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Enhancing The Role of Women UNDP-Yemen Electoral Support Programme

Enhancing The Role of Women UNDP-Yemen Electoral Support Programme Global Practice Meeting on Electoral Systems and Processes Manila, Philippines 15-18 October 2004. Background. 1990: Unification 1993, 1997, 2003: Three multi-party Parliamentary elections

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Enhancing The Role of Women UNDP-Yemen Electoral Support Programme

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  1. Enhancing The Role of Women UNDP-Yemen Electoral Support Programme Global Practice Meeting on Electoral Systems and Processes Manila, Philippines 15-18 October 2004

  2. Background • 1990: Unification • 1993, 1997, 2003: Three multi-party Parliamentary elections • 1999: First Presidential elections • 2001: Local Council elections • 2001: Establishment of the Supreme Commission for Elections and Referenda (SCER) • 2006: Local Councils and Presidential

  3. UN Assistance • UN Electoral Assistance in Yemen: • 1997 Parliamentary • 1999 Presidential • 2001 Local Councils • 2003: UNDP/UN Support to 2003 Parliamentary elections • 2004 - 2006: UNDP support to local councils and Presidential elections 2006

  4. Strategic Areas of Support • Electoral Administration • Voter Registration Process • Decentralization Process of the SCER (333 Districts and 22 governorates) • Training of Registration Workers and Polling Station Officials • Voter Education Campaign

  5. Women Voters Total population estimated at 18 million in 2000 (Yemen MDGR 2003 - http://www.mpic-yemen.org/dsp/mdgs/PERFACE-2.pdf)

  6. Challenges of Voters Education Campaigns • Gender Disparity • Registered voters • Women’s participation • Illiteracy Rate NHDR (2000) - http://www.mpic-yemen.org/dsp/humandev.htm • Adult illiteracy: 47.3% • Female illiteracy: 61.5%

  7. Voters Education: Means and Channels • Involve Civil Society (not political parties) to conduct civic and voter education activities; • Publications, printed material, banners, Large scale advertising even on “dabbabs”; • SMS messaging

  8. Voters Education: Means and Channels • Info tent: Special times/days were allocated exclusively for women

  9. Voters Education: Means and Channels • Mobile Van: Were mounted with special panels depicting on one side a woman voting and on the other side a man; • TV: One programme was customized for targeting women

  10. Women as Candidates • Only 10 Women candidates out of 1, 393 • Out of 22 political parties only 4 put forward female candidates • Of the 9 members of SCER – none are women • Of 60 supervisory committees, none had women • Of the 19 trainers, none were women • Out of 31 Basic Committees, 3 are women • Women were present at the level of sub-committees - Segregation requires female registration and election committees

  11. Developments for 2006 Elections • A new Department for women’s issues is being established in the SCER • The quota proposal was developed by SCER in collaboration with political parties and the assistance of NDI - decree is submitted to Parliament for approval

  12. Lessons learned from Phase I • Voter Education efforts must link women’s participation with religious instructions in order to counter unsubstantiated claims that female are banned from political participation by religion; • More understanding of women’s rights; • Further Capacity building of Yemeni NGOs • Involvement of Political Parties

  13. THANK YOU

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