NDI - Gender, Women and Democracy

Mexican Men and Women Work Together to Elect More Women to Office

fstovall — Thu, 06 May 2010 21:03:29 +0000

"Why women, why now?" was the question posed to over 300 participants, both male and female, participating in a week-long series of training sessions across Mexico aimed at giving women candidates the skills and tools they need to get elected to office.

The answers — that democracy works best when women have an equal voice in the process and that upcoming local elections are a great opportunity to elect more women — were emphasized throughout the events as the women learned about message development, targeting women and young voters, and recruiting and keeping campaign volunteers.

Though gender quotas have led to an increase in the number of women running for and elected to office in Mexico in recent years, women hold only 5 percent of municipal and state elected positions. They frequently receive ballot placement that lessens their chances of winning, and they receive less public financing and fewer opportunities for training.

In collaboration with the Fox Center and Mexico's three major political parties — the National Action Party (PAN), the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) — NDI is working to help women gain campaign skills that are already familiar to their male counterparts.

The training kicked off at the Fox Center in San Francisco del Rincón on April 15 with a speech by former President Vicente Fox. Fox offered words of encouragement to the participants, saying that women in Mexico today have risen to the challenge of being more active in politics, the economy and social organizations.

"I believe Mexico has been changing rapidly on this issue. The 2000 election changed many things that had been limited or prohibited before, particularly for women," said Fox, whose victory in that election broke the country's tradition of one-party rule. "I believe that nowadays women have taken the challenge. Women are active in politics, in the economy, civil organizations, but they need programs like this to keep opening doors."

Trainers emphasized strategic aspects of running a campaign, such as message development, targeting messages to specific demographics, scheduling and time management. They also addressed some of the "soft" skills, often familiar to male candidates, such as projecting confidence through voice and presence, negotiating and debating with opponents, and tips for surviving a campaign.

"After these workshops you're aware that you are not alone. You belong to a broad network of women around the world struggling to hold decision-making positions in politics," Cathy Allen, CEO of the Seattle-based Connections Group, told the participants.

The trainers who came from outside Mexico included Allen and Roula Attar of NDI's Jordan office. They joined Julian Quibell, Keila Gonzalez and Rocio Alvarez from NDI's office in Mexico.

This year, 15 states in Mexico will hold elections for governors, local legislators and mayors. Many attendees were women who are either already running for office or strongly considering it.

Pictured above: Vicente Fox meets participants

Published May 7, 2010

Celebrating the Successes of Women and Youth Activists in Kosovo

jfrant — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 22:03:10 +0000

In a recent publication, NDI presents the accomplishments of a remarkable group of Kosovars -- women and youth activists -- who have embraced their civic responsibilities, helping raise citizens’ concerns within their political parties and to other decisionmakers in order to bring about change in their communities

Kosovo is Europe’s youngest country, having declared independence in 2008 following United Nations’ oversight in the wake of armed conflict with Serbia. Fittingly, Kosovo boasts Europe’s youngest population. Kosovars young and old are building sovereign institutions of government and are creating a culture of civic activism.

Kosovo’s approximately two million citizens enjoy many benefits and rights guaranteed by their constitution, which upholds citizenship equality along ethnic, gender, and other lines. Given Kosovo’s demographics, women and youth in particular have much to say as to whether constitutional guarantees of equality do not exist only on paper but in reality as well. As part of its long-term assistance to Kosovo’s democratic transition, NDI has supported women and youth political activists in their efforts to secure equal rights for all citizens and to make government responsive to the needs of female and young constituents.

On December 14, NDI presented the accomplishments of a remarkable group of Kosovar women and youth activists at an event which gathered approximately 100 prominent politicians representing Albanian, Serbian, and other minority communities, along with foreign diplomats. These activists have embraced their civic responsibilities, helping raise citizens’ concerns within their political parties and to other decisionmakers in order to bring about change in their communities.

With NDI’s assistance over the past three years, they designed and led community-driven initiatives to improve how government serves the public in very concrete ways: for example, providing free childcare to single mothers, improving the management of an important geological site, and promoting the establishment of dog shelters and stray dog adoption.

These individuals stand ready to take their place in Kosovo’s political life—and we need to make room for them….Too often citizens believe that government officials and institutions have lost touch with the people they serve...but bringing new voices into the establishment powerfully combats the notion that influence is concentrated in the hands of the few.

– U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Greg Delawie’s Remarks at the NDI event

While their achievements are significant, political parties need to channel these initiatives into public policy that can be enacted through legislation and fiscal decisions, ensuring that government actions reflect public concerns and interests but benefit from the actions that citizens take.

It is important to constantly nurture [the] process of debate on the policies which are applied in our state and society. The training provided by NDI carried out this very task—[to] foster and intensify this debate.

— President Hashim Thaci’s remarks at at the NDI event

Since 1999, NDI has helped citizens and political leaders throughout Kosovo build these connections, contributing to a strong civic culture and durable democratic institutions. One way NDI has done this is through skills-building of over 700 women and youth activists representing diverse ethnic and political backgrounds, such as those celebrated on December 14. NDI’s Women’s Leadership Academy (WLA) and New Media School (NMS) provided these leaders with training as well as opportunities to network and connect with each other across party, geographic, and ethnic lines while exploring common concerns and developing shared strategies to approach them.

Women from all walks of life and political parties across the political spectrum, committed their time to learn policy development, public speaking, advocacy, time management, and communication skills, but most of all they learned how to work together. Young activists from political parties and civil society learned about using social media and new communication technologies to develop political and advocacy campaigns, focusing on message development, research, and effective outreach. And then they put their knowledge and skills to the test, undertaking advocacy initiatives with mentoring by NDI staff and experts.

At the event, NDI launched a publication to showcase the progress and successes of initiatives from WLA and NMS activists. The event also showcased the paintings of young artists whose work expressed their hopes for inclusive and productive interethnic relations in Kosovo. The initiatives and artwork are the results of these emerging leaders’ strong commitment, hard work and willingness to stand up for their communities and take part in determining Kosovo’s future. The efforts presented at the reception represent first victories in what NDI expects is just the beginning of these leaders’ activities.

NDI’s programming with women and youth leaders is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Women in the News (December 9th, 2016- December 22nd, 2016)

womens-team — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 16:45:23 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

12/22/2016

Resource Type:

Newsletter

Having trouble viewing this newsletter?
Read it online.

