Post on 14-Mar-2020
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Respect for Women’s Political Rights: Participation and Leadership of Women in
Politics in Tunisia
Year 1 of the Program
2014
This current document is a translation of all activity reports that were originally
written in Arabic. We hope the translation does not alter the original thoughts
provided by the participants. Views expressed in this report do not necessarily
represent the view of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral
Assistance (IDEA) or of the Netherland Institute for Multiparty Democracy
( NIMD ) or any other partner or their respective executive boards, governing
bodies, and /or member states. This report is independent of political interest.
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Activities Implemented in March 2014
Activity 1: Selection’s criteria for parliamentary political parties to be involved in the project in Tunisia: March 5th, 2014.
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Minutes on IDEA and CEMI meeting held on Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Agenda:
Delineation of selection’s criteria for parliamentary political parties to be involved in the project in Tunisia
Finalization of the flyer in Arabic developed to introduce the program to national stakeholders
Agreement on the dates of the round tables to be organized to introduce and launch the project
Results of the meeting:
1- Selection’s criteria for parliamentary political parties to be involved in the project
for the year 2014
The program will target:
-The political parties which were elected at the NCA following the 2011 election and have
currently 3 or more seats:
Party Name in March
2014
Name of the party and number of seats when elected in
2011
Ennahdha Ennahdha
89 seats in 2011 NCA elections
Ettakatol : Forum
démocratique pour
le travail et les
libertés
Ettakatol : Forum démocratique pour le travail et les
libertés
20 seats in 2011 NCA elections
CPR : Le Congrès
pour la République
CPR : Le Congrès pour la République
29 seats in 2011 NCA elections
Al Massar
Al Massar is a new political party. It was elected in 2011
under the name of Pôle démocratique moderniste (PDM)
ou Al Qotb
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PDM was a political coalition set up for the NCA election.
PDM changed their name to Al Massar in 2012
In the 2011 NCA election, PDM won 5 seats.
Le parti républicain The Republican is a new political party. It derives from the
Parti démocrate progressiste (PDP), which was elected in
2011.
In the 2011 NCA election, PDP won 8 seats
Parti Al Moubadara Al Moubadara
In the 2011 NCA election, Al Moubadara won 5 seats
Parti Afak Tounis Parti Afak Tounis
In the 2011 NCA election, Parti Afak Tounis won 4 seats
Parti des travailleurs Parti des travailleurs
In the 2011 NCA elections, le parti des travailleurs won 3
seats
-The new political parties formed following the splits of certain political parties elected at
the NCA in the 2011 election and which have currently 3 or more seats at the NCA:
Mouvement Wafa
7 seats in March
2014
Wafa movement is a new political party. It
derives from the party ‘Le Congrès pour la
République –CPR’ which split into 4 political
parties.
Courant
democratique ?
3 seats in March
2014
Democratic movement is a new political
party. It derives from the party ‘Le Congrès
pour la République– CPR’ which split into 4
political parties.
Parti de l’alliance
démocratique
11 seats in March
2014
The Party of the Democratic Alliance is a
new political party. It derives from the the
Parti démocrate progressiste (PDP) which
split into 2 political parties
-The new political parties which were not elected at the NCA during the 2011 election but
have today a significant representation on the ground:
Nidaa Tounes 7 seats in March
2014
Nidaa Tounes is a new political party
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These 12 political parties were also selected because they are following in one way or
another one of the training courses organized by our national partner, CEMI, through the
Tunisian school of politics. This program will further strengthen their capacities, especially on
gender issues which are not so far incorporated into the TSOP curricula.
Those parties excluded from this program:
1- The new formed political parties currently represented at the NCA which are mainly
composed of members who were elected in 2011 as independent candidates. These new
parties do not represent the interest of a group of people. There are two risks: A) they
disappear after election, and B) they disappear during the mandate of the NCA by merging
with others or by composing new political parties!!!1
2- The political parties elected at the NCA in the 2011 election but have currently one or two
or seats.
Final list of partner’s political parties
Name of the party Acronym
Ennahdha Mouvement Ennahdha The Democratic Forum for Labour and Liberties Ettakatol
The Congress for the Republic /Le Congrès pour
la République
CPR
Social Democratic Path /La Voie démocratique
et sociale
Al Massar
Republican Party /Le parti républicain Al Joumhouri
Parti Al Moubadara Al Moubadara
Parti Afak Tounis Afak
Labor party /Parti des travailleurs Le parti des travailleurs Wafa Mouvement Wafa
Democratic Current /le courant démocratique Al Tayyar
Democratic Alliance Party /Parti de l’alliance
démocratique
L’alliance démocratique
Nidaa Tounes Mouvement Nidaa
3- The flyer developed to introduce the program to national stakeholders and translated
into Arabic was discussed and finalized.
1 - We mean here two political parties: Mahaba stream party and Republic movement party.
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4- Planned roundtables to introduce the project to the selected political parties:
It was agreed that two roundtable discussions will be organized in early April to introduce
the program and to inform the program’s target group about planned activities for the year
2014.
-Thursday, April 10th: roundtable with the parties’ leadership / executive committee
-Friday, April 18th: roundtable with the parties’ women’s wings and other committees
The roundtable discussion will be organized at CEMI’s premises.
Other roundtables might be planned in April.
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Activities Implemented in April 2014
P0245-02/ 1004
Activity 2: Dialogue session to introduce the program to the members of the partner’s
political parties executive bodies: April 18, 2014
Activity 3: Dialogue session with women’s wings members: April 30,2014
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Dialogue Session with the Members of the Partner’s Political
Parties’ Executive Bodies
Introduction and Official Launching of the Program
Friday, April 18, 2014 - 17.00-20.00
CEMI’s Premises – Tunis/Tunisia P0245-02/ 1004
In line with the approved work plan, International IDEA and CEMI organized a dialogue
session to introduce the program to the male-dominated executive leadership bodies of
Tunisian political parties on Friday, April 18, 2014.
In preparation for this event, the program’s coordinator and CEMI’s director organized
preparatory meetings with most of the selected partner political parties. The scope of the
meetings was: 1-to follow up on the invitations sent and, 2- to lobby for a high level of
representation during the dialogue session.
Due to the privileged relationships CEMI/TSOP have established over the last two years with
the leaders of the political parties, all the meetings were called and fixed by the latter.
Eight out of 12 political parties actually attended. Wafa Movement, Al Massar party and the
Democratic Alliance Party, cancelled the meetings due to the political crises that arose after
the Military Court of Appeal’s decisions rendered in cases of “Martyrs and Wounded of the
Revolution”. Al Joumhoury party confirmed its attendance on the 18th but was not able to fix
a meeting prior to this date.
The meetings held were an opportunity to:
1- Introduce the implementing organization (International IDEA) to the political leaders
2-Give an overview of the program in general and the activities to be run in Tunisia in
particular
3-Insist on the importance of involving male members of the executive leadership bodies,
especially with regards to component 1 of the project
4-Insist on the importance of having the same members of the executive leadership bodies
attending the four-year program from each political party. This will foster the local
ownership of the program by the political parties and will further encourage them to set the
agenda, thereby ensuring its local relevance.
5-Gather initial information on the level of women’s presence within the political parties’
structures
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The preparatory meetings went as follows:
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Ettakatol
Mrs. Thouraya Hammami – Bekri Vice-présidente du conseil National Ettakatol
thammamibekri@gmail.com
Tel : 00216- 98 741 428
Mr. Elyès Fakhfakh
fakhfakh.elyes@gmail.com Tel : 00216 -98 313 705
Courant Démocratique
Mrs. Amal Maghrabi Membre du bureau politique
Tel : 00216- 21 470 534
Mr. Youssef Elamdani
Tel : 00216- 20 320 320
Ennahdha
Mr. Abdelhamid Jelassi Vice President – General Coordinator
jlassiabdhamid@gmail.com vp.coord@nahdha.tn Tel : 00216 22 933 600 Fax : 00216 – 71 901 679
Mr. Mohamed Trabelsi xhtr h u wt uuxrt u wt cxrt thtdxstr
– vtrthri r hsxrr h – rtre xct ruuxrt hrtt h teh hrtt h teh
mohamed.trabelsi@nahdha.tn
Vp.coord@nahdha.tn
Tel : 00216-94 484 612
00216- 21 924 271
Fax : 00216- 71 900 948
Mrs. Wassila Zoghlami
Membre du bureau excecutif- Responsable du bureau « la femme et la famille »
wassila_zoghlami@hotmail.fr Nahdha.fefa@gmail.com Tel : 00216 -29 383 829 00216 -95 548 355
Parti des travailleurs
Mrs. Rafika Reki
Member of the executive body and national coordinator of “Moussawet “association
naktyarekik@hotmail.com Tel : 00216 23 606 216 00216 71 283 360 00216 71 283 365
Mr. Hammadi Benmim
Member de la Direction nationale - Chargé de l’Information
hammadi.Benmim@albadil.org Tel : 00216 97 542 811 00216 71 283 360 00216 71 283 365
Al Moubadara Mr. Kamel Morjane
Secretary General of the party
kamelmorjane@almoubadara.tn Tel : 00216 71 289 251 00216 71 289 252 00216 71 289 277
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Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Beneath are the conclusions and information gathered:
1- Conclusions:
1-The visiting team (Donia Ben Romdhane from International IDEA and Ahmed Driss from
CEMI/TSOP) succeeded in meeting representatives from the executive bodies of the political
parties.
2-All political parties expressed their interest in the project and highlighted that their party
includes a lot of women members. Nevertheless, they all said there are only few women in
the executive bodies and decision-making organs of the party.
Mrs. Emna Boulifa Email: emnaboulifa@hotmail.com Tel : 00216 29 310 473
Mrs. Samira Chaouachi Porte-parole du parti
:chaouachi-samira@hotmail.com Tel : 00216 98 500 549
Nidaa Tounes
Mrs. Aida Klibi Relation extérieures
aidaklibi1@gmail.com Tel : 00216- 22 560 982 00216- 71 961142 00216- 71 961 182 Fax : 00216- 71 961 226
Mrs. Salma Elloumi Rekik Bureau exécutif
salmarekik2009@yahoo.fr Salma.elloumi@nidaatounnes.org Tel : 00216- 98302 715
Mr.Mehdi Abdeljawad
Email : mbchercheur3@gmail.com
Tel : 00216- 20 552 616
CPR
Mrs. Ikbal Msadaa
Member of the NCA
Mr. Walid Ben Omrane
Directeur Executif
w.ben.omrane@gmail.com Tel : 00216- 25515009
Mr. Ghassen Dridi CEMI Student
ghassen.dridi@gmail.com Tel : 00216 97 188 937
00216-71 284312
Afek Tounes Mr. Yassine Brahim President of the party
yassine.brahim@afek-tounes.org
Tel : 00216- 50329570
Mrs. Samira Merai Elue ANC
samira.friaa@planet.tn Tel : 00216 -20329625
00216 -71 964747
Mrs. Zakia Bouhjila
CEMI Student bouhjilazakia@hotmail.fr Tel : 00216 – 20460086
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3-Most of the political parties said they do not have problems with the inclusion of women
in all the decision-making organs of the party. However, they said women seldom want to
have such responsibilities due to the work load and due to their family obligations.
4-Only Ettakatol seem to have established a formal strategy to include women in all its
organs in the future. It is important to mention that the party reviewed its internal
regulation in 2013.
5-All political parties (including the leftist party, which is supposedly more open to women)
claim they have no discriminatory practices and policies. They said they bothtreat their male
and female members equally and offer the same opportunities to their male and female
members. Therefore, they did not see the usefulness in adopting gender specific strategies
to empower women within political parties.
2- Collected Information:
Ettakattol:
- The new internal regulation set up a women wing – منظمة نسائية but the party did not yet
establish its structure.
- The new internal regulation established a women’s quota in all the structures of the party.
- “Le conseil national” is composed of 200 members.
- “Le bureau politique” is composed of 41 members.
- “Le bureau executive” is composed of 13 members (2 women).
- Ettakatol is member of a women’s politician network called Theyra (Rebel)
- The Network includes women members of leftist PPs from 5 countries of the Arab region:
Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, and Jordan
- The network aims to organize the training of trainers for women politicians.
- The network has a Facebook page.
Le Courant Démocratique:
-“le bureau politique” is composed of 25 members. There are 4 women among them.
Ennahdha:
- The structures of the party in the regions focus on women: they adopted quotas for
women.
- There’s a need to support women in the region. It is very important to reinforce their
leadership and communication skills.
CPR:
- “Le conseil national” is composed of 120 members
- “Le bureau politique” is composed of 11 members and there are 2 women among them.
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Parti des travailleurs:
- The party set up in 2112 an association called “equality مساواة”. This body includes the
women of the party as well as other women active in different associations.
The Dialogue Session with the Members of the Partner’s Political Parties’
Executive Bodies
The multiparty dialogue session took place on Friday, April 18, at CEMI’s premises from 17.11
to 20.00.
1- Attendance
In total, the session aimed at introducing and launching the program and gathered 22
attendees (12 women and 10 men) representing 9 political parties.
The 9 political parties that attended the dialogue session are: Le Courant Démocratique, Al
Joumhoury, Coalition démocratique, Nidaa Tounes, Parti des travailleurs, Ennahdha,
Ettakatol, CPR, and Al Massar.
Three political parties did not attend the event: Moubadara, Akek Tounes, and WAFA,
although, the first two parties had previously confirmed their attendance.
Apart from Nidaa Tounes, all the other 8 political parties sent representatives from their
decision-making structures (political bureau or executive bureau). Two political parties sent
their spokeperson.
Half of the attendees belonging to decision-making structures were women (6 women and6
men).
Despite the fact that during the preparatory meetings this meeting was introduced as an
event targeting men within the parties, some political parties sent representatives from their
women’s wing (Nidaa Tounes, Ennahdha). A special event for the women’s wings of political
parties will be held on April 30th.
The attendees from Nidaa Tounes explained the party could not send representatives from
the party’s political bureau or executive bureau because these members travelled to
Sfax,where the party is organizing a big meeting for Sunday, April 20th..
2- Event Proceeding
The session was opened by CEMI’s director, who welcomed the attendees and introduced
the event. After, Donia Ben Romdhane, from International IDEA, took the floor to welcome
the attendees, introduce IDEA, and highlight the relevance of the program in Tunisia in
relation to the social, political and legislative contexts.
The attendees were given three minutes to introduce themselves, after which Ahmed Driss,
CEMI’s director, presented an overall picture of the program, referring to the leaflet
prepared for this purpose.
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This was followed by a presentation on the 2014 country plan prepared by IDEA’s
representative, who also explained that the main objectives of this event are:
1- To check whether the activities planned:
a) Answer the political parties’ needs
b) Are in line with the priorities of the year
2- To review and adjust the work plan accordingly
A general discussion followed the presentation on the 2014 country annual plan.
3-Main Inputs from the Political Parties:
1- To empower and reinforce the leadership of women within the political parties, it is
crucial to work simultaneously and in parallel with the male political leaders as well as the
women affiliated with political parties.
2- Although legislation can be an important mechanism to advance women’s political
participation, it is still necessary to have long term programs aimed at shifting the attitudes,
mentalities, and practices among the male and female party members.
3- Very often, about half of the political parties’ constituents are women. However, women’s
participation and leadership is still relatively low. Current political leaders do not know how
to build women’s political leadership.
