While women have made significant gains increasing their participation in legislatures, political parties and civil society across the world, women are still severely underrepresented in the executive branch. In an effort to explore this problem, NDI, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), held a meeting of current and former women executive office-holders to discuss the unique challenges faced by women in such positions and to explore the kind of assistance needed to support them.

As part of NDI’s International Leaders Forum (ILF), which brought over 500 political leaders from around the world to Denver during the Democratic National Convention, NDI and UNDP sponsored a working breakfast for women current and former heads of state and ministers. Twenty-five women officials from around the world participated in the discussion addressing barriers women face in serving in executive posts. This unique opportunity allowed NDI and UNDP to collect recommendations on partnerships and support mechanisms that will help more women access and achieve success in executive decision-making positions.

Among the distinguished participants were former Canadian prime minister Kim Campbell, former Georgian acting president and speaker of parliament Nino Burjanadze, and UNDP Director of Gender Winnie Byanyima. Participants stressed the importance of working with political parties, particularly male political party leadership, to articulate leadership opportunities that lead to increased responsibility and decision-making roles.

Engaging and supporting women executives on the municipal and local levels was noted as an important way of building visibility and credibility for women, both within and outside party structures. The women also expressed the need for training on core competencies necessary for success in office, such as staff management and decision-making skills. Finally, the participants underscored the importance of networking, including at high levels of leadership, in order for women to learn from and support each other and gain confidence. The women highlighted the usefulness of the International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics (iKNOW Politics) website as a mechanism to network and share experiences.

These recommendations will help inform NDI and UNDP on how best to aid women working at the highest levels of government.

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Published on December 17, 2008