Partner News

Where have all the women gone? Long time passing. This year alone, there will be over 30 presidential elections held around the world. Over half of these will be in Africa. On 20 September 2011, Zambia goes to the polls to elect a president, members of parliament and local councilors. Another chapter in the country’s democratic history will be written as people exercise their right to vote and to choose their leaders at all levels. So where are the women representatives in this process?

The intention of this article is to focus on why in Zambia, where over half of the registered voters, and in the past elections over half of the voting population have been women, the actual numbers of female candidates standing for local and national representation is on the decline? Why this negative trend and what can be done to increase women’s political representation in the country?

Read more on UNDP Zambias website, published 05 Sept

Where have all the women gone? Long time passing. This year alone, there will be over 30 presidential elections held around the world. Over half of these will be in Africa. On 20 September 2011, Zambia goes to the polls to elect a president, members of parliament and local councilors. Another chapter in the country’s democratic history will be written as people exercise their right to vote and to choose their leaders at all levels. So where are the women representatives in this process?

The intention of this article is to focus on why in Zambia, where over half of the registered voters, and in the past elections over half of the voting population have been women, the actual numbers of female candidates standing for local and national representation is on the decline? Why this negative trend and what can be done to increase women’s political representation in the country?

Read more on UNDP Zambias website, published 05 Sept

Where have all the women gone? Long time passing. This year alone, there will be over 30 presidential elections held around the world. Over half of these will be in Africa. On 20 September 2011, Zambia goes to the polls to elect a president, members of parliament and local councilors. Another chapter in the country’s democratic history will be written as people exercise their right to vote and to choose their leaders at all levels. So where are the women representatives in this process?

The intention of this article is to focus on why in Zambia, where over half of the registered voters, and in the past elections over half of the voting population have been women, the actual numbers of female candidates standing for local and national representation is on the decline? Why this negative trend and what can be done to increase women’s political representation in the country?

Read more on UNDP Zambias website, published 05 Sept

Nominations for Marshall Islands national and local elections closed in late July. Out of 96 candidates running for the Nitijela, nine women have nominated to run. Of those nine women, six participated in the first ever Mock Parliament for Women, which was held in the Marshall Islands Nitijela this Friday. A number of candidates running in local elections also participated in the Mock Parliament, which had 27 participants in total.

The Mock Parliament was chaired by Chairperson Abacca Anjain-Maddison, who was elected to act in the role as Speaker by the Delegates during the 4-day which preceded the week. Chairperson Abacca Anjain-Maddison, who is a former Senator and is running again in the upcoming election reflected on the positive experience of presiding over the Mock Parliament. “I was quite nervous to begin with, as it was quite overwhelming to feel the aura of the Nitijela while sitting in the Speaker’s Chair. But I settled in quickly and really learned a lot from the experience. The women performed very, very well and I think we all showed that women Senators would have a lot to offer the people of Marshall Islands in term of ideas, commitment and a willingness to serve our country,” she said.

Read more on UNDP Pacific Centre, published 2. Sept

Nominations for Marshall Islands national and local elections closed in late July. Out of 96 candidates running for the Nitijela, nine women have nominated to run. Of those nine women, six participated in the first ever Mock Parliament for Women, which was held in the Marshall Islands Nitijela this Friday. A number of candidates running in local elections also participated in the Mock Parliament, which had 27 participants in total.

The Mock Parliament was chaired by Chairperson Abacca Anjain-Maddison, who was elected to act in the role as Speaker by the Delegates during the 4-day which preceded the week. Chairperson Abacca Anjain-Maddison, who is a former Senator and is running again in the upcoming election reflected on the positive experience of presiding over the Mock Parliament. “I was quite nervous to begin with, as it was quite overwhelming to feel the aura of the Nitijela while sitting in the Speaker’s Chair. But I settled in quickly and really learned a lot from the experience. The women performed very, very well and I think we all showed that women Senators would have a lot to offer the people of Marshall Islands in term of ideas, commitment and a willingness to serve our country,” she said.

Read more on UNDP Pacific Centre, published 2. Sept

Nominations for Marshall Islands national and local elections closed in late July. Out of 96 candidates running for the Nitijela, nine women have nominated to run. Of those nine women, six participated in the first ever Mock Parliament for Women, which was held in the Marshall Islands Nitijela this Friday. A number of candidates running in local elections also participated in the Mock Parliament, which had 27 participants in total.

The Mock Parliament was chaired by Chairperson Abacca Anjain-Maddison, who was elected to act in the role as Speaker by the Delegates during the 4-day which preceded the week. Chairperson Abacca Anjain-Maddison, who is a former Senator and is running again in the upcoming election reflected on the positive experience of presiding over the Mock Parliament. “I was quite nervous to begin with, as it was quite overwhelming to feel the aura of the Nitijela while sitting in the Speaker’s Chair. But I settled in quickly and really learned a lot from the experience. The women performed very, very well and I think we all showed that women Senators would have a lot to offer the people of Marshall Islands in term of ideas, commitment and a willingness to serve our country,” she said.

Read more on UNDP Pacific Centre, published 2. Sept

PRESS RELEASE: Kiribati Women Show Their Skills in Parliament

9 August 2011 (Tarawa, Kiribati) – The Maneaba ni Maungatabu (Parliament) was a scene of intense debate and dialogue today as thirty Kiribati women – thirteen women from Tarawa and seventeen women from the outer islands – came together on the last day of the first ever Mock Parliament for Women held in the Kiribati, or in the Pacific.

At the closing debrief for the Mock Parliamentarians, the Speaker of the National Parliament of Kiribati, Hon Taomati Iuta, was very encouraging. “Today’s performance in the House was very impressive. Some of you already sound like real parliamentarians. At the end of this Mock Parliament, I hope that constituents will now have a more positive attitude to women, if and when you run for Parliament.”

During today’s session, the women on the Government benches faced Question Time in the morning, with questions ranging from issues such as the Government’s policy on public transport for school children, to reserving seats for women in local and national elected bodies, to increasing the number of polling stations for voters in outer islands.

 Ms Teewata Rokete, an Opposition MP in the Mock Parliament, questioned the Government on its policies for people with disabilities. “The real Kiribati Government has not yet finalized the National Disability Policy so I asked the Mock Government when Cabinet would endorse the policy. A draft was done in 2007, but it is 2011 and the draft has not yet been finalized. I questioned why the Government has been so slow. It is very important for people living with disabilities that the Government take action to make sure that they have access to necessary services and support. I was very pleased that the Minister in our Mock Parliament assured me the Policy would be endorsed by Cabinet before the next parliamentary session. I hope the real Government will do the same.” 

