Women Political Leaders in Yemen Develop Advocacy Aptitude

Women political activists in Yemen will soon be equipped with effective advocacy tools that will increase their influence in addressing the Parliament, as well as their abilities to harness public support on legislative issues.  Supported by the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) local grants program, the Democracy School has so far trained about 60 out of 120 former women parliamentary and municipal council candidates on campaigning, advocacy skills, community outreach, and support for women's issues.  This interactive workshop, held in February 2009, is part of the School’s "Women’s Shadow Parliament" project, and is the second in a series of four workshops to build women’s advocacy competence.   

In a collaborative effort to engage in the decision making process, the dynamic women participants issued a statement calling for the political parties and civil society of Yemen to support women in future elections, and to allocate 15% of parliamentary seats for women.   The head of the Democracy School and project coordinator, Jamal Al Shami, emphasized the importance of potential candidates benefiting from their predecessors’ experience and of mutual support across political lines. 

Sixty additional women leaders will attend more political empowerment training by the Democracy School, followed by public awareness sessions and outreach to members of parliament in an attempt to lobby for a legislative change.

The event was extensively covered in the local media including Al-Estethmarnet, Almotamarnet , Nabanews, 26 September, and the Democracy School website.