Gender Strategy to Increase Women’s Representation in Politics Validated
A gender Strategy targeting to bridge the gender inequality gap and increase Women’s Representation in the Political Processes of the Gambia was validated on Tuesday, 19th of November 2024, by members of the Interparty Committee (IPC) Civil Society (CSOs), the Media, and Government stakeholders.
The validation, which took place at the Ocean Bay Hotel, at Cape Point, Bakau, is funded by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in the Gambia.
Matida Komma one of the Lead Consultant taking the participants through the strategy, said, “To close the gender inequality gap and increase women’s representation in the political processes, it is important to have a gender strategy that will guide political parties in The Gambia in the process of both candidate selection for elections and party leadership. This is important as political parties serve as ‘gatekeepers’ and facilitators to the seats of elected positions and, as such, play a central role in uplifting women’s participation and representation in politics. In short, political parties are crucial actors in making or breaking women’s presence in public offices. To change this status quo and realize women’s full and equal contribution to the political process, both in terms of equal participation and representation, a gender strategy is urgently needed for political parties”.
“The Gender Strategy targets to increase women's participation and representation at all levels and create opportunities for women to execute any roles within the political sphere, which will reflect on the practical needs and strategic interests of both women and men in party policies and actions and presents a party’s commitment to gender equality”, she said.
She added that the target goals are to improve the participation and representation of women in party governance structures, including at the highest levels. She said the strategy will provide clear and coherent direction and policy measures for promoting gender equality in politics, enhance gender equality within political parties, and improve internal party democracy and accountability mechanisms for compliance. She said it will also Identify and address gender-based inequalities as a major inhibitor to equal political participation and representation to eventually increase women in elected positions.
Thomas Kimaru Project Manager UNDP, said the IPC has been a key partner in the study and they have worked together because they
have a very strong mandate when it comes to Women’s Empowerment politically, socially, and economically. He said this time they are focusing on governance and the equal representation of Women in the political processes. He said they have been supporting the National Women’s Branch of the IPC and the establishment of regional women branches of the IPC. He said they have a strong commitment as UNDP to move this agenda forward but also in alignment with the National Development Plan.
He added that as part of their commitment, they also validated the Resource mobilization strategy for female candidates. He said several recommendations come out of that strategy, and one of them is the establishment of the Women Empowerment Fund, which will be managed by IPC. He said the fund would be used to support Women aspiring candidates. He said the other recommendation was to establish a mentorship unit under the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Welfare to mentor aspiring women leaders.
He added that the gender strategy that is been validated is very critical because it commits political parties to nominate 30% of women to contest for elections for the National Assembly and Local Government Elections. He said this is a very important step that will increase women’s leadership participation in elections. He said moving forward, they hope to have a breakfast meeting with all the political party leaders to show commitment to the strategy and to sign the document.
Samba Baldeh, IPC Co-Chair, said the Political Parties that comprise the IPC have all agreed to implement the gender policy. He said the Interparty Committee places great emphasis on the involvement of women in the democratic process in the Gambia. He said both national and regional branches of Women in the IPC have been formed. He said they are of the view that leaving Women behind in the political activities of the Gambia will have consequences in their efforts to have more effective socio-economic development.
He said this is why it is gratifying for them to be part of the journey that will create a gender policy that will be backed by political parties so that there can be a better representation of Women in both levels of the decision-making process. He said they should look beyond mere advocacy and engage in taking practical steps to empower women in politics. He said that action should start from the different political parties to review their internal democratic processes to favour female candidates in both National and Regional Elections.
He added that Women constitute a significant majority of the population according to the 2024 housing and population census. He said despite this, the country is still grabbed with a low level of female participation and representation in Leadership. He said during this past parliamentary elections, only three women were elected to parliament, and out of the 121 elected councillors, only 17 are women.
Author: Halimatou Ceesay
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