More than 75 women from the across the Middle East and North Africa gathered in Kuwait from September 25-29, 2005 for the fourth Partners in Participation Regional Campaign School.
Participants included elected members of parliament, political party leaders, cabinet members, civil society leaders and journalists from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, West Bank/Gaza and Yemen.
Over the course of the four-day school, the women shared experiences, learned how to run successful political campaigns and sought to build a regional network of women with the skills to succeed in politics over the long term.
Shaikha Al-Nusf, President of Kuwait Women’s Social and Cultural Society, at the closing ceremony.
Naha Mouknass, President of the Union for Democratic Progress, Mauritania.
Keynote speakers included Kuwait's first female cabinet minister, Maasouma Al Mubarak; Algerian Member of Parliament Samia Moualfi; Amina Ouchelh, a Member of Parliament from Morocco; U.S. Representative Jane Harman (D-CA); U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait Richard LeBaron; and former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell.
"The region as a whole and Kuwait in particular is making progress in increasing women's political participation," said Al Mubarak, Kuwait's Minister of Planning. "This event provides useful, essential political skills for women who are assuming political leadership throughout the Middle East and North Africa."
Established practitioners from around the world incorporated interactive training techniques, offering the women the opportunity for one-on-one time with experts and colleagues who have had similar experiences
The women participated in workshops on a variety of topics, including how to build a campaign team, message development, public speaking, voter tracking and fundraising.
Participants, presenters, and trainers also took part in a series of panel discussions addressing key issues relating to the promotion of women's participation in political life.
Kuwaiti Minister of Planning Massouma Al-Mubarak (left) with Vaira Paegle, Latvian MP and former presidential candidate.
(From left to right) Dr. Rola Dashti, President of Kuwait Economic Society; Sheika Al-Gefiri, Member of Qatar’s Central Municipal Council and first Qatari female elected official; and Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA).
The campaign school took place against the backdrop of upcoming elections throughout the region, including Iraq, Jordan, Algeria, Bahrain, Yemen, the West Bank and Gaza, and Kuwait, where women won the right to vote and stand for office earlier this year. Many of the participants who came to Kuwait plan to announce their candidacy in upcoming elections.
"Encouraging women to stand as candidates and assisting them to run professional campaigns further normalizes the participation of women in political processes, facilitating the shift in social attitudes that would also allow for eventual electoral successes," says NDI President Kenneth Wollack.
The Partners in Participation Regional Campaign School was the fourth in a series organized cooperatively by NDI and the International Republican Institute (IRI) with support from the Department of State's Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI). The first three - in Qatar, Tunisia and Jordan - trained more than 150 women from the region to take active roles in political life.
The campaign school in Kuwait was organized by NDI, in cooperation with the Kuwait Economic Society's Women's Committee and the Women's Social and Cultural Society, the Women's Social and Cultural Society and the International Republican Institute (IRI).
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