Latin America and the Caribbean: Guyana: Fifty-Fifty Increasing Women's Political Participation Caribbean Conference
Printer-friendly version Overview
From May 27-30, 2003 NDI, CIDA, GAWL, and UNIFEM hosted a Caribbean conference entitled: Fifty-Fifty Increasing Women's Political Participation. The objectives of the conference were to discuss how to increase public debate on issues affecting women and to develop the capacity of women to advocate for improvements in the status of women in the region. While the primary audience was women, men were also invited to attend where their participation is crucial to developing strategies that address male resistance to women in politics.
This conference was attended by 85 delegates from 13 Caribbean countries including government ministers, senators, members of parliaments, local government officials and other women actively involved in politics. The conference focused on presentations, panel and plenary discussions, and clinics to prepare women to run for office.
Prior to the conference, a survey designed to measure Perceptions of Women in Politics in Guyana was discussed as at the beginning of the conference to provide context for the conference and presentations. Results of this survey contain vital information on the how men and women view the role of women in politics.
Presentations included Political Socialisation/Models of Political Involvement, Impediments to Women's Participation, Controlling the Image, Collaborations, Networks and Caucuses, and Developing a Women's Agenda for the 21st CenturyThere were also clinics dealing with Voter Identification and Outreach, Public Speaking, Advocacy and Media Skills for potential candidates.
Discussion at NDI’s Caribbean women’s conference on increasing women’s political participation in the region.
At the end of the conference delegates called on Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to endorse the following resolution to increase women's political participation to fifty/fifty by December 2004:
Training for women candidates and potential candidates
The strengthening of institutional mechanisms including representation of women at CARICOM meetings and strengthening of the CARICOM women's bureaus
Sistering programmes
Networking and caucuses across party and ethnic lines on specific issues
Public and voter awareness campaigns
Documentation, data collection and analysis and the establishment of national and regional data bases
Action and sharing of information on constitution reform processes, electoral laws reform and special measures to increase women's political participation.
The resolution also pledges to remain committed to the advocacy and implementation of the strategies and to meet within two months of the conference to establish a steering committee to address the strategies to ensure their implementation.
NDI is providing skills assistance, such as voter outreach techniques, to help women candidates run for office in Guyana.
Next Steps
NDI will host the proceedings of the conference on its website. The Institute will also facilitate the publication of selected conference presentations and make them available to all participants and governing bodies throughout the Caribbean. In Guyana copies of the publications will be given to Regional Democratic Councils, Municipalities, Neighborhood Democratic Councils and Community Development Councils. Copies will also be placed in public libraries.
NDI is providing skills assistance, such as media communication, to help women candidates run for office in Guyana.
Since the conference NDI has been invited to participate in another conference on Women's Political Participation: Training in Governance and Democracy to be held in Antigua later this year. The conference is part of an OAS funded project in which Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda and St. Kitts and Nevis are participating. Delegates to the NDI conference established a steering committee to coordinate activities in the region that relate to increasing women's political participation. The committee had its first meeting during the conference in Guyana and plans to meet again during the Antigua conference to develop a plan of action and explore ways of establishing links between groups working to increase women's political participation in the region.
Contact Information
For more information on NDI's this confernence, please contact:
Guyana Field Office
Chantalle Smith, Program Officer Send Email
Washington, DC Office
Sandy Quimbaya, Senior Program Assistant Send Email
Printer-friendly version