Following question time, Members discussed a motion put forward by Opposition Member Ms Tereti Tabutoa, urging the Government to focus on enacting and enforcing a specific domestic violence law. “There are many Government policies on women’s issues but too many of them are not implemented. This is why we need a law to deal with domestic violence. I moved this motion to urge the Government to pass legislation to protect our women and children. It is a real concern to me that even when women go to the police, they are encouraged to reconcile. We need a law to make sure that all our community knows that violence against women and children is not acceptable.” 

Ms Tabutua’s motion was unanimously passed by the House after an active debate from Members on both sides of the benches.

The last order of business was a debate on the passage of the proposed Youth Reproductive Health Rights Bill 2011, which proposed requiring free condoms to be provided in government primary and secondary schools and for sex education classes to be compulsory for students over 8 years of age.

Reflecting on the debate and the Mock parliament more broadly, Hon Ritite Tekiau, a Member of the Government side during the Mock Parliament and the real-life Assistant Secretary of the Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs, reflected, “This has been a very different experience for me, but it has been very positive. I am very pleased to see that Kiribati women are ready for this type of political activity. This Mock Parliament demonstrated in a real way the commitment and interest of women both in Tarawa and in the outer islands to enter politics. The questions that the women raised in Question Time were excellent and really drew to our attention some issues that our Government could work more actively on. Our Ministry is very grateful to see such interest because we very much want to support women’s efforts to participate in our Government.” 

MP Teburoro Tito, a current Member of the Opposition and a former President of Kiribati, was with the participants throughout the training to provide coaching on parliamentary practice. At the end of the meeting, he had high praise for the participants in his final debrief. “I am very excited by what I saw. You have made history here. I have been very impressed at how you have worked in Parliament. Because of our culture, nobody has really seen the potential that our women have to engage in politics, but over these last few days, I have seen that you can perform better even than some of our current MPs. I wish you luck, especially those of you who run in our next elections.”

Kiribati will be holding national elections in the next few months. This initiative was designed to provide an opportunity for potential women candidates to develop and apply their public advocacy skills. It was also intended to encourage the broader community to reflect on the importance of electing more women into the Kiribati National Parliament.

The training and Mock Parliament for Women was spearheaded by the Kiribati Parliament and the Kiribati Department of Women. It was supported by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the United Nations Development Programme, with some funding support provided by the Commonwealth Local Governance Forum (CLGF).

*             *             *

For further information contact: UNDP Communications Specialist Shobhna Decloitre on (679) 992 6396 or Shobhna.decloitre@undp.org.

PRESS RELEASE: Kiribati Women Show Their Skills in Parliament

9 August 2011 (Tarawa, Kiribati) – The Maneaba ni Maungatabu (Parliament) was a scene of intense debate and dialogue today as thirty Kiribati women – thirteen women from Tarawa and seventeen women from the outer islands – came together on the last day of the first ever Mock Parliament for Women held in the Kiribati, or in the Pacific.

At the closing debrief for the Mock Parliamentarians, the Speaker of the National Parliament of Kiribati, Hon Taomati Iuta, was very encouraging. “Today’s performance in the House was very impressive. Some of you already sound like real parliamentarians. At the end of this Mock Parliament, I hope that constituents will now have a more positive attitude to women, if and when you run for Parliament.”

During today’s session, the women on the Government benches faced Question Time in the morning, with questions ranging from issues such as the Government’s policy on public transport for school children, to reserving seats for women in local and national elected bodies, to increasing the number of polling stations for voters in outer islands.

 Ms Teewata Rokete, an Opposition MP in the Mock Parliament, questioned the Government on its policies for people with disabilities. “The real Kiribati Government has not yet finalized the National Disability Policy so I asked the Mock Government when Cabinet would endorse the policy. A draft was done in 2007, but it is 2011 and the draft has not yet been finalized. I questioned why the Government has been so slow. It is very important for people living with disabilities that the Government take action to make sure that they have access to necessary services and support. I was very pleased that the Minister in our Mock Parliament assured me the Policy would be endorsed by Cabinet before the next parliamentary session. I hope the real Government will do the same.” 

Following question time, Members discussed a motion put forward by Opposition Member Ms Tereti Tabutoa, urging the Government to focus on enacting and enforcing a specific domestic violence law. “There are many Government policies on women’s issues but too many of them are not implemented. This is why we need a law to deal with domestic violence. I moved this motion to urge the Government to pass legislation to protect our women and children. It is a real concern to me that even when women go to the police, they are encouraged to reconcile. We need a law to make sure that all our community knows that violence against women and children is not acceptable.” 

Ms Tabutua’s motion was unanimously passed by the House after an active debate from Members on both sides of the benches.

The last order of business was a debate on the passage of the proposed Youth Reproductive Health Rights Bill 2011, which proposed requiring free condoms to be provided in government primary and secondary schools and for sex education classes to be compulsory for students over 8 years of age.

Reflecting on the debate and the Mock parliament more broadly, Hon Ritite Tekiau, a Member of the Government side during the Mock Parliament and the real-life Assistant Secretary of the Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs, reflected, “This has been a very different experience for me, but it has been very positive. I am very pleased to see that Kiribati women are ready for this type of political activity. This Mock Parliament demonstrated in a real way the commitment and interest of women both in Tarawa and in the outer islands to enter politics. The questions that the women raised in Question Time were excellent and really drew to our attention some issues that our Government could work more actively on. Our Ministry is very grateful to see such interest because we very much want to support women’s efforts to participate in our Government.” 

MP Teburoro Tito, a current Member of the Opposition and a former President of Kiribati, was with the participants throughout the training to provide coaching on parliamentary practice. At the end of the meeting, he had high praise for the participants in his final debrief. “I am very excited by what I saw. You have made history here. I have been very impressed at how you have worked in Parliament. Because of our culture, nobody has really seen the potential that our women have to engage in politics, but over these last few days, I have seen that you can perform better even than some of our current MPs. I wish you luck, especially those of you who run in our next elections.”

Kiribati will be holding national elections in the next few months. This initiative was designed to provide an opportunity for potential women candidates to develop and apply their public advocacy skills. It was also intended to encourage the broader community to reflect on the importance of electing more women into the Kiribati National Parliament.

The training and Mock Parliament for Women was spearheaded by the Kiribati Parliament and the Kiribati Department of Women. It was supported by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the United Nations Development Programme, with some funding support provided by the Commonwealth Local Governance Forum (CLGF).

*             *             *

For further information contact: UNDP Communications Specialist Shobhna Decloitre on (679) 992 6396 or Shobhna.decloitre@undp.org.

PRESS RELEASE: Kiribati Women Show Their Skills in Parliament

9 August 2011 (Tarawa, Kiribati) – The Maneaba ni Maungatabu (Parliament) was a scene of intense debate and dialogue today as thirty Kiribati women – thirteen women from Tarawa and seventeen women from the outer islands – came together on the last day of the first ever Mock Parliament for Women held in the Kiribati, or in the Pacific.

