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Women's caucuses and alliances for sustainable development

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

 

South Korea: Women Take Center Stage in Korean Politics

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Wed, 2012-01-25 21:04

Summary: 

Women have been kicking through the glass ceiling in many areas of Korean society over the past decades. But, it was only recently that the phenomenon spread to politics, long regarded as a male domain.

The three political parties led by women control a total of 262 seats in the country’s 299-member single unicameral National Assembly.

The rise of women politicians comes as political parties suffer through a crisis of confidence amid a series of corruption scandals.

Body: 

Read the complete story at The Korea Herald, published on January 24, 2012.


Myanmar: Half of the New Burmese NLD Party 'Founders' Are Women

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Thu, 2011-12-01 07:38

Summary: 

Eleven of the 21 people who are applying to register the National League for Democracy (NLD) party with the Burmese Election Commission are women representing all states and regions except Karenni State.

The list includes former winning political candidates in the failed 1990 election, and also includes young and middle-aged people and a wide spectrum of ethnic representatives, said party sources. Three original NLD founders head the list: Tin Oo, Aung San Suu Kyi and Win Tin.

Body: 

Read the whole story at Mizzima, published November 24, 2011.


Empowering Women for Stronger Political Parties

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. 
 
The most effective strategies to increase women’s participation in political parties combine reforms to political institutions with targeted support to women party activists within and outside party structures, women candidates and elected officials. These strategies require the cooperation of a variety of actors and political parties from across the political spectrum.
 
The Guide identifies targeted interventions that political parties can take to empower women. It is structured according to four phases, following an electoral cycle approach.

Regional Forum on Equal Participation in Decision-Making

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Sat, 2011-11-05 04:02
2011-11-15
2011-11-17
US/Eastern
Click here
City & Province/State: 
Istanbul
Country: 
Turkey
Venue: 

Dedemand Hotel - Istanbul

Description: 

UNDP is organizing a Regional Forum on Equal Participation in Decision-Making (November 15-17, Istanbul), with co-funding from the UNDP-Japan Women in Development Fund. The Forum will explore opportunities to strengthen the capacities of the institutions represented in eliminating challenges and capitalizing on opportunities related to women’s equal participation in decision-making.

The five institutions represented will be:
• Political parties
• Parliament
• Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs)
• Public administration 
• Civil society

Most importantly, the Forum will identify the platforms where the collaborative efforts of these institutions will lead to greater gender equality results in decision-making processes. It will also explore why quotas can function as a catalyst in these efforts.

For more information please visit. www.undpeuropeandcis.org/gender

REGIONAL FORUM ON “EQUAL PARTICIPATION IN DECISION-MAKING”

Istanbul, November 15-17, 2011

Day 1: Tuesday, November 15, 2011  

Session I:   Prompters: Capitalizing on the opportunities

Session II:   Mobilizing and building alliances for women’s participation in decision-making
 

 
  • Mobilizing for the establishment of national gender equality mechanisms

by Çiğdem Aydın, President, Association for the Support and Training of Women Candidates (KA.DER), Turkey

 

View more presentations from UNDP in Europe and CIS

Session III:   Quotas as tools to enhance women’s participation in decision-making

  • Special temporary measures: Legal obligations under CEDAW by Violeta Neubauer, Coordinator for International Cooperation, Office of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for Equal Opportunities, CEDAW Committee Member
  • Introducing legislated and voluntary party quotas – recent experiences from Montenegro by Snežana Jonica, Member of Parliament, Representative of Montenegro to the Council of Europe
  • Women and quotas in a pre EU accession zone by Teuta Sahatqija, Chair of the Women’s Cross-party Caucus at the Assembly of Kosovo*
View more presentations from UNDP in Europe and CIS

DAY 2, Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Session IV: Working with political parties to enhance women’s political participation

 
 
  • Overview on key challenges and opportunities – following the electoral cycle approach 
    by Julie Ballington,Gender Adviser, UNDP Democratic Governance Group/Gender Team

 

  • Experiences  from  Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey

Gulnara Ibraeva,Independent Expert, Kyrgyzstan

Rusudan Kervalishvili,Vice Speaker of the Parliament, Chair of Gender Advisory Council, Georgia

Güldal Akşit,President, Justice and Development Party (AKP)Women’s Branch, Turkey

Seniye Nazik Işık,Secretary General, Republican People’s Party (CHP) Women’s Branch, Turkey
 

Session V:Integrating gender equality in public administration

 
 

Promoting Innovative Approaches to Gender Equality : experience made from an international perspective by Annie Demirjian, UNDP

View more presentations from UNDP in Europe and CIS

Session VI: An enabling environment for women’s electoral participation:The role of Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs

