INSPIRING CHANGE: WOMEN’S POLITICAL REPRESENTATION
Parliament for Tonga which currently has only one woman in Parliament.18 It will be an opportunity for Tongan women to demonstrate their talent, knowledge and potential capacity while empowering them to have their voices heard and to prepare for the upcoming 2014 General Election in November. Previously, UNDP has also assisted national Parliaments to arrange mock Parliaments in Papua New Guinea and Kiribati. Lesotho: In Lesotho, selected
Members of Parliament, Political Party Representatives, and Senior Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) officials participated in the Gender and Elections Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections (BRIDGE) training from 29 July to 2 August,
2013. The BRIDGE training was designed to expose trainees in ways of mainstreaming gender in elections. UNDP also held a workshop for women Parliamentarians from 4 to 7 June 2013, to enhance their confidence and increase their participation in parliamentary debates. Major conclusions from the meeting found that the Women’s Caucus should raise awareness for women related issues in Parliament including maternity leave, the Married Person’s Equality Act and all laws of equal importance. Another recommendation pushed for networking with other women in different Parliaments for skills sharing purposes and training in conflict management. Nigeria: UNDP has supported the
26 | The Parliamentarian | 2014: Issue One
development of the two-year strategic plan of Nigeria’s National Assembly Gender Technical Unit (GTU). The GTU supports gender mainstreaming and women’s rights agenda at the Parliament. Its main functions include: to provide accessible resource tools, research materials and skills for the analysis and articulation of gender- sensitive legislations by all law-makers in Nigeria; provide technical support particularly to female legislators to enhance quality participation and contributions to legislative processes; and provide links between legislators and civil society groups, corporate organizations and individuals doing gender work in Nigeria. The institutional capacity building and development of the GTU as well as support for specific activities, as
outlined in the strategic plan, have been included in UNDP’s upcoming interventions. India: UNDP has called for the
formation of a caucus of women political leaders across party lines to enhance women’s participation within political parties, and to advocate for the Women’s Reservation Bill (which would provide for one-third of the seats in national and state assemblies to be reserved for women) as a collective voice. The Bill passed the Rajya Sabha
in 2010 but at the time of writing had not come to a vote in the Lok Sabha. Caitlin Wiesen, UNDP Country Director, summed up the outcome of the Roundtable by saying, “the key ingredients of success for women’s participation in politics are money,
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