suspend rules and pass a law in one day.

Body: 

To read the complete story visit the IFES website, published 24 January 2012.  For additional information and too view photos from the training visit this link.


India: TISS to Train Women 'Sidelined' in Electoral Politics

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Tue, 2012-01-31 23:21

Summary: 

The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) will soon start training women who are actively involved in developmental work with various political parties, but don’t get a chance to be in mainstream politics.

Besides those who are into active politics, the workshops will also target women in developmental work and those in an ‘alternative’ political space. “A primary reason of our involvement here is because we see women in politics as a mode of their empowerment and a tool of social change,” she said. Training will be given in areas like the roles of a municipal body, how to prepare the budget and ways to speak up in meetings. “We will train them in advocacy and ways in which political parties operate in urban spaces. Women who do a lot of work on ground are rarely aware of how to engage themselves in electoral politics or be vocal. We want to change this,” Bhide said.

Body: 

Read the complete story at the Indian Express, published 30 January 2012.


Women's caucuses and alliances for sustainable development

A discussion circle on how women's caucuses and alliances can shape national policy agendas

 

Pakistan: Women participation in parliamentary affairs must to make progress

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Sun, 2012-01-29 21:18

Summary: 

Dr Marilyn Wyatt, wife of US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron P.Munter Saturday appreciated the legislation done by Pakistan’s parliament especially related to women for their empowerment and to give them due rights and for their protection.

Dr Wyatt said while 2011 was very good year for the women of Pakistan as during this year, the National Assembly of Pakistan passed laws stiffening the punishment for acid attacks on women and punishing such practices as marrying off young girls to settle tribal disputes, there was still much to do.

Body: 

Read the complete story at the Pakistan Observer, published January 29, 2012.


N-PEACE Regional Training of Trainers

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Fri, 2012-01-27 00:38
2012-02-03
2012-02-10
Etc/GMT-4
Click here
City & Province/State: 
Bangkok
Country: 
Thailand
Venue: 

Amari Watergate Hotel

Description: 

From the 3-10 February 2012, twenty-two women peace advocates from the N-Peace Network countries – Nepal, Timor-Leste, Sri Lanka and Indonesia – will participant in the first N-Peace Network Training of Trainers (ToT) Programme coordinated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Asia Pacific Regional Centre (APRC), in partnership with the Institute for Inclusive Security and supported by the Australian Government’s Agency for International Development (AusAID).

The ToT is being carried out with the aim of increasing women’s knowledge, skills, and capacities to advocate for peace and security. To view the profiles of the first N-peace Network Trainers who will take part in the ToT click here.

The eight day workshop will provide a space to discuss and unpack gender and peace building issues and the Women, Peace & Security (WPS) agenda, while also building upon participants’ practical skills in the areas of training, advocacy and communications.

To view the workshop agenda click here.


Gender and ICT

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.

International Executive Media and TV Workshop (IEMTW) Bangkok

mbouhafa's picture
Submitted by mbouhafa on Tue, 2012-01-24 08:25
2012-02-15 13:00
2012-02-17 21:30
Etc/GMT-4
Click here
City & Province/State: 
Bangkok
Country: 
Thailand
Venue: 

The Landmark Hotel, Bangkok

Description: 

The International Executive Media and TV Workshop (IEMTW) is CDC’s flagship course. It is an intensive three day course targeted at communication practitioners, technical project staff and media focal points working for UN agencies; civil society organizations; and public institutions.  It specifically addresses gender dimensions of media interviews, and CDC has used this curriculum to train women politicians in Tunisia and Mongolia. see http://www.cendevcom.org/workshops_and_training/international-executive-media-and-tv-workshops/


Tunisia: Facing up to tyranny: how a girl and her blog helped change the world

Submitted by Beeckmans Ruth on Mon, 2012-01-23 20:02

Summary: 

'I have heard many descriptions for this revolution. Like Facebook Revolution. It was not a Facebook revolution, it started on the ground, when Mohamed Bouazizi set fire to his body, and the people in Sidi Bouzid started to demonstrate and were attacked by police. It cannot be called an internet revolution - hundreds of people lost their lives, people are still injured today. The internet just played the role of the mass media when the journalists couldn't do their work here.''
 

Body: 

Read more in Sydney Morning Herald, published 21 Jan


India: Women Leadership Reservation Boosts Aspirations of Indian Girls

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Wed, 2012-01-18 21:04

Summary: 

Reservation for women in leadership positions in Indian villages is having a positive role model effect and has changed the way young girls and their parents think about female leadership, a new research has said.

In villages with two terms of female leadership, gender gap in parents' aspirations for their children's career and education closed by 25 percent, as compared to villages that never had a female leader.

Similarly, the gender gap in career and education aspirations closed by 32 percent in adolescents.

Body: 

Read the complete story at News Track India, published January 13, 2012.


Consolidated Response on the Impact of New ICTs on Information Behaviour of Women in Politics

According to Marcia J Bates, professor at UCLA, "Information behaviour is the currently preferred term used to describe the many ways in which human beings interact with information, in particular, the ways in which people seek and utilize information.” How do we find the information we need?  How do we identify what it is we are lacking, and how do we go about obtaining it?  What sources do we turn to, and how do we process, analyse and distribute knowledge?  Though these may be common practices these are not the questions asked often enough by women in politics, but they are essential to the actualisation of (political) obligations and goals.  Efficient and targeted information behaviour is invaluable to any political campaign, so how do women candidates and voters make the most of this? 

This consolidated response will explore the use of new communication technologies along with detailing the difficulties women encounter in their information behaviour.  It will also highlight some strategies that have been used to overcome these, focusing mainly on networking, civil society and education at large.   

Brazil: Popular President Helps Women in Politics

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Wed, 2012-01-04 10:07

Summary: 

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.

Body: 

Read more in ABC News, published 29 Dec.


Women in Public Service Project's Summer Institute 2012 at Wellesley College

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Wed, 2012-01-04 08:23
2012-06-11
2012-06-22
US/Eastern
Click here
City & Province/State: 
Massachusetts
Country: 
USA
Venue: 

Wellesley College

Description: 

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


Women in Leadership

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Tue, 2011-12-20 03:10
2012-02-16
2012-02-17
US/Eastern
Click here
City & Province/State: 
Kuala Lumpur
Country: 
Malaysia
Venue: 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  

Description: 

The 2nd Annual WIL Forum Asia and the WIL Asia Awards 2012

Some of the world’s most successful business executives are speaking at the Women in Leadership (WIL) conference.  

This year’s conference is a mini-MBA style, two-day program. WIL features carefully selected ‘success’ case-studies and issue-based inspirational sessions. These include:

  • Keynote addresses by world-renowned individuals
  • Interactive panel discussions – case studies and topical
  • Extended delegate question-and-answer sessions
  • Round table gatherings on topics by demand
  • Educational workshops on contemporary business tools

Testimonial from the 2011 event: 

"It is a great event that provides the opportunity for young women leaders to meet and learn from experienced leaders. [It was] put together by the well-organised company, naseba, which took good care of the attendees before and during the event with their very friendly staff."— Shamma Al Rahmah - Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) – UAE

For more details on the programme of this year's event, please visit WIL Forum Asia.