Women in the News

Asia
Central and Eastern Europe
Central and West Africa
Eurasia
Latin America and the Caribbean
Middle East and North Africa
North America and Western Europe
Southern and East Africa
Global

What's New at NDI Gender, Women and Democracy (GWD)

Int'l Observation Mission in Ghana

The preliminary statement recently released by NDI's international observer mission (IOM) in Ghana is a testament to gender-informed election observation. It calls for actively facilitating women’s political participation, creating accountability measures that ensure their equal participation in decision making, and publishing sex-disaggregated data on women’s participation as voters and polling officials. Read more here: >>

#Not The Cost Incident Report

We are continuing to collect examples and stories of violence against politically active women through our #NotTheCost Incident Report Form, to highlight the overwhelming global prevalence of that violence. The information collected through this form will be passed by NDI to the office of the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls directly, and may be used to raise awareness and build the case for global action. If you have a story to tell, or know someone who does, follow the link here to our data collection form:>>

Asia

Regional

The solitude of female politicians in South Asia (Opinion)>>

Australia

How long before parliaments have gender balance? We crunched the numbers. They're not pretty>>

Afghanistan

One Year After Tabassum, Afghan Women Search for their Own Voice (Opinion)>>

Timor-Leste

The Trouble With Timor-Leste’s Gender Quotas (Opinion)>>

South Korea

Women Already Have It Bad in South Korean Politics. The President’s Impeachment Would Make Things Worse (Opinion)>>

Central and Eastern Europe

Serbia

Serbian Ex-Policeman Acquitted of Threatening Peace Women >>

Central and West Africa

Nigeria

Women push for gender equity in politics>>

Eurasia

No articles this week.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Mexico

El machismo todavía es un obstáculo para ser presidenta en México (Interview)>>

Middle East and North Africa

Saudi Arabia

Saudi women in municipal councils: One year on>>

Lebanon

Appointment of a male women’s minister slammed by Lebanese women>>

Egypt

Arrest of leading Egyptian feminist Azza Soliman sparks anger>>

Israel

Two years after govt plan for women in security, has anything changed?>>

North America and Western Europe

Regional

Roberta Metsola hopes to raise awareness on dangers of revenge porn>>

Canada

Black rights activist Viola Desmond to be 1st Canadian woman on $10 bill>>

United Kingdom

Margaret Thatcher named most influential woman of last 70 years>>

United Kingdom

Theresa May and the breaking of Boris Johnson(Opinion)>>

United States

Why Are So Few Women Running for DNC Chair? (Opinion)>>

Southern and East Africa

Uganda

Ugandan Marchers Press Need to Stop Violence Against Women>>

Malawi

Support women in politics during non-election period>>

Global

Global Leadership

8 Disabled Women Who Are Changing the World Through Politics(Blog)>>

United Nations

The United Nations Fired Wonder Woman for Being Too Sexy (Blog)>>

Women in the News connects readers to third-party content on women in politics. Linking to an article does not constitute endorsement by NDI and NDI is not responsible for any third-party content.

For 30 years, NDI has been a world leader in promoting women's political participation and supporting the aspirations of women to be equal and active partners in determining the future of their country. Learn more at www.ndi.org.

Want to hear more from us? Sign up for "Win with Women" and follow us @NDIWomen on Twitter.

Acción Ciudadana final report on the long-term observation on electoral violence and campaign spending in 20 municipalities

jfrant — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 16:26:13 +0000

Author:

Acción Ciudadana

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

12/19/2016

Acción Ciudadana final report on the long-term observation on electoral violence and campaign spending in 20 municipalities: During 2015 elections, the Guatemalan chapter of Transparency International, Citizen Action Acción Ciudadana (AC), organized a long-term observation in 20 municipalities that were identified as having experienced high levels of electoral violence during past elections. The observation, focused on monitoring and mitigating incidents and triggers of electoral violence and observing illegal campaign financing in the target municipalities. Thirteen local organizations participated in the observation network coordinated by AC. In total, 140 citizen observers met with more than 1,300 citizens in 340 communities across the 20 municipalities. The final report describes the innovative observation methodology, which included a focus on documenting violence against women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) communities, as well as provides a summary of the observation conclusions and recommendations.

Acción Ciudadana informe final sobre los gastos de la observación a largo plazo de violencia electoral y campaña en 20 municipios: Durante las elecciones de 2015, Acción Ciudadana (AC), la delegación guatemalteca de Transparencia Internacional, organizó una observación a largo plazo en 20 municipios que fueron identificados por haber sufrido altos niveles de violencia electoral durante las elecciones pasadas. La observación se enfocó en las causas de incidentes de violencia electoral para su mitigación y en el monitoreo del financiamiento y gasto de campaña en los municipios. Trece organizaciones locales participaron en la red de observación coordinada por AC. En total, 140 observadores se reunieron con más de 1,300 ciudadanos en 340 comunidades de 20 municipios. El informe final se describe la innovadora metodología de observación, la cual hizo incluyó los casos de violencia contra mujeres y las comunidades de lesbianas, gays, bisexuales, transgénero e intersexo (LGBTI), y también provee un resumen de los hallazgos y recomendaciones de la observación.

English

Spanish

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Voices from Guatemala: Stories of Inclusion and Change

jfrant — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 16:09:20 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

12/19/2016

Language:

English, Spanish, K’iche, Ixil, Kaqchikel, Q'anjob'al

Voices from Guatemala: Stories of Inclusion and Change: This compilation of eight stories highlights the observation efforts of local partner organization Citizen Action (Accion Ciudadana, AC) and the nine-member observation coalition Electoral Watch (Mirador Electoral) that were originally published on NDI’s blog. These groups conducted a comprehensive program to monitor the pre-election environment as well as the electoral process and polls on election day. Following elections, NDI conducted interviews with observers across the country to hear their personal testimonies, which focus on different thematic areas of the observations and provide insights on the impact of observations in the communities and lives of the observers. The majority of the stories were translated into a Mayan language. NDI believes that including articles in the native language of the people telling their stories is important in a multilingual society such as Guatemala. NDI printed the series to distribute in the mostly rural communities that participated in observation initiatives. The print version also includes findings from the external evaluation that supports the individual stories and experiences shared in the stories.

Voces de Guatemala: Historias de inclusión y cambio: Esta serie de ocho historias, que fueron publicadas originalmente en el blog de NDI, resalta los esfuerzos de observación de una organización local asociada, Acción Ciudadana (AC), y del consorcio de nueve organizaciones de Mirador Electoral. Estos grupos observaron el ambiente preelectoral, así como el proceso electoral y el desempeño de las Juntas Receptoras de Votos (urnas) durante el día de las elecciones. Después de las elecciones, NDI condujo entrevistas con observadores por todo el país para escuchar sus propios testimonios, los cuales abordan distintas áreas temáticas del proceso de observación y proveen perspectivas sobre el impacto de la observación en las comunidades y la vida de las personas. La mayoría de las historias fue traducida a un idioma maya. NDI consideró importante incluir historias publicadas en el idioma materno de los protagonistas de las historias, tomando en cuenta que Guatemala es un país multilingüe. NDI imprimió la serie para distribuirla en las comunidades mayormente rurales que participaron en las iniciativas de observación. La versión impresa también incluye hallazgos de la evaluación externa que apoya las historias y experiencias individuales compartidas en la serie.