4- Most of the political parties in Tunisia are not programmatic political parties. For the time
being, most of them talk about theoretical politics and appear to aim to win power for
power’s sake. In this context, it seems that women are not interested in politics.
Women will have more incentives in holding high level positions within the parties when
they will be able to both initiate policies that improve people’s lives and monitor the
policies’ implementation. Therefore, it is recommended to organize sessions with the
political leaders on how to move from theoretical politics to programmatic politics.
5- It is very important to empower women at the local level. Local democracy is an entry
point to attract women to politics and build their leadership skills.
6- In Tunisia, leaders have still a very powerful moral impact on the parties’ constituents.
They can be a role model for male and female affiliates and can influence the shift in the
mentalities and practices of the male and female affiliates. During the election, it is
recommended to plan a session with the political leaders on the mechanisms and the
practices they can adapt to support women candidates during the election.
7-The barriers to women’s increased participation and leadership within political parties
have to be determined in the very early stages of the program as they will delineate the
levers that can be used to exert reforms.
8-Some political parties considered the term “gender”controversial. They said it has an
ideological meaning and can be deeply divisive within the political parties. They
recommended using another, less controversial term, such as equality between men and
women.
9- The program should target media as well. Media play a crucial role in shaping the image
of women politicians in people’s minds.
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Annex 1: Agenda
1- Welcome and introduction of the event
CEMI
International IDEA
2- Presentation of participants
3- Presentation of overall program: CEMI
4-Presentation of the 2014 country annual plan: International IDEA
5-General discussion
6-Closing: CEMI and International IDEA
Annex 2: Attendance list
Le Courant Démocratique
Mrs. Amal Maghrabi
Membre du bureau politique
amelmagh @yahoo.com Tel : 21 470 534
Mr. Ridha Zaghmi
Membre du bureau exécutif
zaghmiridha@yahoo.fr Tel : 97461218
Al Joumhoury
Mr.Wassim Bouthouri
Membre du bureau politique
Wassim.bouthouri@gmail.com Tel : 23388671
Mr. Ahmed Farhat Hammoudi
Membre du bureau politique
Hammoudi.Ahmed.Farhat@gmail.com Tel : 98916916
Coalition démocratique
Mrs. Lamia Dridi Membre du bureau politique
Email: Lamia-dridi@live.fr Tel: 28522851
Nidaa Tounes
Nidaa Tounes
Mrs.Marwa Arfaoui
Membre commission femme
Marwa.arfaoui414@yahoo.fr Tel: 21737363
Mrs.Khadija Kouki khadijaAr@yahoo.com Tel: 98626628
Mrs. Wahiba Ben Ali
Coordinatrice régionale –femme- Ben Arous
wahibaessid@yahoo.fr Tel: 54081000
Mrs. Nebiha Khamiri
Membre du bureau regional –Tunis 1
ninobejaoui@gmail.com Tel: 55322437
Mrs. Hager Commission femme Hajer.boussetta@yahoo.fr Tel: 95402980
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Bousetta
Parti des travailleurs
Mr. Jilani Hammami
Porte-parole
Rafrafa16@gmail.com Jilani.hammami@albadil.org
Tel: 98549480
Mrs. RAFIKA REKIK Membre du bureau politique
naktyarekik@hotmail.com Tel: 23 606 216
Mrs.Souha Miaadi Membre du bureau politique
Souhati2804@gmail.com Tel: 27849605
Ennahdha
Mr. Mohamed Nejib Gharbi
Membre du conseil choura
gmnejib@gmail.com
Mrs. Zahia Jaballah Membre du bureau femme central
zakiajaballah@hotmail.fr
Ettakatol
Mrs. Thouraya Hammami – Bekri
Vice-présidente du conseil National Ettakatol
thammamibekri@gmail.com
Tel: 98 741 428
Mr. Elyès Fakhfakh
Membre du bureau exécutif
fakhfakh.elyes@gmail.com
Tel: 98 313 705
Mr. Mouhamed Bennour
Porte-parole m.bennour@alkitab.com.tn
CPR
Mr. Walid Ben Omrane
Membre du bureau exécutif
w.ben.omrane@gmail.com
Tel: 25515119
Mr. Ghassen Dridi
Commission media
ghassen.dridi@gmail.com Tel: 97 188 937
Tel: 71 284312
Al Massar
Mrs. Samira Belkadhi
Membre du bureau exécutif
samira@belkadhi.com Tel: 28600171 – 98700247
CEMI/TSOP Ahmed Driss CEMI’s Director ahmdriss@gmail.com
Zied Hadhri CEMI’s focal point for the program
med.zied.hadhri@gmail.com
Fadhel Blibech CEMI’s program’s director
fadhelb2003@yahoo.fr
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International IDEA Donia Ben Romdhane
Tunisia country program coordinator
D.BenRomdhane@idea.int
Tel: 22-521414
Dialogue Session with Women’s Wings’ Members
Introduction and Official Launching of the Program
Wednesday, April 30, 2014 - 17.30-20.30
International IDEA’s Premises – Tunis/Tunisia P0245-02/ 1004
1-General Background
Following the official introduction and launch of the program “Respect for Women’s Political
Rights: Participation and Leadership of Women in Politics” in Tunisia among the members of
the partner’s political parties’ executive bodies, INTERNATIONAL IDEA and CEMI organized
on April 30, 2014 a dialogue session to introduce and launch the program among their
women’s wings.
Partner’s political parties (Ennahdha, Ettakatol, CPR, Le Courant Démocratique, Al
Joumhoury, Coalition démocratique, Nidaa Tounes, Parti des travailleurs, Al Massar, Parti
Afak Tounes, Mouvement Wafa, and Parti Moubadara) were asked to appoint three
representatives to attend the event. The selection criteria proposed by the organizers were
the following:
- 1st representative: a decision-making member of the women’s wing.
- 2nd representative: a member of the women’s wing who is young (under 36).
- 3rd representative: a member of the party who is in charge of the training program.
2-Attendance
In total, the session aimed at introducing and launching the program to parties’ women’s
wings gathered 23 attendees (16 women and 7 men), representing 9 political parties.
The 9 political parties that attended the dialogue session are: Ennahdha, Ettakatol, CPR, Al
Massar, Parti Afak Tounes, Mouvement WAFA, Le Courant Démocratique, Coalition
démocratique, and Nidaa Tounes.
Three political parties did not attend the event: Moubadara, Parti des travailleurs, and Al
Joumhoury.
The dialogue session revealed that not all the political parties have a commission or a section
for women or dedicated to women’s issues. This had an impact on the people appointed by
the political parties to attend the dialogue session. Indeed, apart from Ennahdha, CPR, and
Nidaa Tounes, who sent representatives from their women’s wings, the following political
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parties, who do not have such structures, did send however women representatives in high
positions within the party: Al Massar, Parti Afak Tounes, mouvement WAFA, Le Courant
Démocratique, and Coalition démocratique.
Ettakatol party sent again the spokesperson despite the fact it has a very dynamic women’s
commission.
3-Event Proceeding
The session was opened by the welcoming speeches from Mrs. Donia Ben Romdhane, from
International IDEA, and Mr. Ahmed Driss, CEMI’s director. They introduced the event and
asked the guests to present themselves. Mrs. Donia Ben Romdhane introduced the project,
based on the developed flyer, and highlighted the relevance of the program in Tunisia in
relation to the social, political and legislative contexts. She also presented the activities
which were primarily planned for year 1 of the program.
CEMI’s director welcomed the attendees and introduced the event. After, Donia Ben
Romdhane from International IDEA took the floor to welcome the attendees, introduce
IDEA, and give an overview on the activities planned until the end of he year 2014. She
added that this exercise aims to check whether the planned activities answer to the political
parties’ needs and priorities for the year 2114, and to review the program work plan
accordingly. A general discussion followed the presentation of the preliminary work plan.
4-Main Inputs and Recommendations from the Political Parties:
1-The WAFA party representatives explained that their party does not include a women’s
committee or a women’s wing becausewomen are represented in all the bodies and
committees of the party. They added that women were among the foundingmembers of the
party. These women have different backgrounds and a great expertise in their respective
areas. The WAFA representatives also highlighted the fact that the male party members
elected a number of women to be part of the executive body of the party, called the national
committee, which shows that the party is favorable to women’s political participation. They
stressed that the party believes that the involvement of women in the party should be based
on merit and competence and not on gender.
2-Al Masar representatives explained that their party does not include a women’s
committee or a women’s wing. Nevertheless, it has a committee called the “Committee on
Women and Equality” composed of men and women who work toward reinforcing the
concept of equality.
3-Afak Tounis representatives explained that their party does not include a women’s
committee or a women’s wing. However, women represent up to 20% of the members in all
the party bodies and committees. In preparation for the elections, the party set up a special
committee whose mission is to identify and select, among the female party members, those
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who have the willingness and a good potential to become winning candidates for the
forthcoming election.
4-A number of political parties stressed that the objectives to be attained from the setting
up of the “committee/commission of women” are not clear. While some political parties did
in fact set up a committee/commission of women, this was done without conviction. They
established this body in order to satisfy their female members and to create the illusion that
women can have an active role in the party, while the decisions taken by this
committee/commission are not actually taken into consideration by the decision makers of
the party.
5-Participants requested that the program managers organize peer-to-peer events in order
to learn about the potential roles and missions of the women committee/commission and to
know about the experiences of other political parties around the world whose women
committee/commission gave an added value to the party.
6-Participants observed political parties in Tunisia which do not include women in the core
strategy and identity of their party. Nevertheless, some have dedicated a formal structure to
women for them to meet and discuss together. However, the recommendations that these
female party members come up with are not taken into consideration when delineating the
policies of the party. Political parties put women in positions of political and party tension.
They stressed that the reinforcement of women’s participation within their parties will
happen when women’s issues and priorities are mainstreamed in the political parties’
economic, social and political programs. Women will be really interested in politics when the
female members of political parties are convinced that the parties’ objectives do serve their
specific issues and priorities as women.
7-Some of the participants highlighted that the limited presence of women within the
decision-making positions is due to the limited capacity and competence of most female
party members who decide to run for these positions. It is not linked to discriminatory
practices and beliefs against women among the party members.
8-Female participants stressed the importance of the capacity building programs aimed at
the female members of the political parties. They explained that the latter need to be
trained in different areas such as legal, political, communication, and coordination issues.
They also added that some political parties succeeded to a certain extent in reinforcing the
presence of women in key decision-making structures because first, their female party
members succeeded in building a solid women alliance with a strong power of proposal and
therefore influenced the party as a whole and second, their female party members got the
support of a large number of their male counterparts and especially some very influential
ones.
9-Participants raised concerns about how women’s successes in accessing decision-making
positions within the political parties’ structures and in being elected do not always depend
on their capacities and skills. This is the case especially in the conservative regions where
traditions and customs impact heavily on the practices and on decision-making processes.
Consequently, they highlighted the importance of programs and activities targeting gender
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discriminatory practices and beliefs in addition to those aiming at reinforcing skills and
capacities. They strongly recommended that current programs target the political parties’
female members who are based out of the capital as the opportunities of training, capacity
building, and the exchange of ideas and experiences are limited in the regions.
10-Participants explained that the obstacles to a more effective participation of women in the
political parties lie in:
- The structure of the political parties.
- The internal rules and regulations and the status of the political parties.
- The practices of the political parties: timing, location, and venues of the meetings.
11-Participants recommended that the program “Respect for Women’s Political Rights:
Participation and Leadership of Women in Politics” in Tunisia focus on the following:
*short-term: strategies to build a viable female candidate.
*mid-term: strategies and policies to be adopted by political parties in order to establish an
environment conducive to ensuring equal opportunities for political parties’ female and
male members.
*long-term: implementation of political empowerment activities for women.
12-Media can play a crucial rolein supporting women political leaders, improving the image
of women among the public, and shaping a positive public opinion of female politicians. The
Tunisian media in the last years have not played a positive role in supporting women in the
political sphere as their focus has been on reaching big audiences.
13-Participants stressed the importance of the exchange of ideas and views with civil society
organizations and requested the current program to provide platforms of exchange among
political parties and CSOS and to facilitate such discussions.
Annex 1: Agenda
1- Welcome and introduction of the event
International IDEA
CEMI
2- Presentation of participants
3- Presentation of overall program: CEMI
4-Presentation of the 2014 country annual plan: International IDEA
5-General discussion
6-Closing: CEMI and International IDEA
Annex 2: Attendance list
Ennahdha
Mrs. Soumaya Sasi Mahfoudh
thtth u wt « n htr rrs urhxi
r hhxddx r«
soumaya.lsm@gmail.com Tel : 99 16 35 95
21
Mr. Souhaiel Béchir
Member of central election bureau – in charge of training
Tel: 98 450 750 25 450 750
Ettakatol Mr. Mohamed Bennour Porte-parole m.bennour@alkitab.com.tn
CPR: Le Congrès pour la République
Mrs. Zeineb Smaoui
Coordinatrice commission femme
zeineb.s@gmail.com Tel : 99.14.10.10 21 25 10 46
Mrs. Marwa Nasri
Commission femme maroua_nasri@hotmail.fr Tel: 23.51.83.50
Al Massar
Mr. Anouar Ben Naoua
Executive bureau
anouarius@gmail.com
Tel: 28 600 107
Mrs. Samira Belkadhi
Membre du bureau exécutif
samira@belkadhi.com
Tel : 28 600 171 98 700 247
Mrs. Aida Fehri
Conseil central
aida_fehri@hotmail.com Tel: 28 600 106
Parti AfakTounis
Mrs. Zakia Bouhjila
Membre du conseil national- Afek Academy
bouhjilazakia@hotmail.fr Tel: 20 460 086
Mrs. Manel Rhouma
Membre du conseil national- Jeune Afek Tounes- commission interne
manel.rhouma@yahoo.fr Tel: 22 930 804
Mrs. Amel Chaherli
Membre du Conseil National- commission femme – responsable commission sélection candidates
amel.chaherli@gmail.com Tel: 22 200 100
Mrs. Narjess Babay
Membre du Conseil National- Responsable communication
narcisse.h@gnet.tn narjessbabay@gmail.com Tel: 98 200 252
Mouvement Wafa
Mrs. Fedra Najjar
Member of the constituent commission
fedranajar@yahoo.fr
Tel: 22 59 27 75
Mrs. Hajer Karray
Member of the constituent commission
h_karray@yahoo.fr Tel: 98 44 26 64
21
Mr. Amor Saidani
Member of the constituent commission –Bizerte coordinator
amorsaidani@gmail.com Tel: 98 26 73 04
Courant démocratique
Mrs. Hana Kodia
Membre du bureau politique
hanakodia@hotmail.fr Tel: 98 349 154 24 34 91 54
Mrs. Sihem Ezzedine
Secrétaire Général –Bureau de Tunis
sihemezz@gmail.com
Tel: 20 360 861
Parti de l’alliance démocratique
Mrs. Lamia Dridi
Membre du bureau politique et présidente de la commission media du parti
lamia_dridi@live.fr Tel: 28 522 851
Mrs. Nayress Ben Gaga
Membre du bureau National de l’organisation jeune du parti
nayress.ben.gaga@gmail.com Tel: 20 030 958
Mr. Issam Khedher
Membre du bureau politique – Président de la commission de formation
issamkhedher@yahoo.fr Tel: 97 276 277
Nidaa Tounes
Mr. Mehdi Abdeljawad
Membre du bureau exécutif
mbchercheur3@gmail.com
Tel: 20 552 616
Mr. Anis Mimech
Membre du Conseil National – Membre du comité national de formation, Formateur
anis.mimech@gmail.com Tel: 24 768 681
Mrs. Gazzou Kmar
Membre du comité national de formation – Formatrice
gazzoukmar@gmail.com Tel: 55 144 504
CEMI/TSOP
Ahmed Driss CEMI’s Director ahmdriss@gmail.com
Zied Hadhri CEMI’s focal point for the program
med.zied.hadhri@gmail.com
Fadhel Blibech CEMI’s program’s director
fadhelb2003@yahoo.fr
International IDEA
Donia Ben Romdhane Tunisia country program coordinator
D.BenRomdhane@idea.int
Tel: 22-521414
22
Outcomes of the Meetings with the Members of the Partner’s Political
Parties’ Executive Bodies and the Members of the Women's Committees and
Bureaus
The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance and the Center of
Mediterranean and International Studies/the Tunisian School of Politics held two meetings
in Tunis consecutively on 18 and 31 April 2114 with the members of the partner’s political
parties’ executive bodies and the members of women's committees and bureaus.