At the closing debrief for the Mock Parliamentarians, the Speaker of the National Parliament of Kiribati, Hon Taomati Iuta, was very encouraging. “Today’s performance in the House was very impressive. Some of you already sound like real parliamentarians. At the end of this Mock Parliament, I hope that constituents will now have a more positive attitude to women, if and when you run for Parliament.”

During today’s session, the women on the Government benches faced Question Time in the morning, with questions ranging from issues such as the Government’s policy on public transport for school children, to reserving seats for women in local and national elected bodies, to increasing the number of polling stations for voters in outer islands.

 Ms Teewata Rokete, an Opposition MP in the Mock Parliament, questioned the Government on its policies for people with disabilities. “The real Kiribati Government has not yet finalized the National Disability Policy so I asked the Mock Government when Cabinet would endorse the policy. A draft was done in 2007, but it is 2011 and the draft has not yet been finalized. I questioned why the Government has been so slow. It is very important for people living with disabilities that the Government take action to make sure that they have access to necessary services and support. I was very pleased that the Minister in our Mock Parliament assured me the Policy would be endorsed by Cabinet before the next parliamentary session. I hope the real Government will do the same.” 

Following question time, Members discussed a motion put forward by Opposition Member Ms Tereti Tabutoa, urging the Government to focus on enacting and enforcing a specific domestic violence law. “There are many Government policies on women’s issues but too many of them are not implemented. This is why we need a law to deal with domestic violence. I moved this motion to urge the Government to pass legislation to protect our women and children. It is a real concern to me that even when women go to the police, they are encouraged to reconcile. We need a law to make sure that all our community knows that violence against women and children is not acceptable.” 

Ms Tabutua’s motion was unanimously passed by the House after an active debate from Members on both sides of the benches.

The last order of business was a debate on the passage of the proposed Youth Reproductive Health Rights Bill 2011, which proposed requiring free condoms to be provided in government primary and secondary schools and for sex education classes to be compulsory for students over 8 years of age.

Reflecting on the debate and the Mock parliament more broadly, Hon Ritite Tekiau, a Member of the Government side during the Mock Parliament and the real-life Assistant Secretary of the Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs, reflected, “This has been a very different experience for me, but it has been very positive. I am very pleased to see that Kiribati women are ready for this type of political activity. This Mock Parliament demonstrated in a real way the commitment and interest of women both in Tarawa and in the outer islands to enter politics. The questions that the women raised in Question Time were excellent and really drew to our attention some issues that our Government could work more actively on. Our Ministry is very grateful to see such interest because we very much want to support women’s efforts to participate in our Government.” 

MP Teburoro Tito, a current Member of the Opposition and a former President of Kiribati, was with the participants throughout the training to provide coaching on parliamentary practice. At the end of the meeting, he had high praise for the participants in his final debrief. “I am very excited by what I saw. You have made history here. I have been very impressed at how you have worked in Parliament. Because of our culture, nobody has really seen the potential that our women have to engage in politics, but over these last few days, I have seen that you can perform better even than some of our current MPs. I wish you luck, especially those of you who run in our next elections.”

Kiribati will be holding national elections in the next few months. This initiative was designed to provide an opportunity for potential women candidates to develop and apply their public advocacy skills. It was also intended to encourage the broader community to reflect on the importance of electing more women into the Kiribati National Parliament.

The training and Mock Parliament for Women was spearheaded by the Kiribati Parliament and the Kiribati Department of Women. It was supported by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the United Nations Development Programme, with some funding support provided by the Commonwealth Local Governance Forum (CLGF).

*             *             *

For further information contact: UNDP Communications Specialist Shobhna Decloitre on (679) 992 6396 or Shobhna.decloitre@undp.org.

First ever Mock Parliament for Women begins in Kiribati.

8 August 2011 (Tarawa, Kiribati) – Today marked an historic day in the Pacific, with the Kiribati National Parliament hosting the first ever Mock Parliament for Women. Thirteen women from Tarawa and seventeen women from the outer islands of Kiribati came together in the Maneaba ni Maungatabu (Parliament) following a 3-day preparatory training workshop last week.

UNDP Pacific Centre.  

8 August 2011 (Tarawa, Kiribati) – Today marked an historic day in the Pacific, with the Kiribati National Parliament hosting the first ever Mock Parliament for Women. Thirteen women from Tarawa and seventeen women from the outer islands of Kiribati came together in the Maneaba ni Maungatabu (Parliament) following a 3-day preparatory training workshop last week.

The Mock Parliament, which will run from 8-9 August, has its own Speaker, Ms Terengaiti Babo, elected last week by the participants. Hon Babo chaired today’s parliamentary session, graciously supported by the Speaker of the National Parliament of Kiribati, Hon Taomati Iuta. Reflecting on her first experience in the Speaker’s Chair, Hon Babo observed, “Being the Madame Speaker is very exciting and very challenging. During our rehearsal I was a bit nervous to begin with, but after a few minutes I settled into the Chair. Now in our real session, I feel in control of the proceedings. This Mock Parliament has encouraged me to run for Parliament in future so that I can be the real Speaker one day. For now, my plan is to run for the TUC Local Council to get some experience, but later on I hope to run for the House of Parliament.”

In the morning, Members of the Government in the Mock Parliament faced Question Time from Opposition members. Questions covered a range of topics, from improving classroom facilities for school students, to calling for free pap smears for women, to the provision of better services for outer islands.

Recognising that 8 August is Youth Day in Kiribati, MP Kinateao from Abaiang asked what the Government was doing to provide employment opportunities for school leavers. Minister Hon Iaaneta Clare Baiteke in the Mock Parliament responded: “Promoting employment for young people is a key Government priority. We are already providing support for further education, for example through the Marine Training Centre and South Pacific Marine Services to enable our youth to take up opportunities for good work overseas. The Government also has the Kiribati-Australia Nursing Initiative, which enables our youth to get opportunities to learn nursing and then choose to work locally or overseas because their qualifications are recognized internationally. Young people are our best resource and we want to help them as much as possible.”

Hon Baiteke commented about her experience participating in the Mock Parliament, “To me, this is an excellent move towards the advancement of women. This has been a priority of the National Women’s Council since the Beijing Conference for Women, but we have struggled to meet our goals. We are very excited that for the first time we are now entering the Chamber to actually participate in a parliamentary session. Our elections are coming up soon, and we hope some of our women can now do this for real.”

Following Question Time, MP Rekeiti Mackenzie from the Opposition moved a motion urging the Government to focus less on climate change mitigation activities and more on “migrating with dignity”. Discuss on the motion was lively, with more than ten Members of the House wading into the discussion.

Reflecting on the debate, MP Mackenzie observed: “My motion was quite controversial, but it was exciting to get a chance to debate it in Parliament. It was very interesting to hear women’s views on the topics we were discussing today. I thought that we really demonstrated our knowledge and brought a different perspective to the issues, especially the women from the outer islands who did a really good job of discussing issues that they might not normally be called on to debate.”