English

Spanish

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Women in the News (November 25, 2016 - December 8, 2016)

womens-team — Thu, 08 Dec 2016 20:42:48 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

12/08/2016

Resource Type:

Newsletter

Having trouble viewing this newsletter?
Read it online.

Women in the News

Asia
Central and Eastern Europe
Central and West Africa
Eurasia
Latin America and the Caribbean
Middle East and North Africa
North America and Western Europe
Southern and East Africa
Global

What's New at NDI Gender, Women and Democracy (GWD)

#NotTheCost

As the #16days of activism against gender violence continues, we are continuing to collect examples and stories of violence against politically active women through our #NotTheCost Incident Report Form. The campaign intends to highlight the overwhelming global prevalence of that violence. The information collected through this form will be passed by NDI to the office of the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls directly, and may be used to raise awareness and build the case for global action. If you have a story to tell, or know someone who does, follow the link here to our data collection form:>>

Roundtable on the International Protocol of SGBV

The GWD hosted an incredibly successful two-day roundtable last week, for which we’d like to thank all of the people who participated and contributed to an important discussion. We will be following up with a report early next year in continuing the project of creating an assessment tool.

GWD Collaboration with Huairou

In October 2016 GWD and the Huairou Commission convened a networking meeting for women mayors and grassroots leaders. Participants explored common priorities in the New Urban Agenda and role of local authorities and grassroots women in implementation, which are many. Check out more about their collaboration here:>>

Asia

Regional

Nepal Leads Asia in Women's Political Representation>>

Afghanistan

One Year After Tabassum, Afghan Women Search for their Own Voice>>

Bangladesh

Underage with an ID to prove it (Blog)>>

India

India's Villages are being Empowered - by Women (Opinion)>>

Japan

Four Things to Know about Japan's Opposition Leader Renho Murata>>

Central and Eastern Europe

Bulgaria

Trailblazing Women: Nadezhda Neynsky, Ambassador of Bulgaria to Turkey (Profile)>>

Central and West Africa

Burkina Faso

This woman deserves recognition for changing the narrative around people living with HIV/AIDS in rural Burkina Faso (Profile)>>

Ghana

Northern Women for Peace Wants Peace in December Elections>>

Liberia

Signaling a Boost for Gender Equality, Liberia Passes the Affirmative Action Bill>>

Nigeria

5 Most Influential Nigerian Women of 2016>>

Nigeria

Nigeria: Women and the Boko Haram Insurgency, Africa Report N°242>>

Eurasia

No articles this week.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Mexico

100 Women 2016: Are Mexican Women less Corrupt than Men?>>

Mexico

Mexican Women Urge Men to Boycott All-Male Forums>>

Middle East and North Africa

Kuwait

15 Female Candidates Ran for Parliament in Kuwait's Latest Election. Only This Woman Won.>>

Libya

To be Young, Libyan, and Female: Alaa Murabit on Building Civil Society after Gaddafi (Podcast)>>

Palestine

Palestinian Women Cross Divide to Meet at "Peace Tables">>

North America and Western Europe

Canada

At Issue's Hateful Tweets (Video)>>

Finland

Three Women Killed in Imatra>>

Iceland

The Tiny Nation of Iceland is Crushing the US in Electing Female Politicians>>

United States

These are the Female Politicians Inspiring the Next Generation of Women>>

United States

Hopes for a Female President Dashed, Women Take Running for Office into their Own Hands>>

Southern and East Africa

Regional

A Case for Resocialising Women Into a Major Political Force (Opinion)>>

Global

VAW-P

How White Supremacist Hatred Drives Act of Violence against Powerful Women>>

Women's Economic Opportunities

Unlocking Opportunities for Women with Smart Design (Blog)>>

Global Leadership

A Tipping Point: Women in Global Leadership (Opinion)>>

Global Politics

Cherie Blair: There’s a Backlash against Women (Opinion)>>

Women in Politics

Only Incremental Gains for Women Worldwide (Blog)>>

Women Advocates

We, Women who Defend Rights, are Beautiful (Blog)>>

Women in the News connects readers to third-party content on women in politics. Linking to an article does not constitute endorsement by NDI and NDI is not responsible for any third-party content.

Want to hear more from us? Sign up for "Win with Women" and follow us @NDIWomen on Twitter.

Women in the News (November 11, 2016 - November 25, 2016)

womens-team — Fri, 25 Nov 2016 18:50:52 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

11/25/2016

Resource Type:

Newsletter

Having trouble viewing this newsletter?
Read it online.

Women in the News

Asia
Central and Eastern Europe
Central and West Africa
Eurasia
Latin America and the Caribbean
Middle East and North Africa
North America and Western Europe
Southern and East Africa
Global

What's New at NDI Gender, Women and Democracy (GWD)

#Not The Cost Incident Report

Today, November 25, marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women -- which itself commemorates an act of political violence against women, the 1960 assassination of the Mirabal Sisters under the Trujillo regime in the Dominican Republic. In recognition of the day, and to kick-start NDI’s engagement with the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence that follow, we are launching an Incident Report Form for reporting Violence Against Women in Politics.

