Cross Cutting Theme: Gender equality

Enhancing gender responsive policies

Issue

Kenya’s Constitution requires that no more than two thirds of any one gender represents any elective post. In the 2013 general election only 19 women stood among the 244 candidates that fought for Senator positions in the 2013 General Election and only occupy 9.8 per cent of seats in the Kenyan parliament.

Project

The Institute for Education in Democracy (IED) is now working towards the High Court’s recommendation that positive steps should be taken to increase the representation of women in politics by 2015. It will explore the development of affirmative action in political parties and ensure that the promotion of gender equality is consistent and sustainable, raising the long-term position of women in politics.

The Institute will stage a consultative forum with civil society organisations, political parties and the Registrar of Political Parties to identify strategies for affirmative action. The Registrar – which oversees the law on political parties and has the mandate to ensure gender considerations are integrated into the membership and workings of the parties – will play a pivotal role in the work and will also see its capacity to develop tools to guide political parties in establishing affirmative action regulations built and enhanced. The IED will also develop a new framework with which civil society organisations will be able to monitor the progress being made by political parties on gender equality.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcy8V1a7Ar8?rel=0]

Follow @ied_africa on Twitter

Follow IED-Africa on Facebook

Upholding gender equality legislation

Issue

Pro-women legislation has been promoted and adopted by the Pakistan government in recent years, including the Prevention of Anti-Women Practices (Criminal Law Amendment) Act 2011, but significant work is still needed on its enforcement.

Project

The Community Appraisal and Motivation Programme (CAMP) is working with female-led CSOs in Pakistan to form a strategy for women’s rights advocacy entitled, The Sisters’ Voice. In order to address issues such as honour crimes and domestic violence, CAMP is working with female-led CSOs within the provinces of Punjab and Balochistan to improve their abilities to work with policy makers and produce a clear and effective strategy for women’s rights advocacy.

Eighty women from forty CSOs will receive training in a range of crucial skills and knowledge, including awareness of existing laws and policies and advocacy and networking skills. The women, many of whom work in underprivileged communities, will receive training and mentoring that will allow them to not only make decision makers – particularly female parliamentarians – aware of their needs, but also to work with them to help advance their basic rights.

By building this network of confident, informed and cohesive CSOs, CAMP hopes to start building a generation of women who are able to secure equality and fairness for Pakistan’s future female population.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MDmBzLX-gY?rel=0]

Community Appraisal and Motivation Programme (CAMP)

Community Appraisal and Motivation Programme (CAMP) is a Pakistani non-profit and non-governmental organisation established and registered in May 2002. It works with some of the most underprivileged communities in Pakistan, responding to emergencies, improving access to quality health and education, creating livelihood opportunities, and working closely with communities and government departments to promote human rights, peace and security.

www.camp.org.pk

Follow /Community-Appraisal-and-Motivation-Programme-CAMP on Facebook

Enabling women farmers’ participation in the green economy

Issue

While women have made giant strides in some male-dominated occupations, they still represent a small proportion of workers in the green economy. Women are often marginalised, left out of critical policy debates and have limited access to resources. While there is a need for greater investment in agriculture, there is currently no recognition of the productive role of women farmers.

Project

With this grant from the Commonwealth Foundation, the Caribbean Policy Development Centre (CPDC) aims to enhance women’s capacity for advocacy, contributing to an increase in the livelihood opportunities available, particularly through emerging opportunities in the green economy.

It will provide an opportunity for women farmers to develop their advocacy skills to shape policy debates around the green economy in the Caribbean, resulting in a strong model for replication in other contexts. The project also responds to the 2013 Commonwealth Theme ‘Opportunity through Enterprise’.

Caribbean Policy Development Centre (CPDC)

CPDC is a coalition of Caribbean non-governmental organisations.

It was established in 1991 to raise awareness about key policy issues among NGOs and the general public and to impact on policy decisions which put the interests of Caribbean people at the centre of their development strategy. Since its inception, CPDC has lobbied regional and international governments on behalf of Caribbean citizens whose voices are less heard. In doing so, CPDC has become accepted as a significant social partner in the development of the region where it has extensive experience and reach.

www.cpdcngo.org/cpdc

Follow @cpdcngo on Twitter

Follow /CPDCngo on Facebook

Fostering cooperation for sustainable development

Issue

The role of civil society, in particular women and young people, in influencing local governance processes in India is recognised as vital.

Project

Technology and Action for Rural Advancement (TARA) are working with civil society, women and young people in the environmental field, to help them influence local governance processes in India.

With a grant from the Commonwealth Foundation, this project will improve the skills and capacity of civil society organisations to engage with local government, nurturing collaborative relationships and better understanding. Advocacy models will demonstrate environmental sustainability concerns, fostering cooperation, sharing knowledge and promoting the involvement of young people and women in local governance.

The project will work with diverse stakeholders nurturing a collective sense of responsibility. It has a strong environmental aspect and targets women as well as addressing cross-cutting themes.