The final session of the day saw the tabling of the Youth Reproductive Health Rights Bill by Hon Moia Tetoa. The Bill proposes requiring free condoms to be provided in government primary and secondary schools and for sex education classes to be compulsory for students over 8 years of age. The controversial Bill was hotly debated by participants who raised a range of strong arguments for and against the proposed law.

“When I presented the Bill, I was excited. I was wishing that it was the real Parliament that I was presenting to because the issue of our young people’s sexual health is very, very important. I felt confident when I spoke on the Bill and really enjoyed getting this opportunity to present my opinion to our Parliament. I was really committed to making a strong argument and convincing my fellow MPs and the public about the importance of providing sex education to our young people”, commented Hon Tetoa about her experience discussing the proposed Bill.

Hon Tetoa also reflected on the value of the Mock Parliament more broadly. “I am so glad that Kiribati has hosted the very first Mock Parliament for Women in the Pacific. I have liked getting tips from the MPs who gave us feedback during the training. I really hope that this will encourage our women to run for Parliament in our elections and I believe it will help them get elected. It’s been a good thing to help our women understand how Parliament works. I think they will now go home and help their own communities understand parliament and the issues that are being discussed.”

Kiribati will be holding national elections in the next few months. This training and Mock Parliament have been designed to provide an opportunity for potential women candidates to develop and apply their public advocacy skills. It is an also an opportunity for the community to be encouraged to reflect on the importance of supporting the inclusion of more women in decision-making positions in Kiribati.

The training and Mock Parliament for Women is being spearheaded by the Kiribati Parliament and the Kiribati Department of Women. It is supported by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the United Nations Development Programme with additional funding from the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF). The Mock Parliament will conclude on Tuesday 9 August 2011.

UNDP Pacific Centre.  

First ever Mock Parliament for Women begins in Kiribati.

8 August 2011 (Tarawa, Kiribati) – Today marked an historic day in the Pacific, with the Kiribati National Parliament hosting the first ever Mock Parliament for Women. Thirteen women from Tarawa and seventeen women from the outer islands of Kiribati came together in the Maneaba ni Maungatabu (Parliament) following a 3-day preparatory training workshop last week.

UNDP Pacific Centre.  

8 August 2011 (Tarawa, Kiribati) – Today marked an historic day in the Pacific, with the Kiribati National Parliament hosting the first ever Mock Parliament for Women. Thirteen women from Tarawa and seventeen women from the outer islands of Kiribati came together in the Maneaba ni Maungatabu (Parliament) following a 3-day preparatory training workshop last week.

The Mock Parliament, which will run from 8-9 August, has its own Speaker, Ms Terengaiti Babo, elected last week by the participants. Hon Babo chaired today’s parliamentary session, graciously supported by the Speaker of the National Parliament of Kiribati, Hon Taomati Iuta. Reflecting on her first experience in the Speaker’s Chair, Hon Babo observed, “Being the Madame Speaker is very exciting and very challenging. During our rehearsal I was a bit nervous to begin with, but after a few minutes I settled into the Chair. Now in our real session, I feel in control of the proceedings. This Mock Parliament has encouraged me to run for Parliament in future so that I can be the real Speaker one day. For now, my plan is to run for the TUC Local Council to get some experience, but later on I hope to run for the House of Parliament.”

In the morning, Members of the Government in the Mock Parliament faced Question Time from Opposition members. Questions covered a range of topics, from improving classroom facilities for school students, to calling for free pap smears for women, to the provision of better services for outer islands.

Recognising that 8 August is Youth Day in Kiribati, MP Kinateao from Abaiang asked what the Government was doing to provide employment opportunities for school leavers. Minister Hon Iaaneta Clare Baiteke in the Mock Parliament responded: “Promoting employment for young people is a key Government priority. We are already providing support for further education, for example through the Marine Training Centre and South Pacific Marine Services to enable our youth to take up opportunities for good work overseas. The Government also has the Kiribati-Australia Nursing Initiative, which enables our youth to get opportunities to learn nursing and then choose to work locally or overseas because their qualifications are recognized internationally. Young people are our best resource and we want to help them as much as possible.”

Hon Baiteke commented about her experience participating in the Mock Parliament, “To me, this is an excellent move towards the advancement of women. This has been a priority of the National Women’s Council since the Beijing Conference for Women, but we have struggled to meet our goals. We are very excited that for the first time we are now entering the Chamber to actually participate in a parliamentary session. Our elections are coming up soon, and we hope some of our women can now do this for real.”

Following Question Time, MP Rekeiti Mackenzie from the Opposition moved a motion urging the Government to focus less on climate change mitigation activities and more on “migrating with dignity”. Discuss on the motion was lively, with more than ten Members of the House wading into the discussion.

Reflecting on the debate, MP Mackenzie observed: “My motion was quite controversial, but it was exciting to get a chance to debate it in Parliament. It was very interesting to hear women’s views on the topics we were discussing today. I thought that we really demonstrated our knowledge and brought a different perspective to the issues, especially the women from the outer islands who did a really good job of discussing issues that they might not normally be called on to debate.”

The final session of the day saw the tabling of the Youth Reproductive Health Rights Bill by Hon Moia Tetoa. The Bill proposes requiring free condoms to be provided in government primary and secondary schools and for sex education classes to be compulsory for students over 8 years of age. The controversial Bill was hotly debated by participants who raised a range of strong arguments for and against the proposed law.

“When I presented the Bill, I was excited. I was wishing that it was the real Parliament that I was presenting to because the issue of our young people’s sexual health is very, very important. I felt confident when I spoke on the Bill and really enjoyed getting this opportunity to present my opinion to our Parliament. I was really committed to making a strong argument and convincing my fellow MPs and the public about the importance of providing sex education to our young people”, commented Hon Tetoa about her experience discussing the proposed Bill.

Hon Tetoa also reflected on the value of the Mock Parliament more broadly. “I am so glad that Kiribati has hosted the very first Mock Parliament for Women in the Pacific. I have liked getting tips from the MPs who gave us feedback during the training. I really hope that this will encourage our women to run for Parliament in our elections and I believe it will help them get elected. It’s been a good thing to help our women understand how Parliament works. I think they will now go home and help their own communities understand parliament and the issues that are being discussed.”

Kiribati will be holding national elections in the next few months. This training and Mock Parliament have been designed to provide an opportunity for potential women candidates to develop and apply their public advocacy skills. It is an also an opportunity for the community to be encouraged to reflect on the importance of supporting the inclusion of more women in decision-making positions in Kiribati.

The training and Mock Parliament for Women is being spearheaded by the Kiribati Parliament and the Kiribati Department of Women. It is supported by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the United Nations Development Programme with additional funding from the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF). The Mock Parliament will conclude on Tuesday 9 August 2011.

UNDP Pacific Centre.  