This form, available in Arabic, English, French and Spanish, allows people to report incidents of violence against politically active women safely and securely. All testimonies submitted through this form will be passed to the office of the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls, HE Dubravka Šimonović, allowing her office to start building an archive that can, in due course, become a thematic report to the UN on the issue of violence against women in politics. We invite everyone to learn more about the #NotTheCost campaign, or to submit a testimony by clicking through to the form here. >>

Asia

Fiji

Women have the Right to Equality in All Areas, says Luveni>>

India

Meet India's 1st IPS Officer to be put in charge of CM's Security (Profile)>>

India

Women Lead the March of Democracy>>

Malaysia

500 women march to demand Maria Chin's release>>

Nepal

Where are All the Women? (Opinion)>>

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Launches National Plan of Action to Address Sexual and Gender-based Violence>>

South Korea

South Korea Finally has its 1st Female President, but Women's Groups Fear She's only Made Sexism Worse>>

Central and Eastern Europe

Albania

American's Eisenhower inspires Albania's first woman general (Profile)>>

Central and West Africa

Central African Republic

La Centrafique adopte la loi sur la parité homme et femme>>

Ghana

Elections 2016: 1000 women march for peaceful elections in Tamale>>

Nigeria

Lagos Speaker Activists Call for Gender Balance in Governance>>

Eurasia

No articles this week.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Regional

Indigenous Latin American Women Craft Climate Change Solutions in Marrakech>>

Colombia

New Colombia-FARC Deal Keeps Focus on Gender>>

Middle East and North Africa

Regional

Women Leaders in an Arab World still Plagued by Inequality>>

Morocco

Cracking the Glass Ceiling in Arab Politics>>

North America and Western Europe

Canada

‘Dumb broad’: Watch new Alberta NDP member Sandra Jansen read insults she’s received>>

Canada

Manitoba's Ex-Liberal Leader Target of Lewd Photos, Offers of Sex during Election>>

France

Top French Offices Stop Work in Support of Gender Pay Gap Protests>>

United States

Why it's so hard for a woman to become President of the United States>>

United States

Hillary Didn't Win but the 2016 Election was actually a Milestone for Women>>

Southern and East Africa

Burundi

Poor Participation of Women Journalists in Politics Matters>>

Kenya

Two Women Lead Race to Succeed Issak at IEBC>>

Somalia

How women are changing the face of politics in Somalia>>

Somalia

Gender Equality Challenge as Somalia Votes>>

Uganda

Q and A: Woman Opposition Leader Aims to Shake Up Ugandan Politics (Profile)>>

Zambia

Legislation to ensure quotas for women in politics underway>>

Global

Transitional Justice

Creativity and Resilience: How do war survivors make international justice work for them? (Blog)>>

Women Leaders

BBC 100 Women in 2016: Who is on the list? (Opinion)>>

Women in Politics

Here are the 50 Democracies that have elected a female leader>>

Women in the News connects readers to third-party content on women in politics. Linking to an article does not constitute endorsement by NDI and NDI is not responsible for any third-party content.

Want to hear more from us? Sign up for "Win with Women" and follow us @NDIWomen on Twitter.

Iraqi Political Party Activists Work Together to Forge National Reconciliation

jfrant — Mon, 21 Nov 2016 20:59:02 +0000

Forty-four young activists from across Iraq’s political landscape have joined together to craft policy solutions to address the pressing concerns of the country’s marginalized communities. Comprised of women, youth, and minority representatives from 10 political parties and five civil society organizations, the 44 activists mirror Iraq’s complex sectarian landscape.

“With so many pressing political, security, and humanitarian challenges, the voices of Iraq’s marginalized communities are often not heard,” NDI’s Iraq Country Director, Ancuta Hansen, explained. “Empowering politically-minded youth from within these very communities can fill this void and help pave the way for national reconciliation.

NDI launched its “cross-party working group” initiative in Erbil on October 27th, convening the participants for a three-day joint plenary session. Members were introduced to a range of topics and skills they will employ in the coming year as they identify shared issues of concern, craft policy solutions, and engage with decision-makers.

“With this initiative, we are showing to the world that the new Iraqi generation has come together to work as one,” a Baghdad-based participant noted. “This was exactly the right moment to form these working groups,” another added. “We are jointly developing ideas and discussing solutions to people’s problems.”

With coaching from NDI, the participants reached consensus on six priority issues that the marginalized communities are facing, including:

countering violent extremism;
reforming the national educational curriculum to promote greater tolerance;
stimulating the local farmers;
providing fair access to job opportunities to graduates;
establishing a corruption hotline; and
improving connectivity between the government and the minority populations in rural and remote areas.

By the conclusion of the workshop, participants formed six thematic policy groups to work on each of these six issues. “We were able to find common points on small scale solutions,” a Kurdish participant said. “That is how [reconciliation] is going to happen --step by step, slowly. This brings us closer to consensus on the bigger issues,” he added.

Yezidi woman: “The value [from my participation in this initiative] is my personal happiness. I want to thank all the other women I met here for their openness and tolerance. I feel that I am accepted… they embraced me. I’ve participated in other training sessions but I’ve faced obstacles in communicating with the other participants. Here, it’s easy.”

This month, the six thematic groups will start reaching out to constituents to further develop policy options. The working groups will ultimately present their policy recommendations to key decision-makers in political parties, parliament and the government and have elements of their proposal integrated into election platforms and legislative initiatives ahead of the 2017 elections.

“The formation of these working groups would not have been possible without buy-in from senior party leadership across the board,” Political Party Director Ognian Boyadjiev commented. “In many ways, it represents the culmination of NDI’s programming on policy development, citizen outreach, and national reconciliation over the past two years.”

As these young Iraqi activists continue to put their differences aside to collaborate on shared priorities, they offer a note of optimism for Iraq’s future. “I feel excited,” a working group member explained, “because I am contributing as a young person to national reconciliation.” Another participant quickly added: “This training planted the seed for mutual understanding. That’s what we need for the future -- unbiased cooperation between people from different parties.”

This program is implemented with funding support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.

Published on November 21, 2016

Malawi Scorecard: Responsiveness to Women in Development Planning and Financing at the District Council Level

jfrant — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 15:03:02 +0000

Published Date:

11/16/2016

In an effort to ensure gender equality in development and that women's and girls needs are mainstreamed and deliberately focused on by local governments, NGO Gender Coordination Network (NGOGCN) developed a scorecard to determine whether select district councils respond to needs of women and girls in their District Development Plans, budgets and in Area Development Committee (ADC) structures. Through the project supported by the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DfID) through the National Democratic Institute (NDI), NGOGCN is advocating for gender needs to be addressed in development projects administered by district councils. NGOGCN network members engage with local government officials, policymakers and CSOs to promote gender responsiveness in development planning, budgeting and implementation. The project targets nine district councils: Chiradzulu, Dedza, Karonga, Luchenza, Mzimba, Mzuzu, Neno, Lilongwe and Thyolo. The scorecard is rapid assessment on the progress of these district councils and provides several recommendations for ministries and local governments in Malawi.

English

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Women in the News | October 28, 2016 - November 14, 2016

womens-team — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 21:58:39 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

11/14/2016

Resource Type:

Newsletter

Having trouble viewing this newsletter?
Read it online.