Technology and Action for Rural Advancement (TARA)

TARA is a registered social enterprise in New Delhi, India.

It enables the creation of livelihood support systems through training and capacity building for the rural poor and marginalised communities. It is part of the Development Alternatives Group, an organisation providing development solutions in India and elsewhere.

www.tara.in

Strengthening women’s participation in governance

Issue

Many women in Pakistan were put off taking part in the 2013 general election by lack of transport, pressure from political parties and control of polling stations by armed men.

Project

Supported by a grant from the Commonwealth Foundation, Peace Direct and Aware Girls will help promote the participation of women in electoral processes in in the districts of Swabi and Marden by training, educating and encouraging women to voice their opinion. Peace Direct and Aware Girls will help promote the participation of women in electoral processes in the districts of Swabi and Marden, building on lessons learned.

By training 60 young women and providing education to at least 900 women, this project encourages women in the conflict-affected areas of Kyber Pakhtunkwa province to voice their opinion and improve their leadership skills to ensure greater political participation. Citizens’ committees will address women’s rights issues and develop advocacy tools to lobby government. The project will also improve dialogue with local politicians and government, ensuring issues are addressed and accountability increased.

It is anticipated this project will lead to improved public attitudes supporting women’s participation in electoral and political processes, as well as increased accountability among community leaders, political parties and public bodies.

Peace Direct and Aware Girls will develop a best practice model to encourage greater participation by women in political processes. Citizens’ committees will be replicated in Peshawar district with the assistance of local civil society organisations to raise awareness about the importance of community accountability for good governance.

Peace Direct

Peace Direct is an international charity dedicated to supporting local peacebuilding believing that people have the power to find their own solutions to conflict. It seeks out local peacebuilders making a difference, raises funds for programmes, offers management support and advice, and builds recognition for their work to put them in touch with those in the wider world who can assist with funds and influence.

Follow @peacedirect on Twitter

Follow /Peacedirect on Facebook

Aware Girls

Aware Girls is led by young women working for women’s empowerment, gender equality and peace in Pakistan. It works to strengthen the leadership capacity of young women enabling them to act as agents of social change and women’s empowerment in their communities. www.awaregirls.org

Follow @awaregirls on Twitter

Follow /awaregirl on Facebook

Supporting women farmers to withstand environmental shocks

Issue

Environmental change is fueling poverty in remote areas of Ghana, impacting badly on women farmers, with poor yields and low incomes. Many women are unable to mitigate the environmental effects, nor do they have access to local authorities who could help them address these issues.

Project

Friends of the Earth – Ghana is encouraging collaboration between women’s groups and local authorities to work together to address environmental and livelihood concerns, contributing to sustainable development in Ghana. This Commonwealth Foundation grant will facilitate the collaboration of 250 women subsistence farmers and four NGOs working on environmental and agricultural issues across three rural districts.

Ultimately the project will be scaled up and replicated to benefit a larger group of farmers, helping them to adopt ecological agricultural practices, re-greening and restoring depleted land and water resources.

This project aims to close the gap between remote rural communities and relevant policy makers, enabling women farmers particularly, to talk to local authorities about environmental change and strengthening their ability to engage in participatory governance.

Friends of the Earth Ghana

Friends of the Earth – Ghana is part of a worldwide international network of environmental organisations in 60 countries.

It focuses on environmental, social and economic issues working to bring about sustainable and socially equitable development through community participation. Friends of the Earth recognises that only projects fully accounting for the diversity of cultures, needs and aspirations of communities will gain their full support and be successful in the long term. The organisation has a rich experience of working in the environment and climate change sector in Ghana.

www.foe-gh.org

Follow /foe.ghana on Facebook

Follow @FoEint on Twitter

Increasing access to finance for women and young people

Issue

Access to finance is a big challenge facing women and young people in the subsistence agriculture, fisheries and food processing sectors in Bangladesh.

Project

The Anglican Alliance is increasing opportunities for enterprise by involving 600 women and young people in the development of policies on accessing finance.

This project will enable three communities in Bangladesh to engage with business, civil society and government to shape the policy for economic inclusion, ensuring these policies are relevant and locally owned. It will foster the development of best practice in participatory governance and share this through a distance learning programme, available throught the Open University.

The project is further strengthened through the Anglican Alliance’s reach in other regions, particularly Africa and the Pacific, and responds to the 2013 Commonwealth Theme ‘Opportunity through Enterprise’.

Anglican Alliance

Anglican Alliance is actively involved in working towards a world that is free of poverty and injustice.

It tackles poverty and its causes by working in partnership with others around the world, empowering individuals and communities to overcome inequality and injustice. Women and youth empowerment are regarded as key development challenges and are the focus of Anglican Alliance projects in several countries.

www.anglicanalliance.org

Follow @AngliAlliance on Twitter

Follow /anglicanalliance on Facebook