Today is International Women’s Day – a day to celebrate all that women have achieved while recognizing the barriers that still stand in the way of gender equality.
This year’s theme is “Make It Happen.” Since its founding in 1983, NDI has sought to live those words by helping to give women the tools to participate, compete and lead as equal and active partners in democratic change. Here are some examples:
In Burkina Faso, NDI helped 16,000 women get birth certificates so they could register to vote for the first time.
In Mexico, political parties were not utilizing the 2 percent of their federal funds designated for women’s leadership training for that purpose. NDI worked with local groups on the “2% and More Women in Politics” program, which led to a 5.4 percent increase in the number of seats women won in the 2012 national legislative elections.
In Kenya, NDI supported formation of the Kenya Women's Parliamentary Association (KEWOPA), which worked with the parliamentary youth caucus to draft procurement regulations that require 30 percent of all government tenders to be awarded to companies owned by women, youth and persons with disabilities. These provisions are now part of the procurement law.
In Kyrgyzstan, the Women’s Discussion Club, launched with NDI support, brought together women from diverse backgrounds and political parties to defend the rights of women nationwide. In 2012, this coalition was instrumental in passage of a law that toughens criminal penalties for bride kidnapping.
In Sudan and South Sudan, NDI brought together women from both countries to discuss common challenges and create a peer-to-peer network for women to communicate with and support each other across the divide.
In Ukraine, NDI supported creation of a parliamentary Equal Opportunities Caucus of both women and men, whose first initiatives included draft legislation and amendments on key gender issues such as domestic violence, a labor code for workplace equality and social protection for single parents.
We invite our users to read the complete artcile published March 8 2015 here
Today is International Women’s Day – a day to celebrate all that women have achieved while recognizing the barriers that still stand in the way of gender equality.
This year’s theme is “Make It Happen.” Since its founding in 1983, NDI has sought to live those words by helping to give women the tools to participate, compete and lead as equal and active partners in democratic change. Here are some examples:
In Burkina Faso, NDI helped 16,000 women get birth certificates so they could register to vote for the first time.
In Mexico, political parties were not utilizing the 2 percent of their federal funds designated for women’s leadership training for that purpose. NDI worked with local groups on the “2% and More Women in Politics” program, which led to a 5.4 percent increase in the number of seats women won in the 2012 national legislative elections.
In Kenya, NDI supported formation of the Kenya Women's Parliamentary Association (KEWOPA), which worked with the parliamentary youth caucus to draft procurement regulations that require 30 percent of all government tenders to be awarded to companies owned by women, youth and persons with disabilities. These provisions are now part of the procurement law.
In Kyrgyzstan, the Women’s Discussion Club, launched with NDI support, brought together women from diverse backgrounds and political parties to defend the rights of women nationwide. In 2012, this coalition was instrumental in passage of a law that toughens criminal penalties for bride kidnapping.
In Sudan and South Sudan, NDI brought together women from both countries to discuss common challenges and create a peer-to-peer network for women to communicate with and support each other across the divide.
In Ukraine, NDI supported creation of a parliamentary Equal Opportunities Caucus of both women and men, whose first initiatives included draft legislation and amendments on key gender issues such as domestic violence, a labor code for workplace equality and social protection for single parents.
We invite our users to read the complete artcile published March 8 2015 here