Women in the News

Asia
Central and Eastern Europe
Central and West Africa
Eurasia
Latin America and the Caribbean
Middle East and North Africa
North America and Western Europe
Southern and East Africa
Global

What's New at NDI Gender, Women and Democracy (GWD)

Leading for Inclusion and Security: A look from Bethlehem

The National Democratic Institute is proud to be hosting a discussion with Vera Baboun, Mayor of Bethlehem, on “Leading for Inclusion and Security: The View from Bethlehem,” moderated by BBC News Correspondent Jane O’Brien. If you’re in DC on November 17th, join us at 12! RSVP here: https://www.ndi.org/Vera_Baboun_event >>

Votes Without Violence

Developed from NDI’s collaboration with citizen observer groups around the world, GWD is proud to launch the Votes Without Violence toolkit on the issue of violence against women in elections. It includes guidance and a set of practical tools and resources that can be used directly by observers and practitioners to monitor and mitigate electoral violence against women effectively through gender-aware election observation. Learn more at: http://www.voteswithoutviolence.org/>>

Women's Political Participation

in Africa

Our Senior Advisor Caroline Hubbard presented the paper “Women’s Political Participation in Africa: Opportunities and Challenges for Democratic Integrity”at the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA). The paper addresses how gender norms and inequities impact the barriers and opportunities women face in politics and are often deeply embedded in social and political culture or codified by political, legal and financial institutions.>>

Asia

Bangladesh

Gender Activist Kamla Bhasin Calls Bangladesh Women to Act Fearlessly to Change Themselves>>

Cambodia

Enough of the gods: Stepping into Cambodia's Political Crosshairs (Profile);>>

India

Indian Muslim Feminists: We’re Reformists, not Traitors (Opinion)>>

Pakistan

2 Women Unite to take the “Honor” out of Killing (Profile)>>

Central and Eastern Europe

Bulgaria

Bulgaria "to propose female EU Commissioner">>

Czech Republic

Bradáčová named "most influential Czech woman" by Forbes>>

Slovakia

How I Got There: Iveta Radicova (Profile)>>

Central and West Africa

Benin

Benin-Lagos highway shutdown as market women protest in Benin>>

Nigeria

Jibrillah Calls for More Women Participation in Politics>>

Eurasia

No articles this week.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Regional

Why has "macho" Latin America elected more female leaders than the US? (Opinion)>>

Argentina

"Ni Una Menos" en Argentine, des manifestations contre les "feminicides">>

Middle East and North Africa

Regional

Feminism after the Arab Spring (Opinion)>>

Egypt

New Initiative Helps Egyptians Fight Back against Sexual Harassment>>

Israel

Even at Israel’s Equality Ministry, Male Civil Servants Outearn Women>>

Lebanon

Victy Zwein: Moving the Ball Forward for Women in Lebanese Politics (Profile)>>

Palestine

New initiative aims to protect Palestinian working women>>

United Arab Emirates

Abu Dabi to host Global Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament in December>>

North America and Western Europe

Regional

From Homemaking to Policy Making: European Women in Political Leadership Roles (Blog)>>

Australia

Why Women in Politics with Babies Face Different Working Conditions>>

Canada

Women Eagerly Reshaping Government in Alberta: Steward (Opinion)>>

France

French Women Strike over Pay Gap>>

Iceland

Women Win 30 Seats in Iceland’s Parliament, More than Any Party>>

Iceland

Iceland’s Women Leave Work to Protest at 2:38pm to Protest Gender Pay Gap>>

United States

Can Female Leadership Change Compton? (Profile)>>

United States

How Stereotypes about Women Push Female Politicians to be Hawkish (Opinion)>>

Southern and East Africa

Bostwana

Botswana Foreign Minister Launches Campaign to Lead African Union>>

Ghana

More Women for Next Parliament?>>

Kenya

Martha Karua’s entry stirs Kirinyaga politics>>

Zambia

Unity among Female MPs Key to Gender Fight>>

Global

UNSCR 1325

Sixteen Years After the Adoption of UNSCR 1325 (Blog)>>

Women Leaders

Much of the World Has Had a Woman Leader. Why Not the U.S.?>>

Women Leaders

Women Actually Do Govern Differently>>

Women in the News connects readers to third-party content on women in politics. Linking to an article does not constitute endorsement by NDI and NDI is not responsible for any third-party content.

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Women in the News | October 13, 2016 - October 27, 2016

womens-team — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 12:57:25 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

10/28/2016

Having trouble viewing this newsletter?
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Women in the News

Asia
Central and Eastern Europe
Central and West Africa
Eurasia
Latin America and the Caribbean
Middle East and North Africa
North America and Western Europe
Southern and East Africa
Global

What's New at NDI Gender, Women and Democracy (GWD)

Votes Without Violence

GWD is proud to launch the Votes Without Violence toolkit on the issue of violence against women in elections, developed from NDI's collaboration with citizen observer groups around the world. It includes guidance and a set of practical tools and resources that can be used directly by observers and practitioners to monitor and mitigate electoral violence against women effectively. Check out our website and toolkit here: https://www.ndi.org/votes-without-violence >>

Violence Against Women in Politics

Liberal International and NDI partnered to host a working lunch with liberal parliamentarians to create strategies on preventing and eliminating violence against politically active women so MPs can exchange experiences from their own countries and formulate policy proposals on how to tackle the issue on both a national and international level. >>

Violence Against Women Leaders

This IPU study released yesterday reveals the global problem that exists of sexism, harassment, and violence against women MPs. It shows clearly not only the disturbing levels of psychological, sexual, and physical violence against women in politics across the world, but also the resilience and courage of these MPs.Read more about it here: http://www.ipu.org/pdf/publications/issuesbrief-e.pdf >>

IPU Summit: Resolution on Women's Political Participation

During the 135th IPU Summit this week in Geneva Switzerland, participants drafted and debated the resolution for “The freedom of women to participate in political processes fully, safely, and without interference: Building partnerships between men and women to achieve this objective." See what they drafted here: http://www.ipu.org/conf-e/135/3Cmt-dr-res.pdf >>

2017 Joni Lovenduski PhD Prize in Gender and Politics

The application period for the 2017 Joni Lovenduski PhD Prize in Gender and Politics is open! The award will be presented by the ECPR and the ECPG Standing Group on Gender and Politics to an outstanding PhD dissertation in the field of gender and politics at the 2017 European Conference on Gender and Politics. Read more about the award and application process here: >>

Asia

Regional

Call for harnessing potential of female population to boost economy>>

Afghanistan

New Women's Park Welcomed in Afghan Province>>

Cambodia

Survivors of Rape and Forced Marriage Seek Justice in Cambodia's Khmer Rouge Trials ;>>

