The Project is funded by the Organisation of American States (OAS) for three years since 2002.
Participating countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis.
Goals of the Project:
- To increase women’s political participation and create competent, effective and committed women politicians.
- To provide women with the full exercising of citizenship by promoting, forging and strengthening of alliances, networking and coalitions of women at the national and regional levels
- To address the inequality that exists in the power sharing and decision-making through institutional strengthening and development of social support networks in the region and at a national level.
- To influence national and regional development agenda toward gender-balanced policies, planning, programming and governance.
Specific Objectives:
The project is intended to promote gender-based equity in politics and decision-making. It aims to enhance women’s participation in decision-making and policy making process at all levels and to promote actions to increase women’s capacity to participate in political decision-making and leadership positions and to ensure full participation in the power structure.
The action steps in this project are aimed essentially at transforming the political culture of society and ensuring that the constitutions of participating countries prohibit laws, traditions and customs that undermine the dignity and well-being of women.
The activities of the project include:
- Training and education
- Advocacy/Lobbying
- Networking
- Research and data collection
Strategies used to achieve women’s political empowerment:
The use of the print and electronic media was utilized to educate and empower women on the issue of politics and decision-making.
A TV series was conducted to discuss the issues of women in politics and decision-making.
Popular radio talk shows were encouraged to promote women in politics and decision-making.
A training programme was designed and implemented to assist women through the various stages of political involvement and to promote women’s political participation.
The training included advocacy, leadership skills, communication skills, campaign strategies, negotiation, democracy and governance, gender issues and constitutional reform and women’s human rights.
A training of trainers programme was developed.
A series of workshops, seminars and meetings were conducted nationally and regionally.
Women were encouraged to lobby and advocate for critical issues such as affirmative action and a quota system to be included in the Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda through the process of constitutional reform.
Gender issues were encouraged to be included in the political agenda.
The use of International Conventions such as CEDAW was encouraged to inform women of their entitlement to equal participation in politics and decision-making.
National and regional networks with other women at all levels were established to achieve unity and consensus to influence the decision-making processes.
Support for solidarity with other women’s groups, particularly those with programmes for women in politics were encouraged.
Support was established from other groups and organizations such as the Caribbean Development Policy Center (CDPC), National Democratic Institute (NDI), UNIFEM and the Commonwealth Secretariat to build partnership and to establish mutual support for the exchange of experiences among women in the Caribbean.
Support groups for women in politics and decision-making were established in some Caribbean countries.
- Research and data collection
The project proposed to undertake research on women and politics and decision-making.
A research project was expected to be carried out to pinpoint the barriers that impede or limit women’s participation in politics.
It was expected to collate data on women in decision-making and politics and document the attitudes of women and men towards politics.
- Regional Programme of Action
There is a planned activity for the development of a regional programme of action for women in politics and decision making. The project will build on other related initiatives in the region to increase the effectiveness and representation of women in politics and decision-making and will formulate strategies to ensure equal participation of women and men in politics.
It will:
- foster regional networks and organizations and women leaders that are committed to supporting and developing women’s leadership and representation.
- document the experiences of women in politics in the region
- formulate a Regional plan of action to promote the effective participation of women in politics.
- promote awareness and sensitization on the issue of women’s political participation.
The Regional Programme of Action is expected to achieve the following:
- An increase in the number of women participating in politics and decision-making in the Region.
- A coordinated approach to promote women in politics and decision-making in the Region.
- A linkage with other programmes promoting women’s political participation.
- It will target a range of people from the political arena including current and potential women politicians, young women, grassroots women, NGOs and other organizations.
- The increase in women’s capacity to participate in decision-making and leadership.
- It will encourage involvement of the donor community in promoting women’s leadership in the region.
- It will build and strengthen solidarity among women through information, education and sensitization activities.
Another initiative of the Project is the establishment of a Regional Centre for Women Political Participation. The Center will be non-partisan, non-profit and a non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting the participation of women in politics and decision-making.