The aims of these two meetings were:
To present the program 'Respect for Women's Political Rights: Participation and Leadership
of Women in Politics in Columbia, Kenya and Tunisia'
To present the activities which were initially planned in the 2014 action plan (year 1 of the
program)
To discuss the activities that had been planned with the partners’ political parties to both
ascertain whether the planned activities both answer the political parties’ needs and are in
line with the priorities of the year and to review and adjust the work plan accordingly.
Representatives of 11 political parties (Le courant démocratique, Al-Jomhouri, Coalition
démocratique, Nidaa Tounes, le parti des travailleurs, Ennahdha, Ettakattol, CPR, Al-Massar,
Wafa, and Afek Tounes) out of 12 parties affiliated to the program attended the meetings;
Al-Moubadara did not attend either of the two meetings.
This report aims to highlight the general orientations and the commonalities among the
needs/expectations of the diverse political parties that participated in these two rich and
constructive multi-party organized dialogue sessions.. The report seeks also to identify the
work/ thematic areas that the program will endeavour to focus on according to the program
objectives its allocated budget.
First outcome: During the two meetings, participants made comments and proposals, largely
in the same direction. This means that male political leaders and female party members
have a common understanding of the causes impeding women's effective political
participation and agree that political parties can take internal actions to change the
situation. This consensus will help the program team in implementing the program’s
activities and achieving its objectives.
Second outcome: Participants agreed that political parties’ internal obstacles to women's
effective participation are due to:
- Party organisation and structure.
- Rules and regulations of political parties.
23
- Political party practices: meeting schedules, venues, halls, and language.
They came to the conclusion that it is crucial to work simultaneously with male party leaders
and female party members on two levels:
- Mindsets and practices.
- Abilities and skills.
Third outcome: Participants agreed on the importance of targeting female party members at
the regional, local, and municipal levels in order to reinforce their capacities through training
and mentoring activities. The program will endeavour to meet this goal over the next years.
Fourth outcome: Participants agreed that media can play a crucial role in supporting female
political leaders and improving the image of women's political ability among the public. They
suggested planning activities that bring together political parties and the media for short-
term (2014 elections) and medium-term objectives. The program will endeavour to meet
these goals from the first year of the project.
Fifth outcome: Participants agreed that political party heads do not have the required skills
and knowledge to build women’s political leadership. They suggested organizing dialogue
sessions with political party leaders on the following issues:
1) Strategies for attracting political party female members.
2) Building women’s political leadership.
3) Creating winning female candidates for elections.
Participants asked to know about comparative experiences in these areas.
The program will endeavour to meet this request.
Sixth outcome: Participants agreed that male party leaders have a major influence on their
grassroots support network, and so it is therefore important that they openly support and
closely guide women leaders. In doing so, they will reinforce women’s self-confidence and
increase their abilities and opportunities to access media. This will lead to the increase of
their participation in the decision-making processes of their party. Participants suggested
planning dialogue sessions with political party leaders on the mechanisms and practices that
male party leaders could adopt to reach the aforementioned objectives. They also
underscored the positive role political party leaders should play in supporting women
candidates during the upcoming elections. The program will endeavor to meet this request.
Seventh outcome: Participants agreed that many women's repugnance to politics and
refusal to hold high level positions within their parties are due to their feeling that politics is
a race for power and not a constant endeavor to improve people’s life. They suggested
planning activities on political party programming and public policy implementations on how
to move from theoretical politics to programmatic politics. They also suggested focusing on
24
mainstreaming women's issues and priorities in the political parties’ economic, social, and
political programs. The program will endeavor to meet these requests in the next years.
Eighth outcome: Participants expressed their interest in knowing about the experiences of
political parties around the world concerning the roles and benefits women's party
committees and bureaus can generate for the party. The program will endeavor to meet this
request in the second year of the program.
Ninth outcome: Participants suggested:
- Undertaking an analytical study to understand the underlying reasons for the low presence
of women in the media. The study will also suggest strategies developed by media experts
together with political parties to overcome the identified obstacles.
- Preparing a working paper on 'The Concept of Gender', 'The Gender Approach' and 'The
Gender Approach to Planning and Programming' to be used in the training activities
targeting male and female political party partners’ members.
The program will endeavor to meet these requests.
25
Activities Implemented in June 2014
P0245-02/ 1006
Activity 4: Dialogue session to identify obstacles to young women’s participation in political
parties and leadership within political parties: 4 June; 2014
26
P0245-02/1006
Dialogue Session with Young Female Members of Partner’s Political Parties
Obstacles to Young Women’s Political Participation and Leadership Within Political Parties
Wednesday, June 4, 2014 / 18.00-20.30
International IDEA’s premises
Participants in the two dialogue sessions with the members of the partners’ political parties’ executive bodies and the women's committees recommended focusing the early program’s activities on the identification of internal obstacles to young women’s political participation and leadership as the findings of this exercise could constitute the entry points for the progam to enhance women’s participation in and contribution to political parties. In order to follow up these recommendations, the organizers decided to organize a series of dialogue sessions that would target:
female members of partners’ political parties between the ages of 25 and 35 who
are not leaders female members of partners’ political parties over the age of 36 who
are not leaders
Female leaders within partners’ political parties regardless of their ages
Male leaders within partners’ political parties
The first dialogue session targeted the female members between the ages of 25 and 25 of
partners’ political parties who are not leaders. To this end, all parties were officially
contacted to inform them about the dialogue session. A particular emphasis was put on this
age category when potential participants were to be designated by them.
1-Participation
Although a detailed invitation letter was sent to all partners’ political parties a week before
the event, participation was fairly weak and candidates did not meet the required criteria.
Only 6 party representatives attended the dialogue session. One of the participants was over
35 years old (See attendance list).
27
2-Results of the Dialogue Session
One: Apart from the representative of the Congress for the Republic (CPR), all the other
participants joined the political sphere after the 2011’s uprising. Prior to this, they had not
been interested in politics.
Two: The meeting started by raising questions aimed at understanding the parties’
structures and the extent to which they are interested in and target young members and
particularly young female members. The main questions were:
According to the founding laws of the party, is there any particular percentage of
youth’s representation within the party?
What is the percentage of youths within the party council?
Is there any youth commission in your party?
What is the name of the youth commission if it exists?
Does the youth commission exist at the national level? Or regional level? Or both?
What are the criteria to join the youth commission?
What is the age group of female and male members of the youth’s commission?
What is the percentage of female members in the youth commission?
Is there any female quota in the youth commission?
What is the role of youth in the party in general?
What are the mechanisms of dialogue/exchange between the youth commission and
the executive commission of party?
The answers were as follows:
Al Moubadara party:
There is a youth commission in the party.
The name of this commission is “The National Organization for the Youth of Al
Moubadara Party”
This organization exists at the national and regional level.
The youth commission isfinancially and administratively independent. It has its own
treasury and executive board. The head of the party is responsible for the political
matters carried out by this youth commission.
The participation criterion is that the member is to be less than 35 years old.
Women have no quota within the youth commission. There is no women quota in
any of the party’s structures.
The role the youth commission within the party is to participate in the decision
making of the party (attracting youth into the party, registration, turn-out during
elections, etc.) and to analyze youth issues whether inside or outside the party and to
suggest youth-related policies (ex: proposing the party perspective on the youth’s
role in the state).
28
Al Massar Party:
There is a commission named the “ Youth and Women Commission”
A congress will be held at the end of June to review the structures of the party and its
rules of procedures.
The Congress for the Republic Party (CPR):
There is currently no independent youth commission, but right now there is a
student commission which includes all students (the majority are youths).
A congress will be held at the end of June to review the structures of the party and its
rules of procedures.
Le forum démocratique pour le travail et les libertés ( Attakatol party ).
There is a youth commission called the “Organization of Democratic and Socialist
Youth”. It has existed since 2117.
There is a youth commission in every bureau of the party.
The participation criterion is that the member is between 18 and 32 years old.
There is a women quota of 30%in the youth commission.
Le courant démocratique
The founding law of the party does not provide for any youth ratio. The rules of
procedures as well do not provide for any female quota.
Generally speaking, the average age of the founders is 40 years old and there is a big
percentage of youth among the party members. The party does not have any
intricate database, but the youth percentage (those who are less than 35 years old) is
more than 60% in the national council.
There is no youth commission in the party at any level.
There is a student commission but it has no relationship with any other commission.
The party believes that a women quota negatively impacts women’s advancement
within the party and in general.
Regional bureaus do include young members.
Youth are a vital element in the party.
Wafa movement:
The representative of the party did not have any information about her party.
Three: Participants discussed the women’s quota mechanism and pointed out that it is a
double-edged sword for women:
Negative aspects:
* In cases when the founding law provides for a women quota, it can lead to some
dilemmas. E.g., the inability to open a bureau because the required number of women
corresponding to the women quota among the founding members is not completed.
* The quota can lead to women being nominated and/or assuming leading positions in the
party in the absence of any competition or grass rootslegitimacy, which can impact the party
and the women negatively.
29
Positive aspects:
Women’s quota helps women to be in the front lines in politics. Thus, society gets used to
seeing women in public spaces in general and in political ones in particular. Hence, a
woman-friendly environment is gradually built.
Four: Participants stressed that the founding laws of their respective parties do not contain
anything that might constrain, hinder, or exclude women. However, not mentioning some
measures and principles can hinder women’s participation.
Five: Participants pointed out the following obstacles:
A-Numbers:
The number of male members is larger than the number of female members in the party. In
addition, the number of men running for leadership positions in the party is largely superior
to that of women running for the same positions. This is why the number of men who vote
to choose the leaders is largely superior to that of women and thus they always tend to
choose men candidates rather than women.
B- Mentalities and practices:
• Men tend to build coalitions among themselves and therefore can achieve results that are
in their interest. Women, however, do not think about building coalitions/alliances among
themselves, which is something that could be in their interest.
• Men tend to show solidarity with each other, which is something that is missing with
women.
• The patriarchal mentality exists among female and male party members.
• Politicians decide on meeting schedules in most cases, without taking into account the
family duties of their female colleagues. Politics takes up a large part of politicians’ time and
this affects their families. This situation impacts more women than men.
• Politicians often decide to meet or to continue discussions outside the office in cafés,
restaurants, and other places that are not accessible to women in rural areas.
C- Security conditions and limited financial resources:
Political parties do not provide, after night meetings, private transportation for female
members and do not reimburse their taxi fees. Women are the ones who are most affected
by the above facts.
D- Women often experience low self-confidence resulting from their limited political
experience.
E- The limited encouragement of party leaders (especially men leaders) towards female
party members and their lack of inspiring them to take on more responsibilities, have a
strong impact on the female psyche.
F- Politics can resort to “dirty” matters; sometimes, within the framework of parties’
maneuvers, it is required that a party establishes unnatural coalitions/alliances with other
parties or moves away from its initial principles and directives. Such things can make
politicians a target for severe criticism and can even affect their reputations, positions, and
images. Generally, women are more afraid than men when it comes to criticism affecting
31
their image, reputation, position, and honor because such matters affect their reputations
more than that of men’s due to the patriarchal society they live in.
G- Participants observed that “seniority in parties” constitutes an obstacle for youngsters in
general, regardless of their sex. Decision-makers give the priority to seniors in the party
when it comes to training, media appearances, and candidate nominations, rather than to
youngsters who have recently joined the party.
Six: Participants noticed that young women tend to prefer exercising politics locally rather
than nationally as learned fromthe results of a questionnaire submitted by the parties to
their male and female members.
Seven: Participants noticed that in most cases, women members of the same party are not
showing solidary between. However, generally there is a great solidarity between youngsters
within the same party regardless of their sex.
3- Conclusions
• Despite the numerous phone calls made by The International Institute for Democracy and
Electoral Assistance to the partners’ political parties, the attendance was quite weak. We
now wonder about the truth of the existence of youth in parties! It seems as if it were only a
formality or that it does not go beyond the political discourse.
• Participants did not have an approximate idea either about the structures or about the
organization of the party to which they belong. For example, the representative of the Wafa
movement had absolutely no idea about her party!
• It seems that youngsters in parties do not really participate in decision-making.
• It seems that political parties do not have an effective strategy to attract /recruit young
people who can constitute the new generations of the party.
• Many parties are amending their structures, rules of procedures, and work mechanisms in
preparation for legislative and presidential elections to be organized in the fourth quarter of
2014.
Attendance List
Ettakatol
Imene Benzarti
-Membre de la commission Jeunes socialistes démocrates -Membre de la cellule communication -Membre du conseil
imen.benzarti1@gmail.com
29333816
31
national -Membre de la commission programme
CPR
Zeineb Smaoui
Coordinatrice de la commission femme-centrale
zeineb.s@gmail.com
21 251046 / 99 141010
Al Massar
Nesrine Ben
Khedija
-Membre de la commission santé Bureau de la section Tunis Ouest
neschaieb@gmail.com 97596961
Mouvement Wafa
Emna Najja emnaesc@yahoo.fr 25- 584727
Mouvement démocratique
Jalila Ben Ghorbal
32 years
-Membre du conseil national -Responsable communication au sein du bureau Ben Arous -Membre fondateur du parti -Membre de la commission « politiques générales »
jalila.benghorbel@gmail.c
om
24 746318
Parti Moubadara
Raja Mohamed 25 years
Commission jeune- Responsable of training for youth
raja.mohamed231@yahoo.com 24 612 789 – 52 612789
32
Activities implemented in September 2014
P0245-02/1001
Activity 5 : "Strengthening the Capacity of Women Candidates for Legislative Elections on
how to deal with media": September28-29, 2014
33
P0245-02/1001
The joint International IDEA and Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy’s (NIMD)
program “Respect for Women’s Political Rights: Participation and Lof Women in Politics in
Tunisia” (hereafter RWPR) was launched in Tunisia in April 2114 and is currently targeting,
year 2014, twelve (12) political parties: Ennahdha, Ettakatol, CPR, Le Courant Démocratique,
Al Joumhoury, Coalition démocratique, Nidaa Tounes, Parti des travailleurs, Al Massar, Parti
Afak Tounes, Mouvement Wafa, and Parti Moubadara.
The parties were selected by applying the following criteria:
*The political parties which were elected at the NCA following the 2011 election and have
currently 3 or more seats: Ennahdha, Ettakatol, Le Congrès pour la République, Al Massar, Al
joumhoury, Al Moubadara , Parti Afak Tounis, and Parti des travailleurs.
*The new political parties formed following the splits of certain political parties elected at
the NCA in the 2011 election and which have currently 3 or more seats at the NCA:
Mouvement Wafa , Mouvement démocratique, and Parti de l’alliance démocratique
*The new political parties which were not elected at the NCA during the 2011 election but
have today a significant representation on the ground: Nidaa Tounes.
Article 24 of the Basic Law on Elections and Referendums (no.16 – 26/05/2014) requires that
all electoral lists must alternate between female and male candidates. However, it does not
mandate horizontal parity, meaning there is no requirement that a female candidate
appears at the top of the lists.
After the adoption of the law, International IDEA had diverse contacts with partner political
parties to understand to which extent they will practically support their female members by
putting them on the top of the lists they will present.
Despite all political parties claiming they would support their female members, very few
parties (with the exception of only one - l’Union pour la Tunisie) decided to put an equal
number of women and men on the top of their lists. Despite the fact that many female
members from the represented political parties’ executive bodies ran for elections, their
rank within the parties did not help them get more support during the internal nominations
34
for the heads of lists. In fact, more often than not, parties voted for the male member of the
executive group to lead the list over the female member. Several reasons were advanced by
the political parties to justify their choices.
Activities during the registration and campaign periods:
Bearing in mind the challenges that women candidates are known to face while dealing with
media, and after consultation with several candidates, International IDEA and the Center of
Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR) partnered on a training program aimed at
strengthening the capacities of female candidates’ heads of lists on how to deal with media
during the campaign.
As soon as the candidate registration process started (from August 22 to August 29, 2014),
International IDEA and the CAWTAR contacted the women leaders and heads of lists to
invite them to the aforementioned training program.
The final electoral lists were released by the Tunisian EMB (ISIE) on September 23, 2014.
Two trainings were planned:
- The first training was for women heads of lists in the constituencies in northern and central
Tunisia: September 28-29, 2014.
- The second training was planned for women heads of lists in the constituencies of southern
Tunisia: October 9-10, 2014.
The first training took place as planned (September 28-29, 2014) while the second was
cancelled because the women candidates said they would not be able to attend as the
electoral campaign started on October 4, 2014.
The report on the training held on September 28-29, 2014 is found below.
35
General Report
General Framework and Objectives of the Training Program:
A training program for women heads of lists was held on September 28 and 29, 2014 in the
northern suburbs of Tunis. The training aimed to strengthen the capacity of women
candidates in the legislative elections on how to deal with media. It was jointly organized by
the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) and
the Center of Arab Women for Training and Research, "CAWTAR".
The training session targeted 11 women heads of lists from 7 political parties: the
Democratic Alliance Party, the Courant Démocratique, le Congress for the Republic, Wafa
Movement, the Union for Tunisia, Al-Moubadara party, and Nidaa Tounes Movement.
This training session sought to enable female candidates to gain experience, knowledge, and
skills related to presenting themselves and their platforms in various media and television in
particular. It also aimed to equip them with effective communication mechanisms in social
media, as well as informing them on ways to formulate media messages and deliver them to
large groups and a variety of audiences.
Opening and Getting to Know Each other:
International IDEA and CAWTAR opened the session with brief introductions of their
respective organizations. CAWTAR briefed the participants about their training programs
that target women leaders and women politicians on how to deal with the media. Their
programs also center on the ways in which the media deal with women’s issues, the image
36
of women in the media, and the image of women in religious discourse. International IDEA
introduced the project (see above) and noted that it will continue over four years.
12 political parties put 46 women on the top of their electoral lists for the 2014 legislative
elections in the in-country constituencies.
Work sessions:
Session 1: Techniques for dealing with the media
The aims of this session were to raise awareness on ways in which to deal with the media as
channels of communication and to train participants on good skills for TV interviews.
This session addressed 3 issues in 3 training sessions:
1- General introduction on how to reach out to the media.
2- Practical steps on how to reach out to the media.
3- TV interview techniques.
First training session: General introduction on how to reach out to the media
The training session started with the following situation and questions: a journalist
contacted you for an interview. How do you react? / How do you answer him/her?
Responses varied from welcoming the initiative to shying away from an interview with fear.
Others stated that they would ask how the journalist got their phone number and more
about the outlet they work for. Many stated that they would ask more about the topic of
the interview, why they were specifically selected, and more about the other guests that
might be invited to the program.
The trainer stressed that female candidates have to capitalize on each invitation coming
from the media as these initiatives will introduce them to large segments of the population
that they might not otherwise have access to. She added that male candidates usually have
more opportunities to introduce themselves to the public and to talk about their programs.
She stressed the importance for women candidates to prepare very seriously for any
interviews, public statements, or speeches that they will give to the media. She advised the
participants to prepare a brief biography in which they highlight the issues they desire to
share with media and to send it to a number of media outlets.
The first exercise participants were asked to do was to draft a short biography in no more
than two paragraphs.
37
Recommendations and advice on authoring a biography include:
1- There is no specific format for how to write a biography.
2- Do not mention civil status and avoid anything that is personal because this does not
interest the press or the public but further reinforces the stereotyped image of
women.
3- Do not mention data that may be controversial or maybe used by the journalist to
direct the interview off topic or away from the originally proposed theme of the
discussion.
4- First refer to prior experience in public life (including in trade unions, political life,
etc.) and only then refer to professional experience. Do not mention what is general
and can be found in any biography.
5- Start with what is innovative and uncommon. Include an introduction that states
what can make the interview unique or of a very high importance. Be specific and do
not use generic language such as "active in civil society" without specifying the type
of activity.
Testimony of a female journalist on how women candidates dealt with the media
throughout the October 2011 elections
The second session included a presentation from Mrs. Mouna Mtibaa of the “Tunis Afrique
Presse” news agency on her experience with women candidates who had participated in the
National Constituent Assembly elections of 2011. With regard to the National Constituent
Assembly elections, there were only one or two women among all the political actors who
contacted the agency to inform it about their activities, indicating poor communication
between these two actors.
The presentation gave some tips on how to deal with the media during the campaign period,
notably that women candidates have to:
*be prepared mentally and be well-dressed
*have a recent photo and a brief biography prepared and ready to present
*give the journalists their full and accurate contact details
*answer journalists' calls over the phone and do not turn off their mobiles
*read the party program carefully and understand it fully in order to be able to answer all
questions and not only those questions related to women or women’s issues
*prepare some answers to the most frequently asked questions and be knowledgeable
about the priorities and the most important political, social, economic, and security issues.
Second training session: Reaching out to the media: practical steps:
Participants shared their thoughts on the most important functions and roles of the media
including the role of the media in forming and making public opinion, observing political
38
processes (including political parties), translating the messages and goals of political parties
to citizens, and helping parties communicate with voters.
The second presentation focused particularly on the most important functions media
perform in a society undergoing democratic transition.
Third training session: TV interview techniques:
Moncef Ayari, Professor at the Institute of Press and Information Sciences and trainer began
the session with a brief introduction on interviews and interview techniques.
The presentation was followed by two practical exercises consisting of conducting recorded
television interviews with participants to provide them with tips in relation to their
presentation on TV.
The exercises of the first day were subject to evaluations by participants. The results of the
evaluation are as follows:
What I liked in today training day What I did not like in today training day
- Alternation between theory and
practice
- Practical exercises
- Trainers
- Theme of the sessions
- Information provided
- Lack of time
- Not enough practical exercises
- Busy day
Session 2: New forms of effective communication
Topics addressed under this session aimed at understanding new forms of communication
with the public, especially through social media, and at improving participants’ skills on
formulating media messages.
This session includes two training sessions:
- First training session: formulation of media messages
- Second training session: Social networking sites
First training session: Formulation of media messages:
The second training day began with a presentation by Imen Trabelsi, a journalist at CAWTAR,
on the ten errors to be avoided on camera.
The participants then did an exercise in drafting a press release for a press conference to be
held by the female head of list.
Advice for the drafting of press releases included that the press release should:
39
- refer to an event that requires the presence of journalists
- include the name and title of the speaker
- refer to a subject of public interest at the level of the head of list region.
- avoid general and non-current issues
Second training session: Social networking sites:
The training session clarified how social networking sites operate and provide participants
with ways in which female candidates could benefit from them and use them to reach out to
a larger numbers of voters.
The presentation focused on five areas of social media including:
- The definition of social networking sites
- How to prove virtual identity
- Facebook page administration: principles and techniques
- Legal and moral responsibility for what is published on Facebook
- Good content on Facebook
The exercises of the second day were subject to evaluations by participants. The results of
the evaluation are as follows:
What I liked in the second training day What I did not like in the second training day
- New information
- Techniques of changing from profile
to page are very important
- Proof of identity
- Practical exercises
- Story telling
- Lack of time
General evaluation of the training program
An evaluation form was distributed to participants by the end of the training. Beneath are its
results:
First: Sessions and the extent to which the objectives of the training program were
achieved
By the end of the course and in line with the expected goals, assign a rate from 1 to 5 to
clarify the extent to which each session contributed to the achievement of the objectives (1
for the minimum contribution and 5 for the maximum contribution)
41
Session/extent of contribution to
achievement of goals
5 4 3 2 1 No answer
Dealing with the media 0 7 0 0 0 0
TV interview techniques 0 5 0 0 0 0
Social networking sites 2 2 3 0 0 0
Formulation of media messages 3 4 0 0 0 0
Second: The training material
Excellent Good Average Below
average
No
answer
Presentation and good organization of
the material
2
3
0
1
1
What is requested is clear and easy to
follow
2
2
1
1
1
PowerPoint presentations are clear 4
0
1
1
1
Goals of the session are clearly
presented
3 2 0 2 0
Content of the session are consistent
with the goals
3 2 0 1 1
I feel more confident in dealing with the
media
1 1 3 2 0
Agenda
Day 1, Sunday, September 28, 2014
09:00 – 09:30 Registration of participants
09:30 – 09:45 Welcome and introduction to the training program
*Atidel Mejbri, Head of Media Training Center, “CAWTAR”
*Donia Ben Romdhane , International IDEA
41
09:45 – 10:15 Introduction of participants and their expectations from the session
Session 1: Techniques for dealing with the media
10:15 – 11:30 First training session: General introduction on how to reach out to the
media: Atidel Mejbri
11:30 – 12:00 Break
12:00 – 13:00 Second training session: reaching out to the media: practical steps,
Atidel Mejbri
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch Break
14:00 – 17:30 Third training session: TV interview techniques, Moncef Ayari
Break during the session
17:30 – 17:45 Assessment of training day
Day 2, September 29, 2014
Session 2: New forms of effective communication
09:00 – 11:00 Fourth training session: formulation of media messages (for written
press and radio and television), Atidel Mejbri
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee Break
11:30 – 13:30 Fifth training session: social networking sites, Sadok Hammami
13:30 – 14:00 Evaluation of the training program and closing
14:00 – 15:00 Lunch Break
42
Attendance list
Democratic Alliance
Tunis 2
Meriam Bahlous
Email:
Miracle.juridique@gmail.com
Tel: 50 065 330
Head of list
Tayyar Democratic
Ariana
Amal Maghrebi
Email: amelmagh@yahoo.com
Tel: 21 470 534
Head of list Founding member
Executive Bureau
member
Jendouba Lubna Bint
Abdelsattar Mechichi
Email: Lobna.mechichi@live.com
Tel: 24 942 234
Head of list
Founding member
Zaghouan Hana Jouini Email: Hana.juini@gmail.com
Tel: 98 406 294
Congress for the Republic
Zaghouan Hayat Ben Adam
Email: yadem_hayet@yahoo.fr
Tel: 94 061 791
Head of list Independent
Wafa Movement
Siliana Latifa Bint Habib
Wafi
Email: latifaouafi@yahoo.fr
Tel: 27 904 418
Head of list Founding member Responsible for education program
Tunis 2 Hajer Karray Email: h_karray@yahoo.fr
Tel: 98 442 664
Head of list Founding member Responsible for health program In charge of coordination
43
Union for Tunisia (Al-Massar)
Bizerte Monia Ben Nasr
Ayadi
Email:
Monia.benasr@gmail.com
Tel: 27 299 635
Head of list Independent
Al-Moubadara
Jendouba Shahira Bint Hassine
Houli
Email: sist_chahira@yahoo.fr
Tel: 97 503 363
Head of list Founding member
Nidaa Tounes Movement
Tunis 1
Leila Ouled Ali Email: loapers@yahoo.fr
Tel: 98 244 871
Head of list
Kaouther Soualhi
Email: soualhi@gmail.com
Tel: 25 548 677
Second in list Responsible for Organization
Brief biographies of participants
Monia Ben Nasr Ayadi, civil servant and Deputy at the National Constituent Assembly,
militant in the Tunisian General Labour Union for 30 years and Secretary General of the main
Union of the oil and chemicals sector. Head of list of the Union for Tunisia in the
constituency of Bizerte. Participated in mining basin protests in 2008 and in the Revolution
of freedom and dignity in 2014 with the Tunisian General Labour Union.
Hajer Karray Frikha, born in 1968 in Sfax. Graduated as a physician in 1997. Obtained a
Certificate of Aptitude for occupational medicine from the Faculty of Medicine in Tunis.
Served as trainer in first aid and contributed to blood donation campaigns in the Tunisian
Red Crescent. Recruited by the Ministry of Public Health in Zarzouna, Bizerte in 1999.
Served as Chief Doctor in Public Health in Carthage Mohammed Ali. Member of the
continuous training center for doctors in the Regional Health Directorate in Tunis. Member
of the Union of Physicians, Pharmacists and Dentists in public health in Tunis. One of the
founders of Wafa Movement with Abdel Raouf Ayadi.
Latifa Wafi: head of the list of Wafa Movement in Siliana. She’s one of the ten founders of
the WAFA movement since its founding conference on May 6, 2014. She was politically
active in the university. Obtained a master’s degree in law and is working in the field of
44
education as chief inspector of primary schools. Engaged in trade union action since 1982
and serving now as secretary general of the basic union of inspectors of basic education in
Tunis. Served as head of the Cultural Association of Women in Sidi Hamada.
Lubna Mechichi, 34, lawyer and doctoral student. Founded the Tayyar Democratic Party
with a group of 70 people and is currently a member of its Political Bureau. Before the
revolution, was active in the ranks of the General Union of Tunisian Students and is now
running for the Tayyar Democratic Party in the constituency of Jendouba.
Amal Maghrebi, head of list of the Tayyar Democratic in the constituency of Ariana. Aged 46.
Senior executive in a financial institution. One of 70 founders of the Tayyar Democratic in
2013. Member of the executive board of the party. Obtained a B.A. in English and a Master’s
degree in French Language.
Shahira Houli, head of list of the Al-Moubadara party in the constituency of Jendouba. CEO
of Construction Company. Studied communications. Participated in organizations and
associative work through the Center of Young Entrepreneurs as deputy president and later
in associative work with associations interested in citizenship development in remote and
marginalized areas.
Hayet Ben Adam, native of a rural area located between the villages of Megren and Bir Ben
Halima. Chief Engineer in agricultural science, specialized in rural economy. Worked in the
public land sector for 20 years. Headed an independent list in the National Constituent
Assembly elections in October 2011. Had an honorable ranking which is first on 16
independent lists and 13 on a total of 50 lists competing in the constituency of Zaghouan.
