WUNRN
Arab
Women Parliamentarians - Project - UNIFEM
Engendering governance and leadership to increase women’s participation in
decision-making processes that shape their lives, continues to be a priority of
the United Nations Development Fund for Women’s (UNIFEM) in its Strategy and
Business Plan. The emphasis on engendering governance and leadership is
particularly critical for strengthening the capacity and skills of women to
facilitate their access to political and economic decision-making positions and
to support their development as transparent, accountable, transformational
leaders, who can effectively advance a pro-poor and pro-women agenda.
The subject of women's representation in parliament or decision-making
positions is not a quantitative one. The real challenges for Arab women who are
already in the parliaments, therefore, revolve around demonstrating their
ability to stand up and shoulder their responsibilities as law makers, and
proving their competence by implementing measures and decisions that will
positively transform their countries. There is a great need for capacity
building in order to increase the still infinitesimal number of women
parliamentarians. Arab women parliamentarians’ competence has to be
strengthened through training. At the same time programs are needed to further
engender an improved willingness on the part of men to share power and to
demonstrate gender-sensitive attitudes to women in society -- that would, in
turn, lead to a wider societal awareness of the value of balanced participation
of men and women in decision-making.
In the context of UNIFEM’s strategy and Business Plan, the project will focus
on best practices and lessons learned in working with Arab Women
Parliamentarians (current and future) and issues related to legislation through
case studies from Arab countries. Specially designed programs will be developed
including training programs recognizing the demands of leadership positions,
creating support structures and networking opportunities, advancing educational
opportunities for all women, and involving men in furthering a human agenda
that fully includes women
Beneficiaries
The target beneficiaries of the project are
disproportionately women, because they are demonstrably the most vulnerable
group in decision-making and leadership positions. The project will also target
men parliamentarians in its raising awareness activities.
The women, from the five targeted countries, can be divided into two groups:
1. Current Arab women parliamentarians and decision-makers who will benefit
from new support systems, networking, and education.
2. Prospective women officeholders who will be sensitised and educated to
undertake more and increasingly rewarding offices in governance and the
economic sectors.
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Development Objectives |
Immediate Objectives
- Establishment and functioning of an Arab Women
Parliamentarians’ Forum (AWPF);
- Gender sensitization of Arab Parliamentarians; and
- Establishment and functioning of national incubators
for prospective Arab women leaders
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