First ever Mock Parliament for Women begins in Kiribati.

8 August 2011 (Tarawa, Kiribati) – Today marked an historic day in the Pacific, with the Kiribati National Parliament hosting the first ever Mock Parliament for Women. Thirteen women from Tarawa and seventeen women from the outer islands of Kiribati came together in the Maneaba ni Maungatabu (Parliament) following a 3-day preparatory training workshop last week.

UNDP Pacific Centre.  

8 August 2011 (Tarawa, Kiribati) – Today marked an historic day in the Pacific, with the Kiribati National Parliament hosting the first ever Mock Parliament for Women. Thirteen women from Tarawa and seventeen women from the outer islands of Kiribati came together in the Maneaba ni Maungatabu (Parliament) following a 3-day preparatory training workshop last week.

The Mock Parliament, which will run from 8-9 August, has its own Speaker, Ms Terengaiti Babo, elected last week by the participants. Hon Babo chaired today’s parliamentary session, graciously supported by the Speaker of the National Parliament of Kiribati, Hon Taomati Iuta. Reflecting on her first experience in the Speaker’s Chair, Hon Babo observed, “Being the Madame Speaker is very exciting and very challenging. During our rehearsal I was a bit nervous to begin with, but after a few minutes I settled into the Chair. Now in our real session, I feel in control of the proceedings. This Mock Parliament has encouraged me to run for Parliament in future so that I can be the real Speaker one day. For now, my plan is to run for the TUC Local Council to get some experience, but later on I hope to run for the House of Parliament.”

In the morning, Members of the Government in the Mock Parliament faced Question Time from Opposition members. Questions covered a range of topics, from improving classroom facilities for school students, to calling for free pap smears for women, to the provision of better services for outer islands.

Recognising that 8 August is Youth Day in Kiribati, MP Kinateao from Abaiang asked what the Government was doing to provide employment opportunities for school leavers. Minister Hon Iaaneta Clare Baiteke in the Mock Parliament responded: “Promoting employment for young people is a key Government priority. We are already providing support for further education, for example through the Marine Training Centre and South Pacific Marine Services to enable our youth to take up opportunities for good work overseas. The Government also has the Kiribati-Australia Nursing Initiative, which enables our youth to get opportunities to learn nursing and then choose to work locally or overseas because their qualifications are recognized internationally. Young people are our best resource and we want to help them as much as possible.”

Hon Baiteke commented about her experience participating in the Mock Parliament, “To me, this is an excellent move towards the advancement of women. This has been a priority of the National Women’s Council since the Beijing Conference for Women, but we have struggled to meet our goals. We are very excited that for the first time we are now entering the Chamber to actually participate in a parliamentary session. Our elections are coming up soon, and we hope some of our women can now do this for real.”

Following Question Time, MP Rekeiti Mackenzie from the Opposition moved a motion urging the Government to focus less on climate change mitigation activities and more on “migrating with dignity”. Discuss on the motion was lively, with more than ten Members of the House wading into the discussion.

Reflecting on the debate, MP Mackenzie observed: “My motion was quite controversial, but it was exciting to get a chance to debate it in Parliament. It was very interesting to hear women’s views on the topics we were discussing today. I thought that we really demonstrated our knowledge and brought a different perspective to the issues, especially the women from the outer islands who did a really good job of discussing issues that they might not normally be called on to debate.”

The final session of the day saw the tabling of the Youth Reproductive Health Rights Bill by Hon Moia Tetoa. The Bill proposes requiring free condoms to be provided in government primary and secondary schools and for sex education classes to be compulsory for students over 8 years of age. The controversial Bill was hotly debated by participants who raised a range of strong arguments for and against the proposed law.

“When I presented the Bill, I was excited. I was wishing that it was the real Parliament that I was presenting to because the issue of our young people’s sexual health is very, very important. I felt confident when I spoke on the Bill and really enjoyed getting this opportunity to present my opinion to our Parliament. I was really committed to making a strong argument and convincing my fellow MPs and the public about the importance of providing sex education to our young people”, commented Hon Tetoa about her experience discussing the proposed Bill.

Hon Tetoa also reflected on the value of the Mock Parliament more broadly. “I am so glad that Kiribati has hosted the very first Mock Parliament for Women in the Pacific. I have liked getting tips from the MPs who gave us feedback during the training. I really hope that this will encourage our women to run for Parliament in our elections and I believe it will help them get elected. It’s been a good thing to help our women understand how Parliament works. I think they will now go home and help their own communities understand parliament and the issues that are being discussed.”

Kiribati will be holding national elections in the next few months. This training and Mock Parliament have been designed to provide an opportunity for potential women candidates to develop and apply their public advocacy skills. It is an also an opportunity for the community to be encouraged to reflect on the importance of supporting the inclusion of more women in decision-making positions in Kiribati.

The training and Mock Parliament for Women is being spearheaded by the Kiribati Parliament and the Kiribati Department of Women. It is supported by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the United Nations Development Programme with additional funding from the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF). The Mock Parliament will conclude on Tuesday 9 August 2011.

UNDP Pacific Centre.  

United Nations, New York — Women make up less than 10 percent of world leaders. Globally less than one in five members of parliament is a woman. The 30 percent critical mass mark for women’s representation in parliament has been reached or exceeded in only 28 countries. At a high-level event today, during the 66th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, women political leaders made a strong call for increasing women’s political participation and decision-making across the world. Stressing that women’s participation is fundamental to democracy and essential to the achievement of sustainable development and peace in all contexts — during peace, through conflict and post-conflict, and during political transitions — the leaders signed on to a joint statement with concrete recommendations on ways to advance women’s political participation.

“It is a solidarity that we see represented here today among this important group of women around me,” said Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, at the event. “We are bound by a common goal — to open the way for women to participate in all decisions affecting not only their own lives, but the development of our world, at the global, regional, national and local levels. By making full use of half the world’s intelligence — the intelligence of women — we improve our chances of finding real and lasting solutions to the challenges that confront us.”

Read more on UN Women

United Nations, New York — Women make up less than 10 percent of world leaders. Globally less than one in five members of parliament is a woman. The 30 percent critical mass mark for women’s representation in parliament has been reached or exceeded in only 28 countries. At a high-level event today, during the 66th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, women political leaders made a strong call for increasing women’s political participation and decision-making across the world. Stressing that women’s participation is fundamental to democracy and essential to the achievement of sustainable development and peace in all contexts — during peace, through conflict and post-conflict, and during political transitions — the leaders signed on to a joint statement with concrete recommendations on ways to advance women’s political participation.

“It is a solidarity that we see represented here today among this important group of women around me,” said Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, at the event. “We are bound by a common goal — to open the way for women to participate in all decisions affecting not only their own lives, but the development of our world, at the global, regional, national and local levels. By making full use of half the world’s intelligence — the intelligence of women — we improve our chances of finding real and lasting solutions to the challenges that confront us.”

