WUNRN
BOTTOM-UP GOVERNANCE LEADERSHIP
PROGRAM FOR PACIFIC WOMEN
The
Bottom-up Governance Leadership Program for Women in the Pacific
(BGLP) aims to increase women’s knowledge of governance and leadership in
the Pacific and support bottom-up governance initiatives by women in their
local communities.
In its mission to support projects that build and strengthen democratic
institutions, promote human rights, and ensure the participation of all groups
in democratic processes, the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF) engaged The
Foundation for Development Cooperation (FDC) to implement the Bottom-up
Governance Leadership Program for Women in the Pacific (BGLP). BGLP aims to
increase women’s knowledge of governance and leadership in the Pacific and
support bottom-up governance initiatives by women in their local communities.
This website has been designed to provide information on BGLP and serve as an
e-learning and knowledge platform for participants and interested women to
familiarise themselves with governance and leadership issues.
BGLP was initiated in response to the significant lack of female representation
in government leadership positions in the Pacific. Within a number of Pacific
Island countries women have limited political power as the result of a low
number of female candidates in elections, elected female members and female
civic leaders. An average 2.5 per cent of parliamentarians in the Pacific
region are women, compared with a world average of 17.7 per cent. In addition,
of the 25 countries with the lowest percentage of women in parliament, 10 are
in the Pacific region. This not only has a negative impact on the quality of
governance, it can also prevent women’s issues from being dealt with by
governments and international bodies in an appropriate and democratic manner.
BGLP is an initiative of the Foundation for Development Cooperation (FDC) funded by the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF). In conjunction with our partners and affiliates, FDC is implementing BGLP in Fiji, Tonga, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
The Foundation for Development Cooperation
The Foundation for Development Cooperation is an independent,
not-for-profit international development organisation. Established in
Brisbane, Australia, in 1990, the mandate of FDC calls for it to conduct
policy-oriented research, foster public awareness, mobilise broader Australian
and overseas development cooperation, and support non-governmental development
efforts. Through partnerships and alliances, FDC undertakes a range of initiatives
which seek to improve the lives of poor people in developing countries, foster
innovative approaches to development, and connect policy work to self-help
efforts at the grass roots level. FDC's work includes economic
development and assessment, policy analysis, grass-roots community-based
initiatives, strategic research, partnerships and leverage, advocacy,
consulting and advisory services, project design and implementation,
secretariat and network management, and training and capacity building.
FDC's headquarters is in Brisbane, Australia. FDC has an Asia regional
office in Singapore and a Pacific regional office in Fiji.
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