China

Female investors rise to top of venture capital companies>>

Pakistan

Tribal Women Express Reservations on Reforms Package for FATA>>

Pakistan

Two-day Rural Women's Conference begins at Lok Versa>>

Pakistan

Women Urged to Realise their Role as Society Leaders>>

Central and Eastern Europe

Bulgaria

Bulgarian MEP Maria Gabriel: Human Trafficking can be Eliminated>>

Bulgaria

Tatyana Doncheva, the "Manly" Candidate (Profile)>>

Central and West Africa

Liberia

First Female Presidential Aspirant Enters 2017 Liberian Race (Profile)>>

Nigeria

Nigeria's First Lady Says She May Not Support Her Husband's Reelection>>

Nigeria

Reintegration Assistance to over 750 Women, Girls Held Hostage by Boko Haram>>

Sierra Leone

Africa: As Africa Human Rights Day Commemorated Today HRC Demands Examination of Women's Rights>>

Eurasia

No articles this week.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Argentina

Argentina: hundreds of thousands of women set to protest against violence >>

Argentina

Why the #NiUnaMenos marchers are demanding a better Argentina for women (Opinion)>>

Brazil

In Brazil, Online Activists Fight Violence Against Women>>

Chile

Chile's President Wants to Ease Abortion Ban, but Opponents Push Back>>

Colombia

The Invisible Army of Women Fighting Sexual Violence in Colombia>>

Costa Rica

Women Have Expanded Legal Services in Costa Rica>>

Guatemala

Guatemalan Women Demand Respect for their Rights, end of Femicides>>

Guyana

Guyana MP Calls for Unity, Respect for Women on Diwali Festival>>

Mexico

Cheran: The town that threw out police, politicians, and gangsters>>

Mexico

Why Mexico is Giving Out Half a Million Rape Whistles to Female Subway Riders>>

Peru

In Peru, this Young Activist is Sparking a Movement for Climate Justice (Profile)>>

Venezuela

Venezuelan Women March to Protest Cancelled Referendum>>

Middle East and North Africa

Bahrain

Women's Participation in Public Affairs Highlighted;>>

Bahrain

Visionary, Defiant, and Resilient: Bahrain's Dissenting Women (Opinion)>>

Iraq

Kurdish Women Fight Odds to Broadcast on Women's Rights>>

Israel

Miri Regev's Culture War(Profile)>>

Israel

Jewish and Arab Israeli Women March to Wage Peace>>

Kuwait

Four Women among 61 New Candidates>>

Libya

Democracy and Stability - A Challenge for Women >>

Oman

#OmanPride: Special Activities organized marked Omani Women's Day >>

Oman

More Women in Oman Report Cyber Blackmail after Campaign>>

Saudi Arabia

"Ladies First" Documentary Trailer (Video)>>

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Women Voted for the First Time: What did that look like? (Opinion) >>

North America and Western Europe

Regional

Three Mayors Make the Case for More Funds>>

Iceland

An Icelandic MP breastfed her baby while addressing Parliament>>

Spain

Carmena, Colau: Mother and daughter of Spanish municipal politics (Interview)>>

United States

Women Stage Nationwide Blockades against Donald Trump>>

Canada

Canada Urged to Quell Discrimination against Women after Fall in UN Ranking>>

Southern and East Africa

Angola

Goverment Ensures Women Empowerment in Maritime Sector>>

Angola

Switzerland - Women's Participation in Political Decision-Making Bodies Considered>>

Kenya

Women Want Free, Fair Nominations>>

Malawi

Natasha Annie Tonthola: My fight against Malawi's "hyenas" (Profile)>>

Namibia

Protecting Women's Interests in Land Use and Ownership>>

Namibia

YALI Graduate Empowering Young Women>>

Somalia

Asha Abdulle Siyad - Pushing Boundaries for Somali Women>>

South Africa

Justice Long Overdue for Widows of South African Mineworkers>>

South Sudan

Darfur Genocide: Silence Harming Women>>

Zimbabwe

Workplaces Unsafe for Women>>

Global

United Nations

Politics Trumps Gender in the Selection of a U.N. Leader>>

Global

Ranked: The Women Literally Running the Planet>>

Global Summit

From City 50/50 to Planet 50/50 – How to Step it Up for Gender Equality and Sustainable Development (Opinion)>>

Women in the News connects readers to third-party content on women in politics. Linking to an article does not constitute endorsement by NDI and NDI is not responsible for any third-party content.

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Women in the News | October 14, 2016

womens-team — Fri, 14 Oct 2016 17:41:34 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Resource Type:

Newsletter

Having trouble viewing this newsletter?
Read it online.

Women in the News

Asia
Central and Eastern Europe
Central and West Africa
Eurasia
Latin America and the Caribbean
Middle East and North Africa
North America and Western Europe
Southern and East Africa
Global

What's New at NDI Gender, Women and Democracy (GWD)

Women Mayors and Local Leaders

GWD's Delegation of Women Mayors and Local Leaders is currently traveling in Bogota for the United Cities and Local Governments 2016 Conference and heading to Quito for the Habitat III Conference. Follow their engagement on Twitter by following @NDIWomen or #NDIWoMNCities. >>

USIP: The Obscured Role of Women in Nonviolent Movements

GWD Director Sandra Pepera participated in this event to see how supporting women can strengthen conflict transformation. The event coincided with USIP's October 6 release of a Special Report on women’s roles in non-violent struggles. With the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) and the non-profit organization Just Vision, USIP gathered path-breaking activists, scholars and filmmakers to examine how women’s participation—and the success of non-violent campaigns—can be strengthened.>>

Thinking Strategically About Women and Democracy

With democracy struggling in many countries, providers of democracy support are looking to tailor assistance strategies to respond to the growing variety of troubled transitional contexts. Aiding women’s political empowerment—a crucial area of international aid for democracy as well as for development more generally—shares this challenge. NDI and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace co-hosted a symposium with Tom Carothers, Anne Marie Goetz, Neil Levine, and Sandra Pepera of Carother's latest paper, written in cooperation with NDI. Keep an eye out for recorded audio on CIEP's website.>>

Votes Without Violence

Electoral violence subverts basic standards for democratic elections, which are a cornerstone of democratic governance. Violence against women in elections is a particular form of electoral violence, motivated by a desire to prevent women as women from participating in the electoral process, and which sees women attacked for daring to enter or participate in elections. GWD is proud to launch the Votes Without Violence toolkit on this issue, developed from NDI's collaboration with citizen observer groups around the world. It includes guidance and a set of practical tools and resources that can be used directly by observers and practitioners to monitor and mitigate electoral violence against women effectively. >>