Read more on UN Women

United Nations, New York — Women make up less than 10 percent of world leaders. Globally less than one in five members of parliament is a woman. The 30 percent critical mass mark for women’s representation in parliament has been reached or exceeded in only 28 countries. At a high-level event today, during the 66th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, women political leaders made a strong call for increasing women’s political participation and decision-making across the world. Stressing that women’s participation is fundamental to democracy and essential to the achievement of sustainable development and peace in all contexts — during peace, through conflict and post-conflict, and during political transitions — the leaders signed on to a joint statement with concrete recommendations on ways to advance women’s political participation.

“It is a solidarity that we see represented here today among this important group of women around me,” said Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, at the event. “We are bound by a common goal — to open the way for women to participate in all decisions affecting not only their own lives, but the development of our world, at the global, regional, national and local levels. By making full use of half the world’s intelligence — the intelligence of women — we improve our chances of finding real and lasting solutions to the challenges that confront us.”

Read more on UN Women

The 66th General Debate of the UN General Assembly closed this week with evidence of firm commitments to gender equality throughout the speeches of high-level government representatives.

This year’s debate was the first since the formation of UN Women in January 2011. Held annually, it is attended by heads of state and government, foreign ministers and other officials of UN Member States. In 2011, in another first, a woman opened the session — H.E. President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil.

To read the full text, please visit UN Women. 

The 66th General Debate of the UN General Assembly closed this week with evidence of firm commitments to gender equality throughout the speeches of high-level government representatives.

This year’s debate was the first since the formation of UN Women in January 2011. Held annually, it is attended by heads of state and government, foreign ministers and other officials of UN Member States. In 2011, in another first, a woman opened the session — H.E. President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil.

To read the full text, please visit UN Women. 

Azza Badra was one of thousands of women in Tunisia who competed for a seat in the country’s national elections on 23 October, the first since the dramatic pro-democracy shift in January this year and since its independence in 1956.

Badra, a mother of two, ran as a Green Tunisia Party candidate in the capital Tunis for one of 217 seats in the Constituent Assembly, a national body tasked with drafting a new constitution and nominating a transitional government until new elections are held.

“It’s simple statistics. We’re the majority,” said Badra, whose campaign prop was a mock Tunisian ID card featuring the number 51, the percentage of women in the country’s population.

Badra was among more than 4,000 women running in an election for their first time following May 2011 legislation requiring that party candidate lists alternate between women and men.

In spite of the lists, women’s actual representation in the new assembly will not reflect their proportion of the national population. Women headed only seven percent of the more than 1,500 candidate lists.

“The number of women will be less than Tunisians deserve,” said Bushra Balhaj Hmeida, a veteran lawyer and human rights activist, ranked top of the Al Takkatul Party candidate list in Zaghwan precinct.

“While I believe men and women in politics are the same, my conviction is that women can improve politics and restore Tunisians’ trust in the political process. Women can make politics more human.”

Some 160 women, including Badra and Hmeida, were nominated by their parties to attend a course organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to train female candidates in electoral campaign strategies, campaign management and communicating successfully with voters and the media.

The Summer University programme is one of three components of UNDP’s US$4.2 million electoral support project which started in March 2011 at the request of Tunisia’s interim government. It will continue electoral assistance after adoption of the new constitution.

UNDP is also providing operational and technical support to the country’s Independent High Authority for Elections on legal, organizational and logistical aspects of the election process, and working with civil society organizations on public information and citizen outreach.

“One of main gains of this election is heightened interest in politics among women,” said Soulef Guessoum, UNDP’s Regional Project Manager for Parliamentary Development. “We strive to sustain and support this interest.”

For Thurayya Sithum, a former homemaker and also graduate of the Summer University programme, participation in the process was more important than winning a seat: “Today as all Tunisians can choose between so many candidates, already we are winners.”

Sithum collaborated with other independent peers to form the movement Dustorona, Our Constitution, which developed a draft constitution and formed an electoral list on which Sithum was ranked second place, in Nable 2 precinct.

 “It’s not the seat I’m after,” said Sithum. “I want to contribute to the nascent democracy in my country. Even if I lose, I still win.”

 Based on the experience of the Summer University, UNDP intends to extend its support to female candidates running for seats at future elections in three regions of Tunisia.

 "Tunisia's elections to create a Constituent Assembly are a milestone in the country's extraordinary democratic journey which began less than a year ago," said UNDP Administrator Helen Clark. "I applaud the over 4,000 women who ran for the first time in an election, and I look forward to seeing more and more women take seats in the national legislature in the coming years. UNDP is committed to continuing its electoral assistance to Tunisia, including through specific initiatives to boost the number of women candidates, in the future."

Read more on UNDP

Azza Badra was one of thousands of women in Tunisia who competed for a seat in the country’s national elections on 23 October, the first since the dramatic pro-democracy shift in January this year and since its independence in 1956.

Badra, a mother of two, ran as a Green Tunisia Party candidate in the capital Tunis for one of 217 seats in the Constituent Assembly, a national body tasked with drafting a new constitution and nominating a transitional government until new elections are held.

“It’s simple statistics. We’re the majority,” said Badra, whose campaign prop was a mock Tunisian ID card featuring the number 51, the percentage of women in the country’s population.

Badra was among more than 4,000 women running in an election for their first time following May 2011 legislation requiring that party candidate lists alternate between women and men.

In spite of the lists, women’s actual representation in the new assembly will not reflect their proportion of the national population. Women headed only seven percent of the more than 1,500 candidate lists.

“The number of women will be less than Tunisians deserve,” said Bushra Balhaj Hmeida, a veteran lawyer and human rights activist, ranked top of the Al Takkatul Party candidate list in Zaghwan precinct.

“While I believe men and women in politics are the same, my conviction is that women can improve politics and restore Tunisians’ trust in the political process. Women can make politics more human.”

Some 160 women, including Badra and Hmeida, were nominated by their parties to attend a course organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to train female candidates in electoral campaign strategies, campaign management and communicating successfully with voters and the media.

The Summer University programme is one of three components of UNDP’s US$4.2 million electoral support project which started in March 2011 at the request of Tunisia’s interim government. It will continue electoral assistance after adoption of the new constitution.

UNDP is also providing operational and technical support to the country’s Independent High Authority for Elections on legal, organizational and logistical aspects of the election process, and working with civil society organizations on public information and citizen outreach.

“One of main gains of this election is heightened interest in politics among women,” said Soulef Guessoum, UNDP’s Regional Project Manager for Parliamentary Development. “We strive to sustain and support this interest.”

For Thurayya Sithum, a former homemaker and also graduate of the Summer University programme, participation in the process was more important than winning a seat: “Today as all Tunisians can choose between so many candidates, already we are winners.”

