The consultation is the first phase of a larger research project and will review the existing systems, policies, and barriers that limit women’s participation by considering the views of relevant stakeholders, including women, legislators, policy makers, and civil society.
It will also consider barriers to implementing TSMs and quotas, with the understanding that barriers can vary from country-to-country. The consultation will involve UNDP Country Office representatives who specialize on gender, parliaments, and/or elections, along with representatives from the UNDP Regional Hub in Amman, UN Women, and DPA as well as key partners and experts, including CAWTAR and Inclusive Security. As such, it will provide an opportunity to compile and analyze expert advice and lessons learned, in order to produce actionable recommendations.
The feedback from this meeting will be incorporated into the research project, in order to ensure it reflects the expertise, knowledge and feedback of the participants. It will focus more specifically on the barriers that prevent women from accessing and participating effectively in the political sphere, as well as provide a methodology to overcome these barriers.
Key objectives of the consultation are listed as follows:
• Better understand women’s political participation in the Arab states, especially with respect to the barriers they face.
• Identify how UNDP Country Offices and external partners are currently promoting women’s political participation and how this work could be improved and/or further supported.
• Define a framework for broader research to be conducted.
• Clarify the roles of UNDP, UN Women, and DPA for the next phase of research.
• Provide justifications for case studies and compilation of best practices on TSM implementation.