Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
post-conflict transitions
Many post-conflict situations provide a unique opportunity to introduce a more inclusive political framework to advance womens participation Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique, South Africa and Timor Leste, have greater female political participation than more highly developed countries such as the United States, France and Italy.
Lessons learned from the 2000-2002 transition period in Timor Leste can be used as a model for other states in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly the Solomon Islands
Governance
To ensure that it upholds gender equality as a basic tenet, there has to be: a key policy-making mechanism strategically placed in government to influence decision-making, a critical mass of women in representational institutions, and a strong civil society component working with decision-makers to promote womens rights.
democratic elections
central elements of peace-building are democratic elections and constitutional reform, an inclusive, rights-based approach essential to promote gender equality and non-discrimination. peace-building must be a participatory process that does not reconstruct what has failed, but develops a new paradigm for security, rule of law and governance, guaranteeing the protection of womens human rights.
Key mechanisms
Womens Electoral Caucus developed from the workshops; provided follow-up support to women candidates, and economic and moral support to independent women candidates throughout the campaigning period, on election day, as well as assistance to those who were elected to the Constituent Assembly. Gender equity working group formed by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and U.N Gender Unit, to ensure that women fully participated in the process, not only as candidates and voters, but also as electoral administrators. IEC informed women at every level about job opportunities with the IEC. All objectives and activities of IEC Voter Education, Training and Public Information Units, included gender sensitive timing for all training activities; development of materials that avoided sexist messages or images; creation of texts to empower women; and special training for womens groups on electoral issues.
Consolidation
The Office for the Promotion of Equality (OPE) has received bilateral and multilateral support, particularly from Ireland Aid, UNFPA and UNIFEM. UNIFEM implemented a Programme on Enhancing Rural Womens Leadership and Participation in Nation Building, to empower communities in rural areas. The Timor-Leste Government passed an electoral law in 2003 providing two seats on each village council specifically for women and enabled women to stand for any other positions, including village chief. At the village elections in May 2005, 90 women were elected as Councilors, an average of three women per village
Consolidation
Oxfam Australia and UNIFEM also supported four preparatory regional congresses that led up to the Second National East Timorese Womens Congress, held from 27-31 July 2004. Oxfams support, which paid for transportation, food and documentation, was a critical factor in enabling the regional congresses to go forward, filling a vacuum in donor involvement and thereby allowing the womens network REDE Feto to reach out to its members at the grassroots level women who felt the greatest impact from the conflict.
Current Challenges
The challenge now is to strengthen all areas of womens representation: the Womens Development Division in the Ministry of Home Affairs; capacity building and support of the key womens civil society network, the Solomon Islands National Womens Council, and the election of women into the Solomon Islands Parliament, which is currently one of six Pacific island countries without female representation.