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FAWE Engagement with Journalists and Editors to set the Agenda of Women in Political Participation

OAseno — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 12:23:32 +0000

FAWE Engagement with Journalists and Editors to set the Agenda of Women in Political Participation OAseno Thu, 10/26/2023 - 14:23

FAWE Engagement with Journalists and Editors to set the Agenda of Women in Political Participation

OAseno — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 12:23:32 +0000

FAWE Engagement with Journalists and Editors to set the Agenda of Women in Political Participation OAseno Thu, 10/26/2023 - 14:23

Vacancy alert - Finance and Administrative Manager

sifiso — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 09:36:17 +0000

Vacancy alert - Finance and Administrative Manager sifiso Mon, 02/13/2023 - 11:36

International IDEA is hiring a Finance and Administrative Manager for the Women in Political Participation Project located in Nairobi, Kenya. See vacancy announcement here: https://lnkd.in/dTrq-KCf

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Raising the red flags on the Anniversary of UNSCR1325 & Commemoration of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence

yafika — Fri, 18 Dec 2020 08:25:52 +0000

Raising the red flags on the Anniversary of UNSCR1325 & Commemoration of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence yafika Fri, 12/18/2020 - 10:25

Lack of peace and security is one of the top barriers preventing women from participating in politics. Twenty years on, this webinar is set to take stock of the state of women in political participation in Africa and the contribution that UNSCR1325 has made to increase the number of women participating meaningfully in politics. A number of African countries such as Botswana, Malawi, Tanzania, Cote d’Ivoire, Seychelles held elections in 2019/20 and more are gearing up for elections in 2021. Politically motivated violence against women also linked to election processes have been rampant in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Nigeria, Malawi, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Tanzania, Mali, Sudan and many other African states. The number of women in political distress has in particularly increased as the continent battles to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and where resources initially earmarked for peacekeeping have been diverted to the virus.

The year 2020 marks the 20th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325, which established a powerful normative framework to ensure women’s needs, voices and perspectives to prevent, resolve and recover from conflict and build sustainable peace. With the adoption of this resolution, the UN Security Council acknowledged for the first time that efforts to build and maintain peace and security are more sustainable when women meaningfully participate and have influence in political and security decision-making processes, and when women and girls are safe from violence, in conflict and crises. This resolution set the groundwork for a series of nine additional resolutions on enhancing the roles, perspectives, and needs of women and women and girls in conflict and crises, and that addressing conflict-related sexual violence is a matter of international peace and security. The year 2020 is a time for celebration and an opportunity for reflection on how this global instrument has paved way for women to participate in politics in the African continent.

This year’s 16 Days of activism against gender based violence comes at a time when cases of gender based violence, in particular domestic violence have surged during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Women in politics have not been spared as they are harassed especially during election period. Elections in countries such as Tanzania, DRC and Uganda have been marred with violence.

Election and politically motivated violence has been a major reason for women to stay out of politics. In some countries political violence and abuse has seen women in and out of prison, subsequently disabling them to carry out their political mandates. Key examples coming from Uganda (Stella Nyazi), Zimbabwe (Joanna Mamombe), Sudan (women whole were at the forefront to oust Al Bashir’s regime) and Nigeria (women at the forefront of the #StopSARSNow protests). While women have borne the greatest burden of fighting for democracy, the rewards have been minimal in terms of women’s representation at all levels of governance. Adding onto this is the continuous persecution politically even for those who have managed to get into political office. There has been improvement in some instances in terms of women’s representation in parliament and speakers of parliament in some cases as shown in the paragraphs below.

The number of female speakers in both upper and lower houses of parliament on the continent totalled an encouraging 16 women out of 75 (21%) legislative bodies according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, The Gambia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Togo, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Lesotho and Liberia. The region is now second only to Europe with seventeen female heads of parliament currently in office out of 70 legislative bodies. This stands in stark contrast with just eight female heads of parliament in Asia, and only one in the Middle East and North Africa.

Africa has been distinct in introducing proactive measures in favour of fast-tracking women’s participation in parliament. Currently, most African countries have at least one gender quota in place, including 13 countries that hold specifically reserved seats for women in parliament as opposed to legislated candidate or political party quotas. These reserved seats allow countries to hold high percentages of women members in parliament, such as Rwanda (61.25%), South Africa (46.35%), Senegal (41.82%), and Ethiopia (38.76%), and include more women and diverse perspectives in legislative decision-making.

