While Lebanon suffers from a paucity of female politicians, establishing a quota is not the only way to bolster women’s participation in the political sphere, say members of UNDP’s Lebanese Electoral Assistance Program.

Parties from all across the political spectrum acknowledge the need to include more women in Lebanese politics, but agreeing what steps to take toward that end have proved more difficult said Richard Chambers, the Chief Technical Adviser at LEAP.

Nadine Moussa, Lebanon’s first female candidate for the presidency, insists that Lebanon needs a “new social contract,” with women holding half of all parliamentary and governmental posts.

“I know what Lebanese women are capable of, and I know how much they can contribute,” Moussa told The Daily Star.

Moussa, a lawyer who has worked to promote women’s rights for over a decade, is the first female to officially run for president of Lebanon.

At the end of 2011, women made up about 10 per cent of all parliamentarians in Arab states - far below the 19.5 per cent figure worldwide. However, some women in the region are making small steps into the political arena. Lebanon has a reputation as the most liberal country in the Arab world.

We invite you to read the full article published September 29, 2013

On 3 July, the UNDP Lebanese Elections Assistance Programme (LEAP) organized the EU-funded workshop “Electoral Systems and Women’s Participation” in Beirut -where local candidates, activists and members from the international community came together to discuss how different electoral systems may facilitate greater participation by women in the upcoming Lebanese elections.

More than 50 women are planning to run for the upcoming parliamentary polls, as activists are still campaigning for quota in both the Parliament and Cabinet. Around 50 women and activists gathered Monday in Ajami Square in Beirut's Downtown to renew the call for a 30-percent quota for women in the upcoming parliamentary elections and the new Cabinet still to be formed by Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam.