Advocates Network promotes Yemeni women’s access to parliament

YEMEN - The Cultural Development Programs Foundation (CDPF) held its first training session for advocacy mechanisms on December 21-23, in al-Mahrah Governorate, for the woman advocate members. It aimed at empowering women in the governorate, supporting the access of women to parliament.

Over twenty civil societies of lawyers and social key figures participated in the forum. This “Advocates Network” project, comes within the democratic and human rights program, which is carried out by the foundation in eight governorates: Sana'a, Dhamar, Mukala, Taiz, al-Hudaidah, Mahrah, Ibb and Hajjah. The Advocates Network's idea is based on the cooperation of three councils, consisting of legal, religious and social dignitary support.

The participants during this program were trained on advocacy, influencing, animation techniques, networking skills, coordination, report writing, monitoring and evaluation.

The Cultural Development Program Foundation has been seeking, since 2007, to form a lobby from all political spectrums and civil societies to ensure women’s access to parliamentary seats in the 2011 elections, in order to amend the constitution and hence the election and partisan laws for either securing a share of specific electoral seats or the presence in the parties' relative electoral lists.

It will then seek an appropriate support for nomination of women in different areas, because the acquisition of women's voting is the first step towards success. However, making the women votes as a means for supporting their cause is still in need of more work. The third step will be empowering the women to reach lawmakers' position.

The foundation had taken steps for achieving this end including training the male and female advocates, as well as a training program consisting of an advocacy guide prepared by Dr. Raufa Hassan.

It also undertook a training program in five governorates for the civil societies and political parties' representatives by nominating persons known for their support to this activity. The first training session for 20 participants was held in late 2007 in Sana'a for three days.

Legal papers were also prepared by a number of lawyers that have so far reached 12 papers over the legal hindrances, as well as the legal and constitutional visions that can bring women to parliament.

Additionally, religious studies and jurisprudential researches were prepared by male and female clerics over the religious situations of women's participation in political life.

A legal council consisting of a number of lawyers and activists was also formed in May 10, 2009 from eight governorates, which seeks to form a legal team for supporting women to come to parliament.

The CDPF's vision for the delivery of women to Parliament is based on the idea of communal support through the establishment of a network of supporters containing a group of representatives of civil society organizations in eight provinces as well as the establishment of a focal lawyers' group around a series of legal visions.

It also established a base for a guidance council from enlightened Islamic researchers within the supporters' program to provide the supporting environment for delivering women to the parliament through the Advocates’ program that is scheduled to continue for 18 months.

 

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