Following years of lobbying by civil-society organizations, Lebanon’s Cabinet on Friday approved the adoption of a women’s quota for the municipal elections. After the rejection of a proposal by Interior and Municipalities Minister Ziyad Baroud calling for a women’s quota of 30 percent, Cabinet agreed women should form a minimum of 20 percent of all candidates on ballot lists for the elections, which are slated for June.
But while a quota will help bring in more unfamiliar female faces into decision-making positions, many say it should be complemented by other efforts to promote women in politics. “The quota is a short-term solution to help move women into decision-making and leadership role but it’s not a long-term solution to women’s political participation,” says Nadya Khalife, women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. To read the complete story The Daily Star.
Following years of lobbying by civil-society organizations, Lebanon’s Cabinet on Friday approved the adoption of a women’s quota for the municipal elections. After the rejection of a proposal by Interior and Municipalities Minister Ziyad Baroud calling for a women’s quota of 30 percent, Cabinet agreed women should form a minimum of 20 percent of all candidates on ballot lists for the elections, which are slated for June.
But while a quota will help bring in more unfamiliar female faces into decision-making positions, many say it should be complemented by other efforts to promote women in politics. “The quota is a short-term solution to help move women into decision-making and leadership role but it’s not a long-term solution to women’s political participation,” says Nadya Khalife, women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. To read the complete story The Daily Star.