Served as delegate for two years after the Revolution and was the first woman delegate in
the history of the Republic of Tunisia.
45
Activities Implemented in October 2014
P0245-02/1006
Activity 6: Dialogue session between women heads of electoral lists, voters, and civil society
organizations of Nabeul 1 constituency: October 20, 2014.
Activity 7: Dialogue session between women heads of electoral lists, voters, and civil society
organizations of Tunis 2 constituency: October 22, 2014.
46
P0245-02/1006
The joint International IDEA and Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy’s (NIMD)
program “Respect for Women’s Political Rights: Participation and Leadership of Women in
Politics in Tunisia” was launched in Tunisia in April 2114 and targets 12 political parties:
Ennahdha, Ettakatol, CPR, Le Courant Démocratique, Al Joumhoury, Coalition démocratique,
Nidaa Tounes, Parti des travailleurs, Al Massar, Parti Afak Tounes, Mouvement Wafa, and
Parti Moubadara. These parties represent some of the parties in the National Constituent
Assembly that were elected on October 23, 2011 and functioned until the inauguration of
the Assembly of the Representatives of the People (ARP) on December 2, 2014.
International IDEA and the Center of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR)
agreed to organize a series of activities aiming at supporting the female heads of lists of the
partner political parties. These workshops were designed to support female members of the
executive bodies of the above-mentioned political parties, in particular those running for the
legislative elections. The aims of the workshops were to reduce obstacles these women
face, to help them develop their electoral messages, and to give them the tools to better
reach out to voters and media outlets. The organizers also aimed to foster opportunities for
female candidates to access the media and civil society in order to allow them to better
interact and network with these actors.
Partner Political Parties and the Number of Women Heads of Electoral Lists in
the In-Country Constituencies
Constituency Name of political party with female head
of list
Number of heads of list
Tunis 1 Courant Démocratique, Nidaa Tounes, Al Joumhouri
3
Tunis 2 Alliance Democratique, Wafa Movement, Ettakatol, Moubadra, Union for Tunisia
5
Ben Arous Al Joumhouri, Union for Tunisia 2
Ariana Courant Démocratique 1
Manouba Union for Tunisia 1
Jendouba Courant Démocratique , Moubadara 2
Kef Al Joumhouri 1
Siliana Courant Démocratique, Wafa 2
Beja Union for Tunisia 1
Bizerte Afek Tounes, Congress for the Republic, Union for Tunisia
3
47
We can conclude the following from the final candidates lists running in-country:
*A total of 46 women from partner political parties were put as heads of lists in Tunisia.
*No women were put as heads of electoral lists by program partners’ political parties in the
following constituencies: Tataouine, Monastir, Sfax 1, Gafsa, Kairouan, Tozeur, and
Kasserine.
*Nabeul 1 and Tunis 2 constituencies had the largest number of female heads of lists.
International IDEA and CAWTAR organized dialogue sessions in Nabeul 1 and Tunis 2 with
the heads of lists and civil society organizations active there. In order to connect women
candidates with the local media, two radios presenters were recruited to facilitate and
moderate the dialogue sessions.
Dates: October 20, 2014 in Nabeul 1 and October 22, 2014 in Tunis 2
Objectives:
*Enable women candidates to introduce themselves as well as their political programs to the
voters in their constituencies.
*Foster opportunities for the female candidates to encourage the electorate to vote.
*Enable civil society organizations and the electorate to interact with women politicians and
to give the candidates a platform to highlight their priorities and issues.
*Provide a platform for civil society to hear proposed solutions to their priorities and issues.
*Enable women candidates to reach out to local media in order to gain their support.
Nabeul 1 Alliance Démocratique, Nidaa Tounes, Wafa, Ettakatol, Moubadara
5
Nabeul 2 Ennahdha, Wafa , Al Joumhouri 3
Zaghouan Congress for the Republic, Courant Démocratique
2
Sidi Bouzid Popular Front, Union for Tunisia 2
Gabes Afek Tounes, Popular Front 2
Kebili Wafa 1
Mednine Afek Tounes, Courant Démocratique 2
Sousse Popular Front, Congress for the Republic, Al Joumhouri
3
Mahdia Congress for the Republic 1
Sfax 2 Popular Front, Union for Tunisia 2
Tataouine, Monastir, Sfax 1, Gafsa, Kairouan, Tozeur, Kasserine
0
48
Target groups: Women candidates, CSOs supporting women’s rights and human rights in
Nabeul 1 and Tunis 2 constituencies
A summary of the two dialogue sessions is found below.
Within the framework of the International IDEA and NIMD “Respect for Women’s Political
Rights: Participation and Leadership of Women in Politics in Tunisia” program, International
IDEA and CAWTAR organized a dialogue session between women heads of electoral lists in
Nabeul 1 and a number of CSOs active in the constituency on October 20th, 2014. The aim
of the session was to allow women candidates the opportunity to introduce themselves as
well as their political programs in their constituency. Mr. Hassen Hamali, a radio journalist
for CAP FM Radio which broadcasts in Nabeul region, facilitated the dialogue session.
Invitations to participate to this event were sent to the five women heads of lists in Nabeul 1
constituency. However, only the following four attended the event:
- Salma Elloumi, Nidaa Tounes
- Fadra Najjar, Wafa
- Salma aenaidi, Ettakattol
- Hayat Majrouh, Moubadra
More than 40 female and male participants attended the dialogue session. Participants were
CSOs active in all Nabeul 1 constituency’s delegations, representatives from the political
49
parties involved in the event, male and female citizens, and national as well as international
observers.
The representatives of the two organizations hosting the event noted that the event was
being hosted in order to support women’s political participation in elections by building
bridges between them and civil society organizations active in the constituency where they
are running, and by connecting them with local media that might support them during the
electoral campaign. They also stressed their political neutrality, thereby giving reason for
hosting multi-party events.
After brief introductions by the candidates, discussions focused on the following topics:
1. Enhancing women’s role in the Second Republic of Tunisia;
2. The importance of investment for the development of the region of Nabeul;
3. Exchange with civil society organizations.
The women candidates addressed the various problems in the different delegations of
Nabeul 1, particularly noting the challenges related to social and economic development.
Candidates also highlighted the specific challenges women face in the Nabeul 1
constituency.
According to the audience, even though the women candidates proved their awareness of
the issues raised, many believed that they did not present realistic and practical programs
that dealt with the issues and challenges in the short and mid-terms.
Civil society representatives raised a number of issues including:
*The extent that present political parties will support women’s rights.
*The possibility for new women parliamentarians to form a commission or a lobby in
partnership with civil society in order to work together in strengthening women’s rights and
status.
*The existing gaps between women in rural and urban areas and their right to equal
development.
*Poverty reduction, particularly for women, and the role of investment in the development
of the Nabeul region.
*The role of civil society in planning and implementing projects at the local level.
Participants, as well as the women candidates, stressed the important role that civil society
plays in supporting the party’s political choices, in putting the challenges and concerns of
various audiences on the political agenda, and in strengthening human rights. All attendees
called to further reinforce the partnership between women politicians and CSOs in order to
build a lasting and genuine partnership which will support the interest of citizens and
contribute to achieving fair and sustainable development.
51
The second dialogue event co-hosted by International IDEA and CAWTAR was held on the 22nd of
October in the constituency of Tunis 2.
Invitations to participate in this event were sent to the five women heads of lists in the Tunis
2 constituency. However, only Mrs. Lobna Jeribi from Ettakatol attended the event. The
representatives of Alliance démocratique, Wafa, and Al-Moubadara presented their
apologies the morning of the meeting, while the representative of the Union for Tunisia
apologized two days before the dialogue session.
Twenty-six female and male participants from CSOs active in Tunis 2 and national and
international observers attended the dialogue session.
The representatives of the two organizations noted that five women heads of lists were
invited to attend this dialogue session. However, four of them apologized after having
already confirmed their presence. They further explained that neither International IDEA nor
CAWTAR support only one party, as might be interpreted from the presence of only one
candidate from Ettakatol.
The audience raised a number of questions related to Ettakatol’s political program. The main
questions dealt with:
*Political and economic priorities of Ettakatol for the Tunis 2 constituency.
*The level of seriousness of Ettakatol and allies in supporting women’s political participation
in general and the support of their female affiliates in particular.
*The special needs of blind women.
*Gender equality.
51
*The electoral law and the horizontal parity that was not adopted by the National
Constituent Assembly, a situation which has lead the political parties, including Ettakatol, to
designate a low number of female heads of lists.
The discussion also addressed the below issues:
*The assessment made by the civil society organizations of women’s experience in the
National Constituent Assembly.
*The role that civil society played in voter registration, voter education, and voter outreach.
*The lessons learned from the constitution building process with regards to the relationship
between members of the National Constituent Assembly and civil society.
The attendees from civil society noted that what has been achieved after the Revolution,
notably the new constitution, is largely the result of their struggle, mobilization, and
pressure for the adoption of rights and freedoms.
Audience members pointed out that women and men politicians do not work together
enough on the promotion of women’s rights, and that therefore, efforts should be made to
reinforce and sustain the partnership between them. They added that women will face
multiple and diverse challenges in the forthcoming period as the implementation of the
constitutional provisions related to women’s rights will require the parliament to review
some laws and pass new laws.
The candidate from Ettakatol reminded the audience of the role her party played in building
consensus within the National Constituent Assembly, and that it was largely due to their
efforts that a mechanism for dialogue between the different political parties was
established, thereby helping to overcome many of the differences within the Assembly.
Should she win, she committed herself to continue working with civil society in a
participatory manner and to lobby for the creation of a women’s caucus within the new
parliament. Such a caucus would help influence the decision-making process within the
parliament and promote women’s rights and status.
For their part, civil society representatives called on the organizers of this dialogue session to
create more opportunities for discussion and exchange between the civil society and male
and female politicians.
Annexes
Annex 1
Women heads of lists in Nabeul 1 constituency from partner’s political parties
22910880 najlalemjid@hotmail.fr
Najla Bouriel Alliance Démocratique
52
98302715 salmarekik2009@yahoo.fr salma.elloumi@nidaa
Selma Elloumi Nidaa Tounes
fedranajar@yahoo.fr 22 592 775
Fedra Najar Wafa
22909875 zenaidisalma@gmail.com
Selma Zenaidi Ettakatol
22787408 avocatmajrouh@gmail.com
Hayet Majrouh Moubadara
Women heads of lists in Tunis 2 constituency from partner’s political parties
50 065330 Miracle.juridique@gmail.com
Meriem Mahlous Alliance Démocratique
98 442664 h_karray@yahoo.fr
Hager Karray Wafa
24 339 349 Lobna.jeribi@icloud.com
Lobna Jeribi Ettakatol
98 500 549 chaouachi-samira@hotmail.com
Samira Chaouachi Moubadara
98 337940 selmamabrouk@hotmail.com
Selma Mabrouk Union for Tunisia (Coalition of parties)
Annex 2
Dialogue session in Nabeul 1- List of attendees
Name Tel Email Party/ Association
Amira Bouaouina 97 459760 emirabouaouina@yaho
o.fr
Women„s voice association-
Nabeul
Mariem Hadousa 98 351024 hadoussam@yahoo.fr Women„s voice association
President of the association
Emna Fathallah Belhaj
Taher
21 501521 emna.fathallah@yahoo
.fr
Women„s voice association
Wifek Sassi 20 004114 wifak.sassi@yahoo.fr L'association d'amitié
germano-tunisienne
Abdel Karim Matoussi
92323021 abdelkarim.mattoussi@
hotmail.fr
Karaouen Sammoud 97558650 karawen_sam@yahoo.fr Ligue des électrices
Tunisiennes (LET) Kelibia
53
Ilhem Sammoud 92 325858 Ilhem_zn@hotmail.co
m
Ligue des électrices
Tunisiennes (LET) Kelibia
Doursaf Hamid
20 818568 dorsafhmaied@ymail.c
om
Ligue des électrices
Tunisiennes (LET) Kelibia
Samiha Hamid
23 163827 samihahmaied@gmail.
com
Ligue des électrices
Tunisiennes (LET) Kelibia
Latifa Ben Brahim 53 772929 latifa_ben_brahim@hot
mail.com
Mohamed Fekhi 98 999786 fekih.mohamed63@gm
ail.com
Somaa Nabeul
Mouhsen Boukdhir 98 486293 Mohsen.boukhdhir@tu
nisietelecom.tn
Somaa
Farouk Ben Houriya 55 599454 Farouk.faywy@yahoo.f
r
Hammam elghezaz
Dhouha Salem 21 518828 Somaa
Saida Ben Ali 21 620414 Saidas98@yahoo.fr Euro-med EVE
Kais Soui 97 492002 Euro-med EVE
Salem Ben Haouia 96 692652 Salem.benhaouia@yah
oo.fr
Mourakiboun
Mohamed Ali Ben
Amou
21 909063 daliskiri@gmail.com Association “Lam Echamel”
Wahib Trabelsi 24 233396 wahibtrabelsi@hotmail
.fr
Association “Lam Echamel”
Sadek Ben Hmida 50 986502 Sadakbenhmida@yaho
o.fr
Active & Positive Youth
Bahri Mzoughi 55 266164 mzoughibahri@yahoo.f
r
NACHER
Nasreddine Belghuith 90 117797 Nasr10ka@hotmail.co
m
NACHER
Safwene Belghith 90 117652 Safwene_star@yahoo.f
r
NACHER
Zaineb Toumi 50 969290 Zizo-1974@hotmail.fr NACHER
Chamselassil Belghuith 21 235254 Chamselassil_1@yahoo NACHER
54
.fr
Zaineb Toumi 50 969290 Zizo-1974@hotmail.fr NACHER
Chaima Dhaouadi 42 263525 chaimadhaouadicrt@g
mail.com
NACHER
Wahiba Belghuith 99 335133 Nacher2011@gmail.co
m
NACHER
Rakia Derbel 21 278812
29 304029
atrrtn@gmail.com
derbelrakia@yahoo.fr
l'Association tunisienne de
lutte contre les
comportements à risque
Amal Ben Othman 93 383018 Vphr.amal.ben.othman
@gmail.com
Tounsiyyet
Imen Zaidi 29 037745 imenzaidi@outlook.co
m
Tounsiyyet
Ayoun Ben Othman 53 675345 Ben.othman@gmail.co
m
For a Better Future
Association
Olfa Majdoub 20 427005 majdoubolfa@hotmail.