These few successes in women’s representation in politics must not obscure the alarming levels of Election Violence Against Women (EVAW) and other politically motivated forms of abuse aimed at women politicians. Young women are also at great risks of such forms of violence with some being threatened with rape and profiled negatively by the media. The role of women under political distress to democracy building must be linked to regional, continental and global instruments that seek to preserve peace and promote gender equality. This year’s commemoration of UNSR1325 should be Africa’s reflection on the value of peace building and meaningful participation of women in politics. It is critical that Women’s political participation must not be a ‘ticking off the box’ process but a rights based approach to equality in politics and peace processes.

African countries need to move beyond just numbers and look at root causes that keep women out of politics. The deeply entrenched patriarchy in all of Africa often manifests itself in violence against women in politics and other spheres of life. There is need to uproot patriarchy through raising red flags of women in political distress. Similarly, governments must be able to hold each other accountable for these red flags through sub-regional processes and instruments. There is need for substantive female leadership to advocate for gender-equal policies and even increase cooperation across party and ethnic lines. Such gender policies help challenge discriminatory laws, increase responsiveness to social issues, and remove legal barriers to women’s access to services and economic opportunities. Laws do not change cultural norms, but they are a starting point for empowering women.

Objectives of the webinar

The main objectives of the webinar is to raise red flags of women politicians in political distress in Africa as the world commemorates the 20^th anniversary of UNSCR1325. The webinar will discuss the following:

The role of the state, media and political institutions in protecting women politicians from violence and abuse.
Examples from the ground that will feed onto the WPP Watch platform.
Women’s meaningful political participation in transition states
At the coalface evidence of women’s (including young women) political participation during peace building processes.
How the UNSCR1325 and commemoration of 16 days of activism will contribute towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals – in particular Goal 5 on equal participation in decision-making processes.

Outcomes of the webinar

The Women in Political Participation Watch platform will be strengthened through this webinar. The webinar will equip Women in Political Participation Consortium partners and other participants with insights of on-the ground evidence on the linkages between peace building and meaningful participation of women in politics. Specifically, the webinar will:

Profile women politicians and activists who have experienced or are experiencing persecution due to their role of being politicians.
Profile success stories on implementation of UNSCR1325 and contribution to women’s political participation.
Explore policy and legislative frameworks that contribute towards peace building processes and women’s meaningful participation in politics.
The role of men in promoting women’s political participation during peace building processes
It will highlight red flag areas in terms of peace building in Africa and lack of women’s participation in politics.
The webinar will explore avenues of young women’s political participation during implementation of UNSCR1325 National Action Plans and transitioning states.

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WPP Watch - Article 01

admin — Sun, 22 Nov 2020 18:31:48 +0000

WPP Watch - Article 01 admin Sun, 11/22/2020 - 20:31

The specific objectives of the WPP watch platform are to highlight:

Individual accounts of women politicians in distress.
Young women experiencing political hurdles as they try to participate in politics.
Women activists raising their voices against ongoing political reforms, legislature and practices.
Examples from the ground of success stories of women who are in political office despite persecution.
Advocacy for women’s meaningful participation in politics without fear of abuse.
Holding accountable perpetrators of violence and abuse against women politicians.

This edition of the WPP Watch focuses on women in political distress following the Tanzania elections, the Zimbabwe political situation and the Kenya political situation.

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WPP Watch

Attachments

WPP Watch October to December 2020 (646.6 KB)

IDEA Launches New Gender Project

admin — Sun, 22 Nov 2020 15:13:47 +0000

IDEA Launches New Gender Project admin Sun, 11/22/2020 - 17:13

International IDEA launches a new project on “enhancing the inclusion of women in political participation in Africa”. The project, which is funded by Embassy of Sweden in Ethiopia has brought into a consortium six civil society organisations from across the continent with a mandate of supporting the inclusion of women in African politics with IDEA as lead, the organisations are; African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET), Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), Fundamental Institute of Black Africa - Cheikh Anta Diop University (Ifan-UCAD), Gender Links, Padare/Enkundleni/Men's Forum on Gender, and Women and Law Southern Africa (WLSA).