Asia

Bangladesh

PM Awarded for Women Empowerment >>

China

China Jails Women's Rights Campaigner after "Torture" in Detention>>

Japan

New Party Leader Gives Japan Troika of Top Women in Politics >>

Sri Lanka

Much to be Done to Ensure Women’s Equal Participation in Society – US Ambassador>>

Central and Eastern Europe

Poland

Women across Poland Go on Black Monday Strike against Proposed New Law to Ban Abortion, Jail Women >>

Central and West Africa

Ghana

Eminent Women Create Situation room to Resolve Election Violence >>

Liberia

Ellen Calls for Full International Support for Liberia’s 2017 Elections >>

Eurasia

Russia

How Maria Baronova Became the Face of Russia’s Opposition;>>

Turkey

AKP Mayor in Bingöl Refuses to Let Women Hold Positions at Municipal Council >>

Latin America and the Caribbean

Mexico

Mexico Town Women Vote Locally for First Time>>

Middle East and North Africa

Jordan

Preliminary Election Results Announced, legislature makeup takes shape >>

Jordan

Women and Muslim Brotherhood Make Gains in Jordan’s Elections >>

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Women File Petition to End Male Guardianship System>>

North America and Western Europe

United States

Women in American Politics (Podcast) >>

United States

EU Offers Proposals to have more elected women in Kenya >>

United States

Political Voices in Media are No Longer a Man’s Game (Blog) >>

United Kingdom

Theresa May Makes Her Debut as the Voice of Britain >>

United Kingdom

Men on Political Panels Outnumber Women Two-to-One >>

Cyprus

One of the Most Powerful Women in Cyprus (Profile) >>

Southern and East Africa

Somalia

Somalia’s Federal Electoral Body Ensures Electoral Process is on Time >>

Kenya

Senator Claire McClaskill calls for Trump to be Weighed in Public – Everyday >>

Global

Peace and Security

Women from 38 Countries Implore UN Leader to Seek Korean Peace Treaty >>

Women in the News connects readers to third-party content on women in politics. Linking to an article does not constitute endorsement by NDI and NDI is not responsible for any third-party content.

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Votes Without Violence: A Citizen Observer's Guide to Addressing Violence Against Women in Elections

jfrant — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 17:51:16 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

09/21/2016

Resource Type:

Toolkit

Language:

English

For nearly three decades, NDI has worked with local nonpartisan citizen election observers around the world to mitigate violence and encourage peace. Observers play a crucial role in forecasting, monitoring, mitigating and mediating political conflict—including violence against women. The Votes Without Violence toolkit has been developed from NDI's collaboration with citizen observer groups around the world. It includes guidance and a set of practical tools and resources that can be used directly by observers and practitioners to monitor and mitigate electoral violence against women effectively.

Read the Votes Without Violence Toolkit »

How to Use This Toolkit:

The toolkit has two parts. The manual linked above presents the overall guidance that is essential for understanding and undertaking a gender-sensitive observation to monitor and mitigate violence against women in elections.

Each section of the manual contains a toolbox, with links to a set of detailed tools and resources that provide more detail on specific aspects of violence and the observation proccess. Readers can click through the links in the toolboxes to access each of the resources for a chapter.

For quick reference, a complete index of the tools for each chapter can be found here:

Access the Votes Without Violence Tool Index »

The toolkit was created and refined through extensive pilot programming, implemented and integrated into observations in Côte d'Ivoire, Myanmar, Guatemala, Tanzania and Nigeria. Check out the video below to see a representative from Acción Ciudadana, NDI's partner organization for the project in Guatemala, discuss their experience with the Votes Without Violence toolkit and methodology:

English

Women in the News Newsletter | September 2, 2016 - September 16, 2016

womens-team — Fri, 16 Sep 2016 20:41:11 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

09/16/2016

Resource Type:

Newsletter

Having trouble viewing this newsletter?
Read it online.

Women in the News

Asia and the Pacific
Central and Eastern Europe
Central and West Africa
Eurasia
Latin America and the Caribbean
Middle East and North Africa
Southern and East Africa
North America and Western Europe
Global Policy

What's New at NDI Gender, Women and Democracy (GWD):

VAW-E

Violence against women in elections (VAW-E) is a particular form of electoral violence, motivated by a desire to prevent women as women from participating in the electoral process, and which sees women attacked for daring to enter or participate in elections. We are pleased to announce the US launch of NDI's Votes Without Violence toolkit for citizen observers. The toolkit includes guidance and a set of practical tools and resources that can be used directly by observers and practitioners to monitor and mitigate electoral violence against women effectively.

VAW-P

GWD has been working in partnership with Thomas Carothers, vice president for studies and director of the Democracy and Rule of Law Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, to explore the ways democracy assistance treats the issue of gender equality and women's political empowerment in various political environments. In this partnership, GWD commissioned an in-depth research paper from Mr. Carothers to fill an important gap in the discussion of international aid for democracy and to advance current thinking toward "strategic differentiation" in identifying the kinds of programs that would be most effective in supporting different groups ability to influence wider change. Read NDI's write-up here, and the paper here.

Democracy Day

The International Day of Democracy was September 15.Though the topic is never far from our minds at NDI, today the world remembers the importance of democratic systems everywhere. In celebration of democracy today, and every day, NDI's Government Relations and Communications team has created a short video: #MyVoteMySuperpower. #MyVoteMySuperpower highlights the importance of youth participation in democratic processes. Watch the video here.

VAW-P

Violence should never be the cost of politics -- and our campaign to make sure it isn't was launched at our #NotTheCost Conference on March 17th in New York City. Register for a copy of our Call to Action, which provides practical tools for stopping violence against women in politics, and join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #NotTheCost.

Asia and the Pacific

Australia

'I will not be stereotyped': Aboriginal MP >>

Australia

Liberal Party signs gender diversity plan to increase female representation in Parliament >>

India

Women activists demand action against Dayashankar Singh for yet another slur on Mayawati >>

Japan

Japan's opposition chooses female, half-Taiwanese leader Renho >>

Vietnam

More women's engagement to climate change adaptation urged >>

Central and Eastern Europe

No articles this week.

