Participation in political and public life occurs through many avenues which include NGO groups, local authorities, towns, and political party structures.
We witness, in the three countries of the Maghreb region, a growing adherence of women to political parties both in terms of numbers and their modes of involvement. On the other hand, we notice that women rarely occupy positions of leadership in political parties, both at central and local levels, where they are seen more as electors than as candidates and even more rarely at the top of the list of their parties. Where is the place for women in political parties? Why are they always confined to subordinate positions and rarely present on electoral lists? How can we overcome cultural obstacles within political parties, both on a central scale but also at the level of intermediate and local structures, and make the change regarding the presence of women in leading structures and on electoral lists?
- To answer, partially, all of these questions, the UN-INSTRAW & CAWTAR project launched three studies (one for each country) that have analyzed the issue of female participation in political life from two angles: i) the first looks at prevailing conditions at the local level concerning participation of women in political life and the process of local development, ii) the second concerns roles/contributions/ opportunities/ obstacles presented by political parties in relation to the access of women to the political scene. The results of the three studies are available on this website.
- The UN-INSTRAW & CAWTAR project has also organized, on 2-3 June 2009, a roundtable on “strengthening the dialogue concerning the participation of women in politics” involving the participation of many elected officials –men and women- and representatives of political parties of Tunisia. More information on the roundtable is available on this website.
- UN-INSTRAW & CAWTAR Project has identified exemplary practices at the level of political parties to promote the political participation of women.
- The UN-INSTRAW & CAWTAR Project has established a list of major political parties in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia (available in french)
A few other useful documents on the topic of "political parties" :
- “Best practices identified in the framework of UN-INSTRAW/CAWTAR project on: Strengthening women’s leadership and participation in politics and decision-making processes in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia” - UN-INSTRAW & CAWTAR Project Paper– 2009
- “Financing of women electoral campaigns in the three countries of the Maghreb: Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia” - UN-INSTRAW & CAWTAR Project Paper– 2009
We also suggest looking at the list of publications in our library :
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