fr
Mouna Bahri 96 088717 Mounabahri1@hotmail
.com
Ettakatol
Samia Jlassi 21 169350 Samiajlassi12@live.fr Ettakattol
Monia Znaidi Ettakattol
Wajdi Touati 50 220366 UCFTunisie@gmail.co
m
Association Cities, Forest,
and Costs
Mahdi fathallah 55 353112 Mahdi.fathallah@hotm
ail.fr
EU EOM
Diana ferrari 98 754526 dianaferrari@gmail.co
m
EU EOM
Vera Lourenco vLourenco@ndi.org
Observer- NDI
55
Annex 3
Dialogue session in Tunis 2- List of attendees
Name Tel Email Party/ Association
Mbarka Alaya 23 353936 Association Roya
Mariem Hadouch 24 490687 Association Roya
Salem Ouneis 40 877008
21 209853
salemouneis@yahoo.fr Equality & Parity Association
Soraya Fersi 24 415160 sorayafersi@yahoo.fr Equality & Parity Association
Ayda Ben Chaabane 23 526193 ayda.chaabane@gmail.com Alliance for Tunisia
President
Marouen Trabelsi 22 709987 marwenmail@yahoo.fr Association “Kayf”
Arbia Abbasse 22 385260 abbassearbia@yahoo.fr Association “Ibsar”
Mohamed Mansouri Association “Ibsar”
Ikram Ben Sassi 24 609466 ikram@article19.org Association Article 19
Saloua Guiga 50 451544 guigasaloua@yahoo.fr Chokri Belaid Foundation
Against Violence
Fatma Jegham 28 376532 Fatma.jegham@live.fr Association Tahaddi
Sonia Charfi 22 024991 charfisonya@hotmail.com Association Tahaddi
Chaima Bouderbela 28 087574 chaimainthehouse@yahoo.fr Association Tahaddi
Naima Tlili 21 264916 Naimatlili379@yahoo.fr Association Tahaddi
Imen Jendoubi 22 508122 jendoubiimen@hotmail.fr Association Tahaddi
Nizar Msallmi 29 163654 Ghofran98@gmail.com Association Tahaddi
Asmaa Harfaoui 28 027834 Maas639@yahoo.fr Association Tahaddi
Eya Rzeigui 23 394836 Eyamejri102@yahoo.fr Association Tahaddi
Besma Boumiza 21 467639 Besma.boumiza@gmail.fr Association Tahaddi
Nabila Djobbi 26 263824 djobbinabila@gmail.fr Association Tahaddi
Ziyed Ayadi 97 653717 Zied20@yahoo.fr ADO+
Tarek Ouelhazi 24 377671 ouelhazitarek@............ Association Tahaddi
Fatma Bem Kheder 98 645078 Fatma_b_khedher@hotmail.fr Ligue des électrices
Tunisiennes (LET)
Radhia Nahla Mohsen 55 639751 mohsennahla@gmail.com Ligue des électrices
Tunisiennes (LET)
Dorra Harra 98 930862 Dh1992fr@yahoo.fr Association Together
Jalila Zneidi 96 466045 Association Dignity
56
Activities implemented in October 2014
P0245-02/2003
Activity 8 : International Seminar on Electoral Violence Against Women: Strategies to Prevent
Violence Against Women in the Upcoming Elections in Tunisia: October 1-2, 2014
57
P0245-02/2003
Report not ready yet!
58
Activities implemented in December 2014
P0245-02/1008
P0245-02/ 1002
P0245-02/ 2001
Activity 9 : Workshop on Lessons Learned by NCA Female Members : 06 December 2014
Activity 10: Workshop on Women Working Together in Parliament: December 29, 2014
Activity 11 : Discussion Paper on Gender
Activity 12 : Video Report
59
P0245-02/1008
Workshop on Lessons Learned by NCA Female Members Saturday December 6, 2014
Tunis-Hotel Golden Tulip - El Mechtel
1-Introduction
2-Opening session
3-Debriefing on the participation in the National Constituent Assembly
4- Debriefing on the technical work in the National Constituent Assembly
5- Future political plans
6- Recommendations to the newly elected women at the Assembly of the Representatives
of the People
Annexes:
Annex 1: Concept note
Annex 2: Agenda
Annex3: Attendance list
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1.Introduction Within the framework of the International IDEA and NIMD “Respect for Women’s Political
Rights: Participation and Leadership of Women in Politics in Tunisia” program, on December
6, 2014, International IDEA and CAWTAR jointly organized a workshop on “Lessons Learned
by NCA Female Members”.
The program, which was launched in Tunisia in April 2014, tries to address the factors behind
the low presence and leadership of women in political parties in Tunisia. Furthermore, it
aims to contribute to the reduction in the number and type of barriers that impede women’s
entry into, and retention in, political parties.
The program observed that about half of the women (31 women out of 67) did not run in
the 2014 legislative elections. As the number of women who participated as candidates for
elections in 2014 was much less than was expected, it is therefore essential to draw lessons
from their experiences inside and outside the National Constituent Assembly ( NCA) and to
understand the reasons for their decision not to run the elections. It is also crucial to collate
the recommendations they might have for newly-elected women at the Assembly of the
Representatives of the People (ARP) – ( See Annex 1 ).
By the end of the first year of this program, which coincides with the end of the NCA’s
mandate and the establishment of a new parliament, the program finds the following goals
to be of the utmost importance:
*To help the female members of the NCA who decided not to run for the legislative elections
have a better idea about the options they have in the political sphere.
*Document the lessons learned as well as any potential recommendations raised by the
experienced female members of the NCA who decided not to run for the legislative elections
in order to increase the readiness of the women in the newly-elected legislative assembly.
All the female members of the NCA who did not run in the 2014 legislative elections were
invited to attend the lecture presented by historian Mr. Abdessattar Amamou, as well as the
workshop (See annex 2). However, only 17 women attended (See Annex 3).
2. Opening session
The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) representative
opened the workshop and welcomed the participants. She noted that the most important lesson
learned from the lecture presented by Mr. Abdessattar Amamou is that history is written by men
who overlook in their writing the role played by women as contributors in the state building and in
leading the society towards progress and prosperity. For this reason, it is necessary today to
document women’s contributions in all fields. She explained that this workshop comes within this
framework and aims at documenting parts of the experience of the female members of the (NCA)
who decided not to run for the legislative elections. She added that it is important to benefit from
their experiences for the next political and legal periods. She highlighted the workshop’s objectives
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stressing their importance for the program as the needs and recommendations that will be collected
will determine the program’s priorities and the future areas of intervention for the year 2115.
The Center of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR) representative noted that the
lessons learned from the experiences of the female members of the NCA are very important and
useful, not only for the new female MPs but for all female MPs in the Arab region. She explained
that the reelection rate of female members of the ARP is low and that it is necessary to make
concerted efforts, through the international, regional and national organizations and civil society as
well, to support the new female members and provide them with the necessary resources to help
them have an impact on the Parliament’s decision-making from the beginning of its term. She added
that this workshop aims at identifying the needs and the strategies to buildupon the NCA’s
experience.
3. Debriefing on the Participation in the National Constituent Assembly
Based on the questions asked by the session’s facilitator, female participants presented their
testimonies about their participation in the public sphere and in the NCA. It has to be noted
that the participants were either members of parliamentary groups or independent
members that did not belong to any parliamentary group or political party as they had
resigned from the party of which they were candidates during the elections of the members
of the NCA2. The following represents the most important ideas stated by the female
participants:
Political Path
*The majority of the participants started their public life by participating in demonstrations
and protests at an early age (about 16), and some of them were involved in political
activities. For these activities they were arrested, imprisoned, and harassed in their careers.
*The participants confessed that their early participation in the public/political sphere had
an impact on their personalities and helped shape them.
*Political parties encouraged the participants and nominated them for the NCA’s elections.
The decisions to choose some of them as heads of lists were made by and insisted upon by
the parties they represent.
*All participants confirmed that their desire to participate in the Constitution drafting
process was based on their struggles, political beliefs, and aspirations. They wanted, through
their presence in the NCA, to consecrate in the new Constitution the values and principles
that they believe in and that they have been defending since they started their public and
political lives: peaceful transfer of power, right to dissent, freedom of expression and
thought, right to life, women's rights, children's rights, rights of the people with special
needs, and the principle of equality between the regions. 2 The independent participants (from Ettakatol and CPR) explained that they resigned from their parties when they found
out that the parties had deviated from the principles and orientations that had made them become members of these parties and be their candidates for the elections.
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*Participants explained that their desire to serve the citizens in the governorates to which
they belong is one of the important reasons that led them participate in the NCA’s elections.
Difficulties Encountered
External difficulties Internal difficulties
Media:
-They did not cover the contributions of
female members of the NCA:
A-They always interviewed the commission’s
male or female presidents or the male or
female rapporteurs of the commissions or
the known political figures, and they did not
interview the other commissions’ members,
even though the commissions’ activities
were conducted in groups and not
individually.
B- They did not show the vital role female
members played through their discipline
andhard work.
-They did not inform the people that
absences were mainly among the male
members. Some male members did not
attending any of the commissions’ working
sessions, yet were present in the media to
talk about the commissions’ work!
Political parties:
-They did not provide psychological or
financial support for the female MPs coming
from far-off regions, who subsequently had
to change their residences and leave their
children and families in their regions without
the same level of care (especially in the case
where the mother is the only breadwinner
of the family). This resulted in many cases of
family and financial problems due to the
continuous traveling of the female MP to her
governorate.
-Lack of a clear vision of the administration of the Assembly about the constitutional drafting process.
-Lack of/weak technical support provided to male and female MPs either by the political parties or the Assembly. -Difficulty in reconciling the constitutional and legislative functions and the representational function: the commitment to attend the commissions and plenary working sessions led to a lack of communication with the governorates and vice versa. -The incapacity to meet the different and various demands of the People (the representational function) caused the female MPs to feel pressured and become depressed, creating a negative impact on their families. -Feeling guilty about the frequent long absences from spouses and children at home.
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-They did not make advisors available for the
male and female MPs in order to help them
carry out their constitutional and legislative
functions and communicate with the
regions.
The ethical crisis prevalent in the society:
Many female MPs suffered from
harassment, assault, insult, and denigration
from male and female citizens, either
directly or through social media. These
practices were meant either to attack them
personally or to attack the political party to
which they belong. Women were subject to
these practices more often than men.
Legal gaps:
- Many female MPs and their families were
subject to verbal abuse, campaigns of
denigration, and harassment, causing them
to file claims to prosecute whoever targeted
them. Unfortunately, they discovered that
there is a legislative gap in many fields, and
they could not pursue the claims in many
cases.
Lessons learned:
*The female members of the NCA were the most assiduous when it came to attending the
activities of the commissions and the plenary sessions and to voting for the provisions of the
Constitution.
*The female members of the NCA compromise and build consensus more regularly than
male NCA members. Therefore, the majority of the decisions made by the commissions
presided over by women were consensual, including those related to controversial issues
and sensitive laws.
*The Tunisian Constitution was adopted thanks to the sacrifices of the female members of
the NCA, many of whom are wives and mothers.
*The female members of the NCA learned a lot during the last three years, including how to
communicate with those with different opinions. They now have a better capacity to analyze
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and understand the reality of social and political situations and communicate their
perspective. They have established a significant number of professionalrelationships with
various MPs, civil society organizations, and the public administration at the central, regional
and local levels.
*Women’s rights would not have been provided for in the Constitution if female MPs did not
work together regardless of their political affiliations, as the priorities of political parties are
currently related to the exercise of power and not to supporting women’s rights (whether as
simple citizens or politicians).
*Civil society supported female MPs in providing for women’s rights in the Constitution.
*Media helped in mobilizing public opinion on many fundamental constitutional issues,
which had an impact on the MPs’ work and also on the orientations adopted by the final
version of Constitution.
Assessing the Experience in the National Constituent Assembly:
All the female participants agreed that the experience was positive, despite the encountered
difficulties and the political bipolarization. What follows is a summary of what they said:
My experience was “wonderful”.
I am proud of my experience, including its positive and negative aspects.
My experience was extraordinary.
My experience was bitter, but rich and very beautiful.
My experience was positive.
My experience was unique.
My experience was rich and very useful.
My experience was pioneering but difficult.
My experience was successful and pioneeringdespite the fears I had at the beginning.
Running for the legislative elections
As to the legislative elections held in October 2014, participants made their observations
concerning the nomination of female candidates on the top of the party lists. Below are the
most important comments:
*Men use the positive image of women, their hard work and their achievements, to reach
top positions and then progress. Once this is done, they abandon them. This is what
happened during the 2014 legislative elections, when political parties used women but did
not nominate as heads of their lists. “ It is as if to say that you represent half of society, you
are the fuel that ignites the fire that enlightens Tunisia, but we do not trust you.”
*Political parties selected to be heads of lists have a number of male members of the NCA
who did not attend the commissions’ working sessions and who also were constantly absent
from the plenary sessions.
*NCA’s female members were always present and gave a lot to the constitutional drafting
process, which unfortunately prevented them from communicating with the regions that
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elected them. Political parties used this lack of communication against them as a reason to
not nominate them as heads of the lists, saying that they were not famous enough in the
regions.
Participants presented different reasons for their abstention from participating in the
legislative elections. The following are the main reasons highlighted:
*I need to distance myself from what is happening to be able to think and make an
assessment and then decide on what I could do in the future.
* The deteriorating political situation, the moral decline, and money in politics are factors
that do not encourage women to participate in politics.
*I consider myself as a founder, amother of the Constitution, and from the beginning I have
never had any intention to run for another term.
*I think that the country is going through difficult times, economically and politically
speaking, and no political program will be able to find for my region solutions to these
problems in the forthcoming five years, which means that I will not be able to fulfill the
promises I have made to voters, which is for me unacceptable.
*Politics does not have ethics, and the parliamentary work is arduous and tiring and requires
hard work. I did not get help and support to do my job properly.
*Tunisian families are not yet prepared to let women devote themselves to political life.
*I tried to apply the principle of peaceful transfer of power on myself and I hope new
competencies among the youth are discovered.
*My party applied the principle of the electoral and demographic weight and the principle of
peaceful transfer of power and nominated another woman from my region.
4-Debriefing on the technical work in the National Constituent Assembly
This session aimed at assessing the constituent, legislative, and representation tasks carried
out by the participants during the whole mandate of the NCA. Participants were divided into
two groups to answer the questions prepared by the facilitator. What follows represents the
key findings of the groups work and the general discussion.
How did you manage to voice your opinions while carrying out your functions (constituent,
legislative, representational) at the NCA and through which mechanisms?
Participants explained that the main mechanisms they used to voice their opinions were:
*The parliamentary group to which they belong.
*The constituent or legislative commissions (depending on the case) as they represent the
first avenue through which bills are examined, opinions and positions are stated, and reports
are prepared before being submitted to the plenary session for discussion and approval.
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Was it possible to communicate with other female MPs from other parties or other
parliamentary groups to build consensus on common proposals to be submitted for
approval to the commissions or to the plenary session?
The female members of the NCA were able, despite their different political affiliations, to
exchange among themselves and to build consensus on issues especially related to women’s
and children’s rights. They submitted their common proposal to the commissions or to the
plenary session.
How were you making up your opinions and positions related to the issues discussed in the
NCA?
*Communication with voters.
*Personal research.
*Discussion within the parliamentary group.
*Listening to the experts invited in the commissions.
*Interaction, in general, with civil society and media.
*Meetings in the regions or with the parties concerned by the issues at stake.
The modern communication methods, like Facebook and Twitter have helped many times in
making some of the decisions and understanding the impact of some choices on voters and
public opinion.
Did you have any role within the women parliamentary group? How do you assess this
experience? Was it useful to determine choices and to make decisions during the
constitutional drafting process and beyond?
Participants explained that the women parliamentary group played a fundamental role for
the drafting of some articles related to women’s rights and women’s participation
(submission of a first draft of article 46 of the Constitution) in the Constitution and in the
Electoral Law. They noted that some women MPs refused to join the women parliamentary
group, asserting that it is discriminatory.
What are the main difficulties you encountered while carrying out your parliamentary
tasks?
*The timing of the commissions’ activities as two commissions were planned to work in the
same time (lack of good coordination and programming of the commissions’ working
sessions due to the membership of a number of MPs in the constitutional, the legislative,
and the special commissions at the same time).