Central and West Africa

Regional

Advancing Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Africa (Report) >>

Gambia

NCCE Trains Women, Youths On Politics >>

Gambia

She She She - 2016 Election: Let the Women Vote Independently (Opinion) >>

Ghana

Women are deterred from politics because of insults - Edith Danquah >>

Nigeria

Nobody can win election without women's support - DPC >>

Eurasia

No articles this week.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Brazil

Some See Anti-Women Backlash in Ouster of Brazil's President >>

Honduras

Environmental activists still under threat in Honduras six months after Berta Caceres' killing >>

Middle East and North Africa

Egypt

Can new 'women's government' advance gender equality in Egypt? >>

Palestine

Outrage as names of Palestine's female candidates are hidden in local elections >>

Southern and East Africa

Regional

Gender Inequality Costs Sub-Saharan Africa $95 Billion: UN >>

Regional

AU approves "women-only" election observers to Seychelles >>

Kenya

Women told to vie for political seats >>

Kenya

Mbarire lauds Waiguru's venture into active politics >>

Kenya

Women, youth seats to earn parties bigger allocation >>

South Africa

ANC Women's League rejects early congress >>

North America and Western Europe

Canada

Wildrose leader Brian Jean apologizes for joking about beating Alberta Premier Rachel Notley >>

Canada

Minister Patty Hajdu on Being a Woman in Cabinet (Interview) >>

Revenge porn: More than 200 prosecuted under new law >>

Corbyn launches policies aimed at achieving equality for women >>

The Sunday Times Accused Of 'Sexist, Totally Misjudged' Feature On Childless Women Politicians (Blog) >>

Owen Smith describes accusations of sexism as 'mortifying' >>

USA

A Title IX for Women in Politics (Opinion) >>

USA

Something in his whiskey: In country songs, at least, women are fighting back against domestic abuse >>

USA

Hot sauce: The new mayor of Music City's formula for growth >>

Global Policy

Foreign Policy

The Myth of the 'Female' Foreign Policy >>

World Bank

Five Women Who Could Lead the World Bank (Blog) >>

Women in Politics

Despite a big year for women in politics, national legislatures are still dominated by men >>

Women in Politics

Hillary Clinton's not enough: Politics needs more women (Video) (Opinion) >>

Women in Politics

Nearly half of the millennial women worldwide still aren't sure about female political leaders >>

Women in Politics

Global leaders photo speaks volumes about lack of women in power >>

United Nations

Gender Equality At The UN: The Final Push? (Blog) >>

Women in the News connects readers to third-party content on women in politics. Linking to an article does not constitute endorsement by NDI and NDI is not responsible for any third-party content.

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Advancing LGBTI Inclusion in Guatemala: “They need to know who we are and that we matter.”

jfrant — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 14:02:22 +0000

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the peace accords that ended Guatemala’s 36-year internal conflict that deeply divided the country. However, in the two subsequent decades many of the accords’ goals remain to be achieved in critical areas such as rule of law, social justice, and the alleviation of poverty for marginalized groups including women, indigenous people, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) communities. LGBTI issues, in particular, have not been openly discussed in this socially conservative country; as a result there is a significant lack of knowledge on gender and sexual diversity which has resulted in decades of stigma and discrimination against this segment of the population.

Despite these challenges, the Consortium for Electoral and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS) has identified openings among key actors and has taken advantage of this space to hold awareness trainings with National Civil Registry (Registro Nacional de las Personas, RENAP), Supreme Electoral Tribunal (Tribunal Supremo Electoral, TSE), political parties, and journalists. Partnering with LGBTI civil society activists to carry out these trainings, CEPPS’ goal is to institutionalize these training processes so that they may be replicated by government agencies. The first set of trainings focused on diversity and awareness training with 337 RENAP personnel responsible for issuing identification documents in 11 departments. Following these workshops, 73 percent of participants demonstrated an increased understanding of issues facing LGBTI communities. Additionally, RENAP approved a fee waiver for 19 trans* women to receive their identification document, which is necessary for voting, at no cost.

Seventy-three percent of participants demonstrated an increased understanding of issues facing LGBTI communities.

Currently, CEPPS is working with the TSE’s Institute for Civic, Political and Electoral Training (Instituto de Formación y Capacitación Cívico-Política y Electoral, IFCCPE) on enhancing LGBTI non-discrimination and sensitivity. CEPPS, with the support of LGBTI civil society activists, presented a three-part curriculum with TSE trainers and staff to ensure that LGBTI communities are appropriately included in the Institute’s trainings with the public on civic, political and electoral participation. CEPPS recently began a training process with political parties in collaboration with TSE trainers. These trainings provide a first opportunity for TSE staff to put into practice the curriculum on LGBTI non-discrimination and awareness and serve to institutionalize the methodology.

Carlos Velasquez, Director of the IFCCPE, highlighted the importance of the training, noting that “this is the first time that LGBTI issues have been addressed within the TSE. While changing beliefs and breaking stereotypes takes time, these trainings have started a debate within the TSE on the need to incorporate LGBTI non-discrimination in all training.” He believes that “there will be an immediate and visible impact during the 2019 elections. The TSE plans to include respect, inclusion, and non-discrimination of LGBTI communities as a cross-cutting issue in all trainings and manuals for TSE personnel at the national, departmental and municipal levels.”

Ami Hernandez, a member of local partner Red Nacional de la Diversidad Sexual y VIH de Guatemala, or REDNADS, and an activist involved in training TSE staff, described becoming “involved in the trainings with the TSE because, in the past, LGBTI communities have not been taken into consideration. These trainings helped bring visibility to our communities and [hopefully] will lead to a better understanding within the government of our needs and priorities.”

In addition to its work with RENAP and the TSE, CEPPS has also been working with political parties to strengthen women’s electoral participation, including by increasing the number of both cisgender and transgender women running for office. While political parties are a critical vehicle for political and electoral participation, there has been resistance from political parties to address topics such as these that may be considered too politically sensitive. To help overcome this challenge, CEPPS has looked for innovative ways to address the topic and share personal stories that humanize the issues.

During the 2015 electoral period, CEPPS organized three candidate roundtables and a video forum with presidential candidates from three political parties to provide an opportunity for LGBTI groups to advocate for their needs. More than 300 people participated in these first of their kind events, which were successful in bringing visibility to LGBTI issues in the political sphere.

Prior to the elections, CEPPS also supported a theater group in presenting short stories of personal stories of discrimination, which will be performed for individual political parties as part of the party training project. Says Hernandez, “they need to know who we are and that we matter.”

CEPPS has also worked with local journalists to help raise awareness and enhance advocacy for LGBTI inclusion within the profession. These trainings aimed to reduce heterosexual bias in the participants’ work and increase the visibility and coverage of the contributions of women and LGBTI individuals in order to more firmly position journalists as agents of change. Debby Linares Sandoval, a longtime LGBTI activist and an advisor on CEPPS’ current program in Guatemala, notes that “visibility is the first step toward empathy. Only once people are aware of and can understand the struggles of a community will they be willing to make changes that address their needs.”

For more information on CEPPS’ LGBTI inclusive programming in Guatemala, please visit:

Published on September 15, 2016