This project is one of the ways in which IDEA fulfils its 2018-22 strategy to “stimulate and contribute to the public debate on democracy and assist in strengthening processes, reforms, institutions and actors, that build, advance and safeguard democracy”. IDEA believes that gender inclusion should be central to the institutional strategy because without the inclusion of women’s voices and their presence in political processes and institutions, the democratic project is incomplete.

This undertaking is a three-year project with an overall goal to increase the political participation and representation of women in Africa in line with the Maputo Protocol of 2003, various associated sub-regional protocols and standards and the SDGs.

To achieve its goal IDEA and partners will work with among others; political parties, public interest groups (media, institutions that are custodians of customary and religious law), election management bodies, parliaments, gender/ women’s ministries, Regional economic communities, the African Union and policy makers across the continent.

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Women Must LEAD! "We need feminist leadership in Kenya”

admin — Sun, 22 Nov 2020 15:10:46 +0000

Women Must LEAD! "We need feminist leadership in Kenya” admin Sun, 11/22/2020 - 17:10

By FEMNET
29 Aug 2020

Press Statement

For Immediate Release: Nairobi, 29th August 2020

Ten years after the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya (2010), women are asking what is there to celebrate when several gains to women’s representation and participation in leadership continue to be eroded, ignored and replaced with self-serving interests? “How do we celebrate when the two thirds gender rule has not been fulfilled in all arms of government not even in the county assemblies where only eight counties are compliant meaning thirty-nine are not!” was the powerful reflective question posed by Hon. Martha Karua during the “Women Must Lead” Policy Dialogue held on 28th August 20202 in Nairobi, Kenya. The Dialogue organized by the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) in partnership with International IDEA and WPP Consortium partners[1] brought together close to 30 women leaders to reflect and strategize on women’s political participation in Kenya.

Hon. Karua called on the women leaders to familiarize themselves with the herstories journeys of women leaders trailblazers and connect the struggles of equality. Hon. Karua reminded the meeting delegates the long treacherous journey leading to the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya ten years ago, where women leaders stood together in solidarity to consolidate the gains, thereby overcoming the politics of divide and rule along political lines. Cognizant that both women and men live and are raised in a patriarchal society that privileges and prioritizes men, Hon. Karua emphasized the need for women leaders to redefine solidarity and work together to heighten consciousness around dismantling patriarchy and normalized discrimination against women.

As women we must stand in solidarity with one another to move the agenda for equal and meaningful representation and participation of women in politics and decision-making spaces” said Hon. Karua. “Get to know the herstory from your family perspective, from the neighborhood, from our communities, from our country and from the world over, and by the time you are done, you will sign up for the SISTERHOOD, yes SISTERHOOD, because our brothers have an understanding of brotherhood that is activated automatically when male privilege is threatened.

In his opening remarks, Prof. Adebayo Olukoshi from International IDEA – Institute of Democracy and Electoral Assistance noted that despite increased awareness on the imperative of including women in governance systems through rules, standards, instruments at national, regional and sub-regional levels, it is important to recognize that women’s representation and participation in governance remains insufficient and incomplete.

Kenya’s last general election in 2017 saw a nominal increase for women’s representation in politics with the first time entrant of three women governors and three women senators compared to none in 2013. More women were elected to the national and county assemblies (23 members of the national assembly in 2017 compared to 16 in 2013 and 96 members of county assemblies in 2017 compared to 82 in 2013). Another sad reality is the fact that women still hold few leadership positions as committee chairs or speaker positions in the Senate and National Assembly and have been unable to breakthrough into significant committee assignments or other influential positions.

Hon. Gathoni WaMuchomba, Chairperson of KEWOPA – Kenya Women Parliamentary and the Member of Parliament of Kiambu County reminded the meeting participants of the proactive contribution by women leaders towards the realization of the Marriage Act 2014, the Matrimonial Property Act 2013 and Protection Against Domestic Violence Act among other Bills. Other key legislations such as the Prohibition of FGM, Sexual Offences Act, Access to Information Act among others. However Hon. Wa Muchoba noted that despite several efforts pushing for the realization of the two thirds gender principle“our male colleagues lied to us! They cheated us! On the day of passing the bill they abandoned us.” She called on all leaders to discourage patrilineal politics in Kenya.