  • Introduction to the electoral cycle approach
    by Julie Ballington, Gender Adviser, UNDP Democratic Governance Group/Gender Team
  • Enforcing candidate quota rules on party lists for women candidates
    by Irena Hadžiabdić, Member of the Central Election Commission, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Political Finance as a Driver for Women Candidates : Promoting  women’s access to electoral finance 
    by Zurab Kharatishvili, Chair of the Central Election Commission, Georgia                             

Canada: Women more likely to recruit other women for political office

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Mon, 2011-08-08 11:23

Summary: 

The gender composition of those responsible for candidate recruitment plays a crucial role in either encouraging or discouraging women candidates to run for office, according to a recent study in Political Research Quarterly (PRQ) published by SAGE on behalf of the Western Political Science Association.

"Researchers Christine Cheng and Margit Tavits looked at "party gatekeepers" (local party presidents) from the five major political parties in the 2004 and 2006 Canadian national elections. Unlike the US, the nomination of party candidates for the Canadian Parliament is solely the prerogative of the local party associations, and local presidents are in a position to both formally and informally influence the nomination of candidates. The research found an important relationship between the gender of party gatekeepers and who ultimately is nominated to run for office."

The study highlighted three distinct mechanisms where the gender of the party gatekeepers was likely to affect whether the local party candidate was a man or a woman: 1) gatekeepers are more likely to directly recruit and promote people like themselves, 2) the professional and social networks of women gatekeepers are more likely to include qualified women who would be suitable parliamentary candidates which increases the opportunities for direct recruitment of female candidates and, 3) the presence of female party gatekeepers sends an encouraging signal to potential female candidates that women are welcome and can be active in politics, creating a virtuous cycle of participation.

Body: 

To read the complete news EurekAlert published on 8 August 2011.


South Africa: The women who made the elections

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Fri, 2011-06-03 10:19

Summary: 

“This will be a very important meeting for the party, we need to look at the results and analyse them. We have big decisions to make, especially with municipalities where the ANC or IFP did not win an outright majority,” Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi says.

It is Friday afternoon and just hours before the Independent Electoral Commission releases the final official results for the May 18 elections, and kaMagwaza-Msibi is already planning a meeting to analyse her party’s results.

Her three-month-old party, which broke away from the Inkatha Freedom Party, bagged 2.58 percent of the votes nationally; a better showing than the two-year-old Cope, which only netted 2.33 percent. In KwaZulu-Natal, the NFP’s presence brought a virtual wipe-out of the IFP.

The NFP also won two wards in Mpumalanga and North West.

“I criss-crossed the country and campaigned in eight out of nine provinces. It has been the most hectic days of my life.”

Body: 

To read the complete news story please visit The Star.


Thailand: Despite an edict of 'fair' ratios of men and women candidates, no parties toe the line

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Fri, 2011-06-03 08:50

Summary: 

The 2011 election-related organic laws require that every political party has to give due consideration to an "appropriate ratio" between and equal opportunities for men and women candidates. However, the laws do not stipulate a ratio that would be considered fair.

According to Women Reshaping Thailand (WREST), an alliance comprised of long-time and well-known women's rights activists, the five largest political parties, all of which have nominated the full quota of 125 candidates for their party lists, have failed to uphold a fair ratio of men and women candidates.

The organisation stated women accounted for less than 40% of all the five groups' party lists, and most of them had far fewer than that.

If the top 50 slots on each party's list are counted - the higher the ranking, the better the chance of being elected - the best ratio drops to a mere 25%, the group noted.

Body: 

To read the complete news story please visit Bangkok Post.


Ireland: Do quotas solve the lack of women in politics?

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Fri, 2011-06-03 08:19

Summary: 

Minister for Environment Phil Hogan announced on May 30th the introduction of quotas in the electoral system. From the next general election a 30% gender quota of candidates will be introduced, which will then rise to 40% subsequently. If a political party does not adhere to the quota their state funding will be cut in half. The Minister said that “We’re deliberately setting out to improve the participation rate of women in politics."

Body: 

To read the complete review piece please click here.


Egypt: NGOs lobby for Egyptian women

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Thu, 2011-06-02 07:28

Summary: 

"The revolution had proved one point: women are just equal to men," said  Ayman Oqeil, a lawyer by profession and the chairman of the Maat Centre, an NGO specialised in human rights. "Egypt’s women deserve larger space on the political stage," he added during a seminar on the empowerment of women in southern Cairo.

"The former regime did not care about women at all," said Iman Beibars, a civil society activist. "Women have played an important role in the revolution and this is why they should be rewarded appropriately after it," she added.

Body: 

To read the complete news story please visit the Egyptian Gazette.