Sithum collaborated with other independent peers to form the movement Dustorona, Our Constitution, which developed a draft constitution and formed an electoral list on which Sithum was ranked second place, in Nable 2 precinct.

 “It’s not the seat I’m after,” said Sithum. “I want to contribute to the nascent democracy in my country. Even if I lose, I still win.”

 Based on the experience of the Summer University, UNDP intends to extend its support to female candidates running for seats at future elections in three regions of Tunisia.

 "Tunisia's elections to create a Constituent Assembly are a milestone in the country's extraordinary democratic journey which began less than a year ago," said UNDP Administrator Helen Clark. "I applaud the over 4,000 women who ran for the first time in an election, and I look forward to seeing more and more women take seats in the national legislature in the coming years. UNDP is committed to continuing its electoral assistance to Tunisia, including through specific initiatives to boost the number of women candidates, in the future."

Read more on UNDP

Azza Badra was one of thousands of women in Tunisia who competed for a seat in the country’s national elections on 23 October, the first since the dramatic pro-democracy shift in January this year and since its independence in 1956.

Badra, a mother of two, ran as a Green Tunisia Party candidate in the capital Tunis for one of 217 seats in the Constituent Assembly, a national body tasked with drafting a new constitution and nominating a transitional government until new elections are held.

“It’s simple statistics. We’re the majority,” said Badra, whose campaign prop was a mock Tunisian ID card featuring the number 51, the percentage of women in the country’s population.

Badra was among more than 4,000 women running in an election for their first time following May 2011 legislation requiring that party candidate lists alternate between women and men.

In spite of the lists, women’s actual representation in the new assembly will not reflect their proportion of the national population. Women headed only seven percent of the more than 1,500 candidate lists.

“The number of women will be less than Tunisians deserve,” said Bushra Balhaj Hmeida, a veteran lawyer and human rights activist, ranked top of the Al Takkatul Party candidate list in Zaghwan precinct.

“While I believe men and women in politics are the same, my conviction is that women can improve politics and restore Tunisians’ trust in the political process. Women can make politics more human.”

Some 160 women, including Badra and Hmeida, were nominated by their parties to attend a course organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to train female candidates in electoral campaign strategies, campaign management and communicating successfully with voters and the media.

The Summer University programme is one of three components of UNDP’s US$4.2 million electoral support project which started in March 2011 at the request of Tunisia’s interim government. It will continue electoral assistance after adoption of the new constitution.

UNDP is also providing operational and technical support to the country’s Independent High Authority for Elections on legal, organizational and logistical aspects of the election process, and working with civil society organizations on public information and citizen outreach.

“One of main gains of this election is heightened interest in politics among women,” said Soulef Guessoum, UNDP’s Regional Project Manager for Parliamentary Development. “We strive to sustain and support this interest.”

For Thurayya Sithum, a former homemaker and also graduate of the Summer University programme, participation in the process was more important than winning a seat: “Today as all Tunisians can choose between so many candidates, already we are winners.”

Sithum collaborated with other independent peers to form the movement Dustorona, Our Constitution, which developed a draft constitution and formed an electoral list on which Sithum was ranked second place, in Nable 2 precinct.

 “It’s not the seat I’m after,” said Sithum. “I want to contribute to the nascent democracy in my country. Even if I lose, I still win.”

 Based on the experience of the Summer University, UNDP intends to extend its support to female candidates running for seats at future elections in three regions of Tunisia.

 "Tunisia's elections to create a Constituent Assembly are a milestone in the country's extraordinary democratic journey which began less than a year ago," said UNDP Administrator Helen Clark. "I applaud the over 4,000 women who ran for the first time in an election, and I look forward to seeing more and more women take seats in the national legislature in the coming years. UNDP is committed to continuing its electoral assistance to Tunisia, including through specific initiatives to boost the number of women candidates, in the future."

Read more on UNDP

iKNOW Politics, an online network dedicated to the advancement of women in politics around the world, has come to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It’s a country where women are significantly underrepresented politically and where, as the nation prepares for presidential and parliamentary elections next month, hundreds of women turned out to learn how the online network could help them build successful candidacies.

More than 250 women leaders, candidates, activists and representatives of women’s organizations came together for a Sept. 20 launch event that was followed by a week-long campaign school for 100 women planning to run in elections Nov. 28. During the last polls, held in 2006, fewer than 1,100 of 9,000 candidates for parliament were women. More women are expected to run this time.

Read more on NDI's website

iKNOW Politics, an online network dedicated to the advancement of women in politics around the world, has come to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It’s a country where women are significantly underrepresented politically and where, as the nation prepares for presidential and parliamentary elections next month, hundreds of women turned out to learn how the online network could help them build successful candidacies.

More than 250 women leaders, candidates, activists and representatives of women’s organizations came together for a Sept. 20 launch event that was followed by a week-long campaign school for 100 women planning to run in elections Nov. 28. During the last polls, held in 2006, fewer than 1,100 of 9,000 candidates for parliament were women. More women are expected to run this time.

Read more on NDI's website

iKNOW Politics, an online network dedicated to the advancement of women in politics around the world, has come to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It’s a country where women are significantly underrepresented politically and where, as the nation prepares for presidential and parliamentary elections next month, hundreds of women turned out to learn how the online network could help them build successful candidacies.

More than 250 women leaders, candidates, activists and representatives of women’s organizations came together for a Sept. 20 launch event that was followed by a week-long campaign school for 100 women planning to run in elections Nov. 28. During the last polls, held in 2006, fewer than 1,100 of 9,000 candidates for parliament were women. More women are expected to run this time.

Read more on NDI's website

The theme for 2011 International Anti-Corruption Day is “ACT – Against Corruption Today”. This campaign looks to encourage involvement of all sections of the society in addressing the root causes of corruption as well as strengthening state institutions’ capability to prevent this crime.

Background

9 December has been designated as the International Anti-Corruption Day by the General Assembly of the United Nations when it adopted the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) on 31 October 2003. The International Anti-Corruption Day has been observed since 2004 to raise people’s awareness about the costs of corruption and the role of the UNCAC in combating and preventing it. Since 2009, UNDP and UNODC have worked together to support awareness of the International Anti-Corruption Day worldwide under the theme ‘Your No Counts’. The ‘Your No Counts’ campaign has been a success and has become a powerful ‘call to action’ against corruption.

The theme for 2011 International Anti-Corruption Day is “ACT – Against Corruption Today”. As elaborated below, this campaign looks to encourage involvement of all sections of the society in addressing the root causes of corruption as well as strengthening state institutions’ capability to prevent this crime.

ACT- Against Corruption Today

The ACT – Against Corruption Today campaign fully embodies the spirit of the UNCAC which recognizes that preventing and countering corruption requires a multi-sectoral approach that involves various stakeholders, particularly those outside the public sector, such as civil society, non-governmental organizations and community-based organizations.