*The multiplicity of tasks and the fragmentation of efforts.
*The weak support of the party or the Assembly’s administration (despite the appraisement
of the role of advisers at the NCA, participants noted the administrative support provided to
the MPs was limited and outside the commissions’ work the MPs generally had to use their
personal relationships and private means).
*Limited skills on communication techniques.
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*The lack of financial and logistical support that should normally facilitate the MPs’ work
(PC, parliamentary assistant or advisor, etc).
*The special needs of female MPs and the specificities of w omen in general were not taken
into consideration in order to facilitate their access to the public sphere, to the State’s
machinery and to decision-making positions3.
5. Future political plans
To get participants talk about their future political plans, a questionnaire was prepared and
distributed among them. A general discussion followed to give an idea about the general
trend among the participants. Hereafter are the main conclusions.
*Only two participants have the intention to leave the political life and join civil society.
*All the participants, without exception, spoke about their intention to run for the municipal
or regional elections, either to represent their parties or as independent candidates.
*Some participants expressed their desire to run for the next legislative elections.
The female participants identified their most important needs to succeed in their new
adventure:
*Learn about comparative electoral systems used for municipal and regional elections.
*Learn about comparative successful mechanisms used by women politicians to
communicate/liaise, at the level of the municipality, with civil society organizations in order
to identify the needs in general and the needs of women in particular at the municipal level
and to design policies that meet these expectations .
*Learn about the legal framework related to many important issues.
*Be trained on the use of IT communication means.
*Master foreign languages.
5. Recommendations to the Newly Elected Women at the Assembly of the
Representatives of the People
Based on their experience, participants provided a number of recommendations to the
newly elected female members of the ARP that might increase their readiness from the
beginning of the ARP work.
Methodology of work
*Female MPs should support each other regardless of their political affiliations.
*Work toward the enforcement of the legal texts combatting political violence against
women, because affecting the reputation of women in politics, defaming them, and
resorting to other such practices constitute a manifestation of violence that should not
continue to be ignored.
3 The female participants mentioned that a female MP called for the creation of a kindergarden within the NCA. The male
MPs received this request cynically and it remained subject of jokes for a long time.
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*Build networks among the Founders, civil society, and the Executive (public
administrations/ministries).
*Reinforce the representation function of the MP through the dedication of time to
communicate with citizens in the regions (dedicate one week per month out of the time of
the MP to visit regions).
*Put pressure on political parties and the Assembly’s administration to provide technical
support for MPs within the Assembly (advisors) and in the regions (assistants).
*Put pressure on political parties to provide a concrete support to women MPs, especially
for those coming from the further regions (financial, logistical and technical support).
Skills
*Mastery of foreign languages, computer skills, and the art of communication.
*Good knowledge of legal texts in the different fields.
*Listening well to all the parties and all the proposals, deepening knowledge, and preparing
in advance for any session or activity.
Successful mechanisms to promote women’s rights
*Lobby for the establishment of a permanent parliamentary commission that has legislative
functions and oversees the government functions that would be specialized in the
examination of bills related to women, children, and people with special needs.
*Lobby for the establishment of a women MPs caucus within the ARP. It is crucial that it
would work with the female members of the NCA that are not in the ARP,Civil society,
andthe male members of the ARP who support women’s issues.
*Develop a master plan for women MPs to have a presence in the media that is based on the
principle of equal opportunities and the distribution of tasks and roles according to their
field of expertise.
Annex 1 : Concept note
Introduction
The female members of the NCA participated significantly in the constitutional building
process in Tunisia. The diverse articles of the 2014 constitutions which provide and reinforce
women’s rights and status in the society were the result of the demands and struggle
undertaken in collaboration with the human and women’s rights organizations and in
partnership with the support of many of their male counterparts.
The NCA election law provided for gender parity on the candidate lists, specifying that these
lists should be established in such a way as to alternate between men and women (Zipper
lists). Therefore, during the 3-year life of the NCA, the number of the female members grew
from 59 in 2011 after the elections to 67 in 2014 as all male members of the government
who left their posts were replaced by the candidate succeeding them on their respective list.
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Sex disaggregated data on NCA’s members for November 2014
Sex Nb of members within NCA Percentage
Men 151 69,12 %
Women 67 31,88 % (Source: http://www.anc.tn/site/main/AR/docs/composition/compos_s.jsp)
Sex disaggregated data on NCA’s parliamentary groups for November 2014
Parliamentary Group
Nb of numbers
NB of men
Nb of women
Ennahdha parliamentary group
68/712 (36,83 )%
54/141 (31 )%
51/82 (81,16 )%
Democratic parliamentary group
16/712 (6,28 )%
11/141 (2,33 )%
6/82 (11,65 )%
CPR parliamentary group
15/712 (8,54 )%
11/141 (8,82 )%
5/82 (4,62 )%
Ettakatol parliamentary group
17/712 (4,43 )%
6/141 (8 )%
3/82 (5,56 )%
Loyalty to the revolution parliamentary group
6/712 (5,14 )%
6/141 (8 )%
1/82 (1 )%
Democratic alliance parliamentary group
11/712 (5,81 )%
6/141 (8 )%
1/82 (1,56 )%
Transitional democracy parliamentary group
15/712 (8,54 )%
17/141 (6 )%
7/82 (7,66 )%
Members not affiliated to any parliamentary group
47/712 (73,68 )%
55/141 (76,33 )%
6/82 (11,65 )%
(Source: http://www.anc.tn/site/main/AR/docs/composition/compos_s.jsp)
It is also equally important to mention that the female members of the NCA acknowledged
that their experience in the NCA was transformative for them. In addition, they also
recognized the importance of networks and opportunities presented to strengthen their
capacity, skills, and knowledge during their time in the Assembly.
However, despite this positive sense, about half of the women (31 women) did not run in the
2014 legislative elections. As the number of women who participated as candidates for
elections in 2014 was much less than was expected, it is therefore essential to draw lessons
from their experiences and understand the reasons for their decision not to run in the
elections. Their lessons can help inform the new generation of women entering the
parliament, as they are valuable lessons that can be learned from their predecessors,
including the challenges they faced, the ways such challenges were overcome, and any
recommendations they might have for newly-elected women.
Rationale for the workshop
The joint International IDEA and Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy’s (NIMD)
program “Respect for Women’s Political Rights: Participation and Leadership of Women in
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Tunisia”, in partnership with the Center of Mediterranean and International Studies (CEMI),
tries to address the factors behind the very low presence and leadership of women in
political parties in Tunisia. Furthermore, it aims to contribute to the reduction in the number
and type of barriers that impede women’s entry into, and retention in, political parties.
The program was launched in Tunisia in April 2014 and has targeted to date 12 political
parties including Ennahdha, Ettakatol, CPR, Le Courant Démocratique, Al Joumhoury,
Coalition démocratique, Nidaa Tounes, Parti des travailleurs, Al Massar, Parti Afak Tounes,
Mouvement Wafa, and Parti Moubadara.
By the end of the first year of this program, which coincides with the end of the NCA’s
mandate and the establishment of a new parliament, the program finds it highly important:
-To help the female members of the NCA who decided not to run for the legislative elections
to have a better idea about the options they have in the political sphere.
-To d the lessons learned as well as any potential recommendations raised by the
experienced female members of the NCA who decided not to run for the legislative elections
in order to increase the preparedness of the women in the newly elected legislative
assembly.
To this end, two workshops will be organized. The first workshop will both help understand
the reasons behind the decision of 31 of the NCA’s female members who decided not to run
for elections, and collate the lessons learned and recommendations from the female
members of the NCA, who largely represent the partner political parties, with regards to
their participation as politicians in the public sphere andtheir experience and work in the
Constituent and Parliamentary fields.
The second workshop will aim at sharing the lessons learned with the recommendations
raised during the first workshop with the new elected women at the Assembly of the
Representatives of the People. This is crucial due to the high turnover among the women
members after the 2014 legislative elections.
The first debriefing workshop will be organized forDecember 6, 2014. The second one will be
organized either in late December 2014 or in January 2015.
Objectives of the workshop
The objectives of the workshop are to:
-Facilitate a multi-party discussion among female members of the NCA on their political
participation, contributions throughout the NCA life period, and on their future
contributions in the political arena.
-Facilitate a discussion on how male and female MPs can work together to reinforce
women’s rights and status.
71
-Agree on useful recommendations to be shared with the newly-elected women at the
Assembly of the Representatives of the People that will allow them improve their
contributions and to be more efficient.
Expected outputs
It is expected that through this workshop, female members of the NCA will be able to share:
-Their understanding of the concept of “political/ public participation” and the way they
have exercised this right.
-The decision they took to not run for legislative elections, as well as the rationale behind
this decision.
-The lessons they learned from their experience in the NCA.
-The obstacles they faced in their work and the strategies they used to overcome them.
With a better understanding of the female members’ contributions and experiences within
the NCA, recommendations on the strategies to be adopted to make the performance of the
newly-elected women of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People can be more
meaningful and efficient throughout the parliamentary mandate and from the beginning of
the new parliament work.
Expected outcomes:
-Increased understanding of future women’s contribution in the political life.
-Increased preparedness of elected women in the new legislative Assembly.
Participants
The participants in this seminar will be members of the NCA. The female participants will be
selected from among the female members of the NCA who did not run in the 2014 legislative
elections.
Methodology
The workshop will be conducted with a participatory approach that facilitates information
sharing among the participants.
Short questionnaires will be developed for some of the issues to be discussed.
Questions will be debated in break-out groups and /or plenary.
Date and location of the workshop
The workshop will be held on Saturday, December 6, 2014, in Tunis at theHotel Golden
Tulip- El Mechtel.
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Annex 2 : Agenda
Friday, December 5th, 2014
19.30-21.30: Cocktail and Lecture by Historian Abdessatar Ammamou: A historical overview
of the role of Tunisian women in the Tunisian state building.
Saturday, December 6th, 2014
09.00-09.30
Opening Session: Welcome and Introduction
*Mrs. Donia Ben Romdhane, International IDEA
*Mrs. Atidel Mejbri, Center of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR)
09.30-11.15
Session 1: Debriefing on the participation in the National Constituent Assembly
11.15-11.30: coffee break
11.30-13.30
Session 2: Debriefing on the technical work in the National Constituent Assembly
13.30-14.30: Lunch break
14.30-15.30
Session 3: Future political plans
15.30-16.30
Session 4: Recommendations to the newly-elected women at the Assembly of the
Representatives of the People
16.30-16.45
Conclusions and closing remarks
Annex3 : Attendance list
Sidi Bouzid 2188058106 Beya.jaouadi@yahoo.com
Beya Jaouadi Ennahdha
Kebili 2085348138 hmarsit@gmail.com
Hasna Marsit
Independant and does not belong to any parliamentary group. She was elected in 2011
on CPR List Kasserine 9682768269 Sghairi.hachem@gmail.com
Khira Sghairi
Ennahdha Gabes 94-622.040 Dalila.bouaine@gmail.com
Dalila Bouaine Ennahdha
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Tunis 2 98-262483 pharmagros@topnet.tn
Souad Abderrehim
Ennahdha
Monastir 93-125709 Toumia_s@yahoo.fr
Sonia Ben Toumia
Ennahdha
Nabeul2 98-523.260 sbenaycha@yahoo.fr
Salha Ben Aicha
Ennahdha
Nabeul 2 21-872.904
gharbifat@yahoo.fr
Fatma Gharbi
Independant and does not belong to any parliamentary group. She was elected in 2011 on Ettakatol List
sfax 1 98 657063
avocatelf@gmail.com Fattoum Lassoued
Ennahdha
Tozeur 9787628757
Kaouther Ladgham
Ennahdha
Kairouan 95-410.678 mmerzouki@anc.tn
Moufida Marzouki
Ennahdha
Mehdia 96.5308830
nejibaberyoul@yahoo.com Nejiba Beryoul Ennahdha
Jandouba 21169216 - 97174233 nwhellali@hotmail.fr
Nefissa Wafa Marzouki
Independant and does not belong to any parliamentary group. She was elected in 2011 on Ettakatol List
Beja 968280791
askrinabila@hotmail.fr
Nabila Askri
Ennahdha
Tunis 1 98-324.748
Maitrehajer.Azaiez@gmail.com
Hager Azaiez Ennahdha
74
29.567674 Ikbel.msadaa@gmail.com
Ikbel.msadaa Congress for the Republic / CPR
Bizerte 28013101 dhaouadiaicha14@gmail.com
Aicha Dhaouadi
Ennahdha
D.BenRomdhane@idea.int Donia Ben Romdhane- International IDEA
media@cawtar.org Atidel Mejbri - CAWTAR
moniabelarbi@yahoo.fr Monia Belarbi
Facilitator senimbenabdallah@yahoo.fr Senim Ben Abdallah
Facilitator
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P0245-02/ 1002
1-Introduction
2- Opening session
3-Reflection and experience sharing by the members of the informal women’s caucus
established at the National Constituent Assembly.
4- Options for formal and informal strategies for women parliamentarians to better obtain
influence in Parliament.
5- Comparative experience on formal strategies used by women parliamentarians in the
Ivory Coast.
6- Recommendations on viable options for women parliamentarians in Tunisia
Annexes: Annex 1: Concept note Annex 2: Attendance list Annex3 : Agenda
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1-Introduction
Within the framework of the International IDEA and NIMD “Respect for Women’s Political
Rights: Participation and Lof Women in Politics in Tunisia” program, on December 29, 2014,
International IDEA and CAWTAR jointly organized a workshop on “Women Working Tin
Parliament”.
The program, which was launched in Tunisia in April 2014, tries to address the factors behind
the low presence and leadership of women in political parties in Tunisia. Furthermore, it
aims to contribute to the reduction in the number and type of barriers that impede women’s
entry into, and retention in, political parties.
This workshop follows up on the recommendations raised by bothparticipants in previous
activities aimed at supporting women candidates in the legislative elections and by female
members of the National Constituent Assembly (NCA) who decided not to run for the
legislative elections (as ascertained in the related workshop). This workshop is also a
response to informal meetings with the president of the Assembly of the Representatives of
the People (ARP), the commission appointed to prepare the draft rules of regulation and
with some members of the parliament. These parties indicated that there is a consensus
within the ARP to establish a commission which will focus on gender issues and women’s
concerns, among others (see Annex 1).
The objectives of the workshop were to:
1. Provide a forum for discussion, reflection and sharing of experiences among the
newly elected women of the ARP and the members of the informal women’s caucus
established at the NCA on the lessons learned from their experience in the caucus.
2. Provide options for formal and informal strategies that women parliamentarians
could adopt in order to better obtain influence in parliament.
3. Provide comparative real –life experiences of formal and informal strategies that
women parliamentarians could adopt to better work together in parliament as well
as providing the space for a discussion around the pros and cons of each strategy.
International IDEA and CAWTAR sought to organize this workshop in the early stages of the
ARP’s preparations of the rules of procedures in order to sensitize and raise awareness on
the various mechanisms that can strengthen women’s political impact within the parliament,
and consequently to enhance their contribution in and impact on the decisions to be made
out of the debate that will take place on the ARP‘s rules of regulation and on the
commissions to be established.