“Political parties are the let downs for women leaders in Kenya”, weighed in Hon. Dennitah Ghati, Nominated Member of Parliament. Nominated Senator Gertrude Musuruve said the conversation about two-thirds gender rule cannot be complete without the inclusion of people with disability. She said political parties should make efforts that ensure people with disability get a chance.

Ms. Editar Ochieng confirmed that in 2019, whilst vying for the Member of Parliament in she received immense support from fellow women and continues to be mentored and supported by women in her leadership journey. “I’m committed to challenging and expanding spaces for young women to get into political space to challenge retrogressive policies” opined Editar. We must shift narratives and mindsets. Women are not enemies of women. The great impediments is patriarchy which manifests differently. We need social empowerment to unpack and view women’s leadership holistically.

“Power concedes to nothing without a demand, women must demand in solidarity for the 2/3 gender rule. Let’s push for the amendment of the political parties act, we don’t need to amend the Constitution”. Ms Daisy Amdany, Executive Director CRAWN Trust.

Hon. Millie Odhiambo, Member of Parliament of Suba North reminded participants of the need to support affirmative action, after all men first got into parliament through an affirmative action as many African countries gained independence in 50’s and 60’s.

In the next two years, FEMNET, International IDEA and the WPP Consortium partners are keen to enhance women’s political participation in Africa with a view to advance the goal of gender equality in politics and governance. This partnership is committed to contribute to an increase in the voice and presence of women in all political processes and institutions in Africa at the different levels at which they exist. Through policy advocacy, strengthening of capacities and generating research and knowledge, the WPP consortium partners will work with women leaders and institutions in Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Senegal, Tanzania and Zimbabwe to expand awareness and demand for the meaningful inclusion of all women in their diversities.

Closing the meeting, FAWE’s Executive Director Ms. Martha Muhwezi urged all the women leaders to mentor young women aspirants to ensure that they too do not go through the struggles our trailblazers went through.

For more information and/or to request for an interview please contact:

FEMNET Head of Communications, Mildred Ngesa; m.ngesa@femnet.or.ke / +254 727137853

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Political dialogue and leadership: women demand more visibility in the media

admin — Sun, 22 Nov 2020 14:36:39 +0000

Political dialogue and leadership: women demand more visibility in the media admin Sun, 11/22/2020 - 16:36

Despite progress made since the 1990s, a report reveals that women are lagging behind in political exercise in the media. It is within this framework that the Woman political participation (WPP) program was launched yesterday in Dakar to improve the image and leadership of women in politics.

By Adja M. BADJI- Topnews | Oct 23, 2020

Women's leadership and participation in political life are under constant threat. To meet the challenge, women are calling for more visibility in the media. The announcement was made yesterday in Dakar by Fatou Sarr Sow, coordinator of women leaders, at the launch of the Woman political participation (WPP) program.

According to her, to improve the image of women politicians in the media, since their visibility in the media contributes to building the leadership of political actors.

“This will establish a political dialogue with major players, and since the media are one of the key elements in this democratic battle, it is important to see how the issue of women is taken up by the main press groups in the world. Senegal. It also aims to raise the debate and open up perspectives with a view to correcting the virtual exclusion of women politicians in the media space and to jointly identify strategies and activities for 2021/2022 to improve the situation”, continues- she.

However, she says, women's access to decision-making bodies should not be limited to a mechanical presence but contribute to social change through the improvement of the texts of laws and public policies for a better living condition of the people. women and the general population.

Thus, Fatou Sarr Sow did not fail to point out that five axes have been identified for the success of the project. It is a program with press groups, political parties, young people from political parties, parliamentarians and a program for building an alliance between women politicians and civil society actors.

This program is implemented in 8 African countries for a period of three years. These are Botswana, Côte d'Ivoire, Eswatini, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.

The story was first published by Topnews in Senegal 23 October 2020.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b008Ib49YEs&fbclid=IwAR0rJ7VaobQTTyforwl-uZOtzG1CgZdnN7U3dBcD_VSuAIE2FZlcsnB5IHI