Women in Politics

Improving the representation of women in political leadership is an issue that cuts across CDI’s entire work program. In particular, the South Pacific has one of the world's lowest levels of female representation in parliament. However, Pacific Island countries have committed to promoting the advancement of women in different spheres of life, including that of political representation, and there is also strong community support for better women’s representation in parliament. For example, almost 90 % of people interviewed in the 2007 People’s Survey in the Solomon Islands said there should be more women in parliament. CDI places a high priority on gender equality in all our activities. The main goal of the CDI’s gender and political participation program is to work with focus countries to create an environment in which women can advocate on matters of policy, run for political office, be elected and govern effectively, and participate meaningfully in every facet of civic and political life. This requires a focus on gender relations: men’s and women’s roles, responsibilities and decision making in different areas of life, issues of power and control. Engaging men in this process is of utmost importance. CDI seeks to identify and engage with emerging leaders in our focus countries. We are working to identify and invest in future leaders who can act in the national interest of their countries, with a strong emphasis on nurturing and encouraging women and up-and-coming younger political leaders as a cross-cutting goal across our entire work program - click on this table for details: Gender Equity in CDI's Training Program. Following is a list of CDI and related activities concerned both wholly or in part with issues of gender and women's political representation. Click on each link to access the item in detail: Training & Advisory Projects   PNG | A Guide for Women Candidates in the 2013 LLG elections in PNG - Campaign Handbook Now Available   Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development | Port Moresby | 21-22 May 2013   PNG | Governor Soso visits ACT Legislative Assembly | 30 April 2013 PNG | National Consultations on Increasing Women’s Participation in Local Level Government | Port Moresby | 10-11 December 2012 PNG | Changing Face of Parliament? Three Women Elected in PNG | August 2012 Vanuatu | Women Candidates Training - 2012 Elections | Port Villa | 6-10 August 2012 Observing the PNG 2012 National Elections | July 2012 | PNG PNG Women Candidates Training Strategy Completed for 2012 Elections | May 2012 PNG Women Candidates Training Strategy | 3rd Round - Candidate & Campaign Manager Progress Checks | Port Moresby | 12-20 April 2012 PNG Women Candidates Training Strategy | 2nd Round - Candidate & Campaign Manager Overflow Training Workshop | Port Moresby | 26-29 March 2012 PNG Women Candidates Training Strategy | 1st Round - Candidate & Campaign Manager Regional Training Workshops: Highlands | Southern | Momase | NGI | January - March 2012 Asia-Pacific | Women in Politics Course | Canberra | 23 November - 1 December 2011 PNG Women Candidates Training Strategy | Train the Trainer Workshop | Port Moresby | 15-18 August 2011 Asia-Pacific | CDI's 6th Annual Political Party Development Course | Canberra | 12-25 May 2011 Asia-Pacific | Women in Politics Course | Canberra | 24 November - 2 December 2010 CDI Joins Electoral Observer Missions to Bougainville & Solomon Islands | May-August 2010 Asia-Pacific | CDI's Political Party Development Course | Canberra | 7-18 June 2010 Solomon Islands Women Candidates Training Workshop | Honiara | 8-12 March 2010 Asia-Pacific | Women in Politics Course | Canberra | December 2009 Pacific | Bougainville Women Candidates Training Workshop | Buka | 24 - 26 November 2009 Asia-Pacific | Political Party Development Course | 2009 - 2008 -2007 - 2006 Asia-Pacific | Women in Politics Course | Canberra | November 2008 Asia-Pacific | Responsible Parliamentary Governance Course | 2008 Asia-Pacific | CDI & WBI 'e-training' Course on Parliamentary Financial Scrutiny | 2008 CDI sponsors attachments for Bougainville parliamentary staff | 2007 CDI's 9th Annual Pacific Parliamentary Dialogue | Goroka | 2007 Research Activities   Vanuatu | Election Observation Mission | October 2012 CDI Participates in Regional Workshop on Democratic Institutions | Brisbane | 27-29 February 2012 PPS 2012/01 | Christine McMurray - National Elections and Women Candidates in Solomon Islands: Results from the People’s Survey IPD Workshop | Egypt-Indonesia Dialogue on Democratic Transition | Jakarta | 25-27 May 2011 Women Candidate Training in PNG – Strategy Endorsed by GoPNG | Lae | 22-23 March 2011 PNG | Women Candidates Training – 2012 Elections CDI Participates in Solomon Islands Post-Election Diagnostic Workshop for Women Candidates | Honiara | 15-17 November 2010 CDI-IPD Joint Workshop | Electoral Systems, Parties & Parliaments: Making the Connections | Bali | 11-12 November 2010 CDI Participates in SSGM Workshop on 2010 Elections in Bougainville & Solomon Islands | Canberra | 3-4 November 2010 PPS 2010/02: Norm Kelly - Electoral Democracy in Post-Conflict Melanesia: the 2010 Bougainville and Solomon Islands Elections CDI PPS 2009/01: Stephen Sherlock - Indonesia’s 2009 Elections: The New Electoral System & the Competing Parties A Guide to Campaigning for Pacific Women | FaHCSIA, PIFs, UNDP | 2008 PPS 2006/02 | 16 November 2006: Wahidah Zein Br Siregar - Political Parties, Electoral System and Women’s Representation in the 2004-2009 Indonesian Parliaments Participation of Women in Politics and Decision Making in Timor-Leste: A Recent History | Ospina / UNIFEM | 2006 Women in Government in Solomon Islands - A Diagnostic Study | Whittington, Ospina and Pollard | 2006 A Woman's Place is in the House - The House of Parliament: Research to Advance Women's Political Representation in Forum Island Countries | Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat | 2006 Marian Sawer with Manon Tremblay and Linda Trimble, 'Introduction: Patterns and Practice in the Parliamentary Representation of Women', in Marian Sawer, Manon Tremblay and Linda Trimble (eds), Representing Women in Parliament: A Comparative Study, London & New York: Routledge, pp. 103-19, 2006. Program Development & Further Activities   Pacific Women's Parliamentary Partnerships Forum | Sydney | 9-10 February 2013 Women in Politics: CDI Visit to Fiji, Solomon Islands & Vanuatu | 2009 CDI at the Business for Millenium Development Summit | Melbourne | 2008 Pacific | Special Measures for Women - Sub-regional Workshop | Port Moresby | 2008 Panel Discussion: Female Leadership & Decision Making in PNG | 2007 Pacific | 8th CDI Pacific Parliamentary Dialogue | 2006 Pacific | Improving Women's Representation in the Pacific | Regional Consulation | 2006 Women's Participation in Governance Workshop | PNG | 2003               |