This year’s campaign objective is to raise awareness that prevention of corruption is the responsibility of all stakeholders through the involvement of a broad-range of actors in the campaign. Therefore, the campaign advocates for and encourages multi-stakeholder engagement to address corruption through different means and strategies. These include: media, citizens’ monitoring initiatives, parliamentary procedures and support to the work of anti-corruption bodies.

The 2011 International Anti-Corruption Day

As in the past, UNDP and UNODC will sponsor national-level activities to observe the International Anti-Corruption Day on 9 December 2011. Interested UNDP and UNODC offices at the national and regional level can apply for a small grant of up to US$ 3,000 (per country) using the Expression of Interest form (see Annex I). Currently, funds are available to sponsor activities in at least 30 countries.

UNDP and UNODC encourage country and regional offices to be creative and develop innovative national and regional campaign activities that have the potential to reach a wide audience. UNDP and UNODC offices are urged to collaborate closely with other UN agencies and offices (such as the UNIC), national partners and local organizations to develop the national campaign. Previous national-level campaign activities included among others, street drama competitions, scholarships for journalists investigating corruption, essay contests for youth and students, athletic activities such as football matches and ‘runs against corruption’, public service advertisements, music shows, conferences, radio-jingles, talk shows, campaign posters and infomercials. 

All country and regional offices will be provided with the digital logo for the ACT – Against Corruption Today campaign, as well as a range of digital posters and the campaign brochure which can be reproduced locally. These will be in all six official languages. UNDP and UNODC also encourage country offices to launch the three sector studies produced by UNDP on combating corruption in education, health and water sectors on this International Anti-Corruption Day. These three studies map corruption risks, and present methods, tools and good practices in tackling corruption. These studies are part of efforts by UNDP to accelerate MDG achievements by combating bottlenecks such as corruption and develop sector-wide approaches to addressing corruption. UNDP will make hard copies and electronic versions of the studies widely available for country level launch.

Expected outcomes

UNDP and UNODC expect to support at least 30 national-level campaigns that raise awareness and enhance commitment towards multi-stakeholder engagement to address corruption.

It is also expected that an online repository for relevant materials from the national-level campaign activities will be created. This repository could provide useful materials for future anti-corruption activities and campaigns.

UNDP and UNODC expect country offices to launch the three sector reports on tackling corruption in water, education and health sectors on the International Anti-Corruption Day. These reports highlight the importance of developing sector-wide approaches to combating corruption.

 A feedback form will be sent to all selected offices for mandatory completion after the International Anti-Corruption Day events. The completed form will help to evaluate the campaign and better assist UNDP and UNODC to develop future International Anti-Corruption Day campaigns. 

Time frame

The International Anti-Corruption Day will be observed on 9 December 2011. All Expressions of Interests for funding of national campaign activities should be submitted by CoB 21st October 2011.

The theme for 2011 International Anti-Corruption Day is “ACT – Against Corruption Today”. This campaign looks to encourage involvement of all sections of the society in addressing the root causes of corruption as well as strengthening state institutions’ capability to prevent this crime.

Background

9 December has been designated as the International Anti-Corruption Day by the General Assembly of the United Nations when it adopted the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) on 31 October 2003. The International Anti-Corruption Day has been observed since 2004 to raise people’s awareness about the costs of corruption and the role of the UNCAC in combating and preventing it. Since 2009, UNDP and UNODC have worked together to support awareness of the International Anti-Corruption Day worldwide under the theme ‘Your No Counts’. The ‘Your No Counts’ campaign has been a success and has become a powerful ‘call to action’ against corruption.

The theme for 2011 International Anti-Corruption Day is “ACT – Against Corruption Today”. As elaborated below, this campaign looks to encourage involvement of all sections of the society in addressing the root causes of corruption as well as strengthening state institutions’ capability to prevent this crime.

ACT- Against Corruption Today

The ACT – Against Corruption Today campaign fully embodies the spirit of the UNCAC which recognizes that preventing and countering corruption requires a multi-sectoral approach that involves various stakeholders, particularly those outside the public sector, such as civil society, non-governmental organizations and community-based organizations.

This year’s campaign objective is to raise awareness that prevention of corruption is the responsibility of all stakeholders through the involvement of a broad-range of actors in the campaign. Therefore, the campaign advocates for and encourages multi-stakeholder engagement to address corruption through different means and strategies. These include: media, citizens’ monitoring initiatives, parliamentary procedures and support to the work of anti-corruption bodies.

The 2011 International Anti-Corruption Day

As in the past, UNDP and UNODC will sponsor national-level activities to observe the International Anti-Corruption Day on 9 December 2011. Interested UNDP and UNODC offices at the national and regional level can apply for a small grant of up to US$ 3,000 (per country) using the Expression of Interest form (see Annex I). Currently, funds are available to sponsor activities in at least 30 countries.

UNDP and UNODC encourage country and regional offices to be creative and develop innovative national and regional campaign activities that have the potential to reach a wide audience. UNDP and UNODC offices are urged to collaborate closely with other UN agencies and offices (such as the UNIC), national partners and local organizations to develop the national campaign. Previous national-level campaign activities included among others, street drama competitions, scholarships for journalists investigating corruption, essay contests for youth and students, athletic activities such as football matches and ‘runs against corruption’, public service advertisements, music shows, conferences, radio-jingles, talk shows, campaign posters and infomercials. 

All country and regional offices will be provided with the digital logo for the ACT – Against Corruption Today campaign, as well as a range of digital posters and the campaign brochure which can be reproduced locally. These will be in all six official languages. UNDP and UNODC also encourage country offices to launch the three sector studies produced by UNDP on combating corruption in education, health and water sectors on this International Anti-Corruption Day. These three studies map corruption risks, and present methods, tools and good practices in tackling corruption. These studies are part of efforts by UNDP to accelerate MDG achievements by combating bottlenecks such as corruption and develop sector-wide approaches to addressing corruption. UNDP will make hard copies and electronic versions of the studies widely available for country level launch.

Expected outcomes

UNDP and UNODC expect to support at least 30 national-level campaigns that raise awareness and enhance commitment towards multi-stakeholder engagement to address corruption.

It is also expected that an online repository for relevant materials from the national-level campaign activities will be created. This repository could provide useful materials for future anti-corruption activities and campaigns.

UNDP and UNODC expect country offices to launch the three sector reports on tackling corruption in water, education and health sectors on the International Anti-Corruption Day. These reports highlight the importance of developing sector-wide approaches to combating corruption.

 A feedback form will be sent to all selected offices for mandatory completion after the International Anti-Corruption Day events. The completed form will help to evaluate the campaign and better assist UNDP and UNODC to develop future International Anti-Corruption Day campaigns. 

Time frame

The International Anti-Corruption Day will be observed on 9 December 2011. All Expressions of Interests for funding of national campaign activities should be submitted by CoB 21st October 2011.