Enhancing The Role of Women

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Enhancing The Role of Women UNDP-Yemen Electoral
Support Programme Global Practice Meeting on E
lectoral Systems and Processes
Manila, Philippines 15-18 October 2004
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Background

• 1990 Unification
• 1993, 1997, 2003 Three multi-party Parliamentary
  elections
  
• 1999 First Presidential elections
• 2001 Local Council elections
• 2001 Establishment of the Supreme Commission for
  Elections and Referenda (SCER)
  
• 2006 Local Councils and Presidential

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UN Assistance

• UN Electoral Assistance in Yemen
• 1997 Parliamentary
• 1999 Presidential
• 2001 Local Councils
• 2003 UNDP/UN Support to 2003 Parliamentary
  elections
  
• 2004 - 2006 UNDP support to local councils and
  Presidential elections 2006
  

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Strategic Areas of Support

• Electoral Administration
• Voter Registration Process
• Decentralization Process of the SCER (333
  Districts and 22 governorates)
  
• Training of Registration Workers and Polling
  Station Officials
  
• Voter Education Campaign

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Women Voters

• Total population estimated at 18 million in 2000
  
  
• (Yemen MDGR 2003 - http//www.mpic-yemen.org/dsp/m
  dgs/PERFACE-2.pdf)

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Challenges of Voters Education Campaigns

• Gender Disparity
• Registered voters
• Womens participation
• Illiteracy Rate NHDR (2000) - http//www.mpic-yeme
  n.org/dsp/humandev.htm
  
• Adult illiteracy 47.3
• Female illiteracy 61.5

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Voters Education Means and Channels

• Involve Civil Society (not political parties) to
  conduct civic and voter education activities
  
• Publications, printed material, banners, Large
  scale advertising even on dabbabs
  
• SMS messaging

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Voters Education Means and Channels

• Info tent Special times/days were allocated
  exclusively for women
  

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Voters Education Means and Channels

• Mobile Van Were mounted with special panels
  depicting on one side a woman voting and on the
  other side a man
  
• TV One programme was customized for targeting
  women
  

10
Women as Candidates

• Only 10 Women candidates out of 1, 393
• Out of 22 political parties only 4 put forward
  female candidates
  
• Of the 9 members of SCER none are women
• Of 60 supervisory committees, none had women
• Of the 19 trainers, none were women
• Out of 31 Basic Committees, 3 are women
• Women were present at the level of sub-committees
  - Segregation requires female registration and
  election committees
  

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Developments for 2006 Elections

• A new Department for womens issues is being
  established in the SCER
  
• The quota proposal was developed by SCER in
  collaboration with political parties and the
  assistance of NDI - decree is submitted to
  Parliament for approval

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Lessons learned from Phase I

• Voter Education efforts must link womens
  participation with religious instructions in
  order to counter unsubstantiated claims that
  female are banned from political participation by
  religion
• More understanding of womens rights
• Further Capacity building of Yemeni NGOs
• Involvement of Political Parties

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• THANK YOU