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The workshop gathered:
Members of the informal women’s caucus established at the NCA
Members of the ARP‘s commission appointed to prepare the draft ARP‘s rules of regulation
Women parliamentarians
Thanks to the support of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the organizers invited Mrs. Sarra
Sako, First deputy and Head of Women Parliamentary Caucus of the Ivory Coast, to share her
experience and some of the strategies used by women parliamentarians in the Ivory Coast.
Twenty-four women, representing a number of political parties elected in the new
parliament or who were in the NCA, attended the workshop (see Annex 2).
The workshop adopted a participatory approach which facilitated the achievement of the
workshop’s objectives: to identify recommendations on mechanisms for Tunisia’s women
parliamentarians to better work together and for the eventual adoption of these
recommendations and strategies into the ARP’s rules of procedure.
2- Opening session
The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), and the Center of
Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR), welcomed the honorable guests and
affirmed that the presence of a low number of women in the new Tunisian Parliament (68
out of 217, i.e. 31.33%) is not sufficient to guarantee their success in defending women’s
rights and issues. In fact, comparative experiences show that the success of women
parliamentarians in strengthening their influence in Parliaments has always been the result
of their unity and solidarity. Women’s success in influencing the courses of decision-making
within the Parliament has often been the result of their teamwork, regardless of their
political parties’ affiliations, and has rarely been that of their individual initiatives.
International IDEA emphasized the following issues:
1) The importance of communication between the different generations of male and
female members of Parliament: The role female members of the NCA played in the
constituent and legislative commissions, as presidents of commissions, commissions’
rapporteurs and members of the Consensus Commission, was crucial and
fundamental for obtaining the consecration of many articles in the Constitution
(articles 20, 21, 34, 36, 40, 74, etc.) that recognize the active role of Tunisian women
in the building of the State and their modern place in Tunisian society. In that, it is
important to take advantage of the experiences of the first generation of women
parliamentarians and the lessons they learned. This can only be achieved through
platforms of communication and exchange between the first and the second
generation of female members of Parliamentari.
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2) The importance of having women parliamentarians working together in general
and during the next five years in particular, because:
The unity of women and their successes undermine and reduce stereotypes about
women in politics and thus strengthen women’s leadership and the image of women
as contributors to the building of their countries.
From a legal point of view, the next parliamentary phase will be crucial as the
implementation of the Constitution will require many laws to be amended and new
ones passed. Many of these laws will relate to women’s rights or have an impact on
them.
The new government will have to review and design several public policies that will
have an impact on women. It is important that these policies take into consideration
women’s needs and meet their expectations.
CAWTAR emphasized:
That the previous meetings and workshops organized with female members of the
NCA and political activists showed that the latter are fully aware of the internal and
external obstacles to their full contribution and impact and that this knowledge
might serve as the basis for their unity.
The importance of sharing comparative experiences and expertise.
The importance of learning from the experience of female members of the NCA and
building upon it.
3-Reflection and Experience Sharing by the Members of the Informal
Women’s Caucus Established at the National Constituent Assembly
Seven women who participated in the informal women’s caucus established at the NCA
attended the meeting. They represented Ennahdha, the Democratic Forum for Labor and
Liberties/Ettakatol, the Congress for the Republic/CPR, and Al Massar. This multiparty
platform allowed for the collection of different views and opinions on the success of female
members of the NCA, the extent to which they succeeded in working together, and the
mechanisms they employed to do so.
The following represents the main findings, conclusions, and recommendations that
emerged from the debate:
*The achievement: During the late stages of the constitution building process (2013), a
group of women, both from within the NCA and from various political , agreed on forming a
women’s caucus (without being constituted).
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It is important to mention that a minority of the female members of the NCA refused or
opposed the idea of a women’s caucus. The first deputy of the NCA speaker established a
tradition of inviting all female members for lunch during the visits of parliamentary
delegations. She also invited them in order to deliberate and discuss any problematic issues
related to women and children. This process slowly helped nurture the emergence of a spirit
of unity among many of the women within the NCA, regardless of their political affiliation.
*Reasons for not forming the women’s caucus in the initial phase of the NCA’s work:
Arguments presented by the participants differed:
The political polarization and the pressure that political parties and parliamentary groups
exerted on their female members prevented the swift formation a women’s caucus.
The multiplicity and succession of constitutional and legislative tasks as well as the
responsibilities of the women – as presidents, rapporteurs, or members of the
constitutional and legislative commissions or of other ad-hoc commissions- prevented
female delegates from directing their efforts towards the formation of a women’s caucus.
The majority of the female members of the NCA did not have the necessary boldness to
declare their willingness to work toward strengthening women’s rights and status right
from the beginning of the constitutional building process.
*Factors that helped the formation of the women’s caucus:
There were internal and external factors, including:
A large number of female members, regardless their political affiliations, feared a setback
of the rights and gains of Tunisian women (after the inclusion of complementarity
between men and women in the first draft of the Constitution).
The leading role that some women played in gathering the female members of the NCA
and in strengthening their awareness of the fact that the issues faced by women are
similar and not dependent on political affiliation.
An awareness of the importance of civil society and the role it can play in supporting and
promoting women’s agenda, equality issues, and children’s rights.
The emergence of external threats to the rights of women and children, which
constituted a platform of common struggle and resulted in the establishment of the
eventual caucus.
*The platform for women’s common struggle through the women’s parliamentary caucus:
The women’s caucus gathered women to confront threats against their rights and the rights
of children including:
A joint statement was issued on the case of a three-year-old girl who was raped.
A joint statement to protest the position of Mr. Bahri Jelassi,president of the Tunisian
Party of Openness and Loyalty who called for the marriage of minors (girls from the age of
12), was issued.
The caucus also chose to face the challenges of women in politics including:
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The principle of equality between men and women in the drafting process of article 46 of
the draft Constitution.
The principal of vertical parity between men and women in electoral lists in the electoral
law.
The organization of a symposium in the NCA to celebrate International Women’s Day and
the role of women parliamentarians in the democratic transition process.
*The difficulties faced by the women’s caucus within the NCA:
The women’s caucus faced several legal and operational difficulties:
Legal difficulties: Due to the rules and procedures of the NCA, female members could not
officially and legally establish a women caucus as a body dedicated to women as it was
seen to be in contradiction with the principle of proportional representation4. Although
the rules of procedure were amended many times during the constitutional building
process, it was difficult to convince male NCA members of the importance of a new type
of organ within the Assembly dedicated to female members.
Operational difficulties:
1/Due to party discipline, some women put party interests ahead of women’s interests.
2/Some female members of the NCA were not convinced of the principle of equality among
all women and tied the formation of the caucus to their status within it.
*The opportunities: The women’s caucus gained the support of a number of male members
of the NCA and the support of a number of human rights and women’s organizations. It is
important to highlight, though, that the majority of women voted against the membership of
men within the parliamentary women caucus.
*Successes: Despite the informal nature of the women’s caucus, it was active and achieved
many successes including:
The emergence of affinity and the beginning of non-partisan women’s spirit among the
majority of the female members of the NCA.
The current wording of Article 46 of the Constitution that represents women’s rights and
status in Tunisia.
Preservation of the principles of vertical parity between men and women and alternation in
electoral lists once again in the Electoral Law of 2014.
4 The NCA’s rules of procedures (Chapter Three) did not allow for the formation of a commission composed of
only women. Article 42 similarly prevented such a commission being formed by stating that all groups should be formed on the basis of proportional representation. * Women members of NCA were also not able to form a parliamentary group (structure outlined in Chapter 2 of the NCA’s rules of procedures) because parliamentary groups should represent a unified or compatible political direction (while the caucus would have been a cross party group). Article 17 also states that ”Members shall not belong to more than one parliamentary group”.
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Strengthening the capacities of women in the field of political and intellectual conflict
management.
*Recommendations: The female members of the informal women’s parliamentary caucus
established at the NCA raised some specific recommendations to the female members of the
ARP. All are directed towards the building of a favorable environment that enhances the
chances of success for the caucus to be established:
1-Give priority to women’s interests and not to partisan interests, because political parties
(regardless of their orientations) do not put the interests and the needs of their women
affiliates or female citizens in general in the forefront of their priorities.
2- Include within the ARP’s rules of procedure the possibility to form a caucus dedicated to
female members of the Parliament that focuses on women’s and children’s issues as well as
gender equality.
3-Include within the ARP’s rules of procedure the possibility for this caucus to open up
through its activities to civil society and media, as this opening-up supports the caucus and
gives it greater impact and broader effect.
4-Considerdrafting an ethical charter to be signed by all female members of the caucus.
4- Options for Formal and Informal Strategies for Women Parliamentarians to
Better Obtain Influence in Parliament.
This session introduced the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and their publication on
“Guidelines for Women’s Caucuses”. As women only make up 21% of the world’s MPs, it is
necessary that they gather within the framework of one caucus. Research conducted by the
IPU has identified 81 women caucuses around the world, most of them created over the last
twenty years. The research indicates that the creation and running of a women’s caucus
involves four stages. The first and second stages were introduced here as they are the most
relevant to the current needs in Tunisia.
Stage 1: Assessing the environment within which the women’s parliamentary caucus will be
created and evolve.
There are a number of questions that need to be answered before deciding to create a
women’s parliamentary caucus:
18Is now the right time to start a women’s caucus? Women’s caucuses prosper in
environments that facilitate collaboration among women. Accordingly, in determining
whether the time is right to start a women’s caucus, consideration should be given to the
overall political environment, in the country and within the parliament, and to the history of
women in parliament.
2. Are women MPs able to work across party lines? Among the questions to be raised: How
strong is party discipline? How open are political parties to cross-party cooperation? What
themes or issues are likely to unite women?
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3. Will efforts to establish a women’s caucus find support or resistance? Gaining support
from male members of Parliament as well as other actors (civil society, experts, politicians
from outside the Parliament) can often be crucial. Consideration should be given to
conducting a consultative process before forming a caucus in order to gauge the level of
support and assistance the group might receive from others.
48 Are resources (financial, logistical and human) available to support the women’s
caucus? It is important to assess what support might be forthcoming from within and
outside of Parliament. The rules of Parliament should be also consulted to determine
whether caucus governance provisions have already been adopted.
Stage 2: Laying the foundations for making a women’s caucus work effectively by
considering the big picture
A number of issues should be considered:
1. The process for developing the caucus: It is important to conduct a clear, transparent,
and inclusive process for the establishment of a women’s caucus in order to prevent
perceptions of partisanship or bias from taking root before the caucus is formed. The
decision-making process should involve all women interested in joining, to ensure their
“buy-in” and sense of belonging to the caucus. One possibility is to establish a preparatory
committee of parliamentarians who are tasked with proposing different options for the
creation of the caucus. If the Parliament is divided among multiple parties, this preparatory
committee should be composed of women parliamentarians from each.
2.Vision and objectives of a women’s caucus: These should be identified as early as possible
in order to facilitate process-related decisions that may arise a later date. Thus, it is
important to hold a debate or consultation on the vision and objectives of the caucus and to
research examples from similar bodies. The definition of common objectives will enable the
caucus to rise above political divisions and give it strategic direction.
3.Nature of the women’s caucus:
Formal caucuses: These are formal structures of parliament and are usually parliamentary committees that focus on issues related to women or gender equality. Therefore, they can request staff, office space, meeting rooms, and funding from the parliament. They can draft and review legislation, hold hearings and conduct other official parliamentary functions. Informal caucuses: These are not situated within the structure of a parliament. They do not
usually have formal legislative responsibilities but they can be persuasive, particularly
through advocacy.
To note, the two options are not mutually exclusive.
4. The name of the caucus: The name given to a caucus is extremely important, as it can
indicate the body’s purpose and nature. In deciding how the group will be labeled, thought
should be given to how formal the group will be, as some labels indicate greater formality
than others. The political and cultural connotations of a given label should also be
considered. Various options include: association, group, caucus, network, union, forum, club,
etc.
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5. Relationships between the caucus and the Parliament (linked to the nature of the
caucus):
Formal caucuses - by definition, these have a formal relationship with the parliament: they may have been formed by a parliamentary resolution and their specific roles and responsibilities may have been outlined in the parliament’s internal rules. They enjoy greater visibility in parliament and greater attention when they voice their opinions. Formal caucuses may also be eligible to request staff, office space, meeting rooms, and funding from the parliament, but they are subject to compliance with the parliament’s standing rules (e.g., on fundraising and membership, compliance with proportional representatively principle). Informal caucuses, by definition, these are not formal structures of parliament, nor are they situated within the structure of a parliament. While composed of MPs, they operate outside of the legislative body and are not required to abide by parliamentary rules in terms of fundraising and membership. Informal caucuses may be required to abide by national regulations that apply to associations or other groups depending on national regulation.
5-Comparative Experience on fFormal Strategies Used by Women
Parliamentarians in the Ivory Coast.
Ms. Sarra Sako, a contributor to the development of the women’s caucus in the Ivory Coast
and later president of the caucus, was invited to present the experience of the women’s
parliamentary caucus in the Ivory Coast. She explained that although the current parliament
(elected in 2011) includes only 24 women out of 253 delegates (i.e. 9.8%), the issue of the
advancement of women’s rights and gender equality hold a prominent position in the
parliament’s policies related to the organization and conduct of parliamentary work. This is
reflected in the parliamentary assembly’s strategic plan for 2112-2016.
The steps undertaken to create the caucus in Ivory Coast included the organization of a
number of workshops and internal and external training activities for women
parliamentarians, which ultimately concluded with the organization of a constitutional
plenary session on May 19, 2013, during which “The Caucus of Women Parliamentarians in
the Ivory Cost” was formed. Many international organizations (in particular the IPU)
supported women parliamentarians by providing them with both technical and financial
support.
”The Caucus of Women Parliamentarians in the Ivory Coast” is a formal mechanism, despite
it is not being stated explicitly in the rules of procedure of the Parliament.5 The caucus is
linked to the parliament and works and collaborates closely with parliamentary commissions
(especially the Commission of Social and Cultural Affairs), parliamentary groups, and the
political parties. The rules of procedure of the parliament prohibit the formation of groups
within the Parliament that are based on sex, so therefore a decision has been taken to set up
5 There is currently an initiative to amend the parliament’s rules of procedures to include it formally.
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the caucus in the form of association. The women’s caucus is a legal association and is
therefore subject to the law of associations. The caucus’s rules of procedure and strategic
priorities for 2014-2016 were set up by its female members through a series of meetings and
workshops organized with the support of local and international partners.
The main missions of the caucus are to bring women parliamentarians together across party
lines and to strengthen cooperation among them on women’s rights, equality between men
and women, and the mainstreaming of gender into parliamentary work.
The caucus is composed of all women in parliament as ex-officio members but it also
includes associate members who represent all men in parliament who expressed their desire
to join. The current Speaker of Parliament is appointed Honorary President of the caucus
because of his strong support to the caucus as well as his support of and interest in women’s
issues.
The structure of the Caucus of Women Parliamentarians in the Ivory Coast is:
The plenary session (gathers all male and female members)
The executive office in charge of the conduct of the caucus’ affairs. It is composed of
6 female members (the president, the deputy-president, the general secretary, the
deputy secretary general, the treasurer and the assistant treasurer).
Three specialized committees: i) the Committee of Legal Affairs and Gender
mainstreaming ii) the Committee of Awareness Raising and Capacity Building and iii)
the Committee of Communications and External Relations.
The financial resources of the caucus are derived from membership fees, andthe
Parliament’s budget, financial support provided by the local and international partners and
donations and gifts.
From a legal point of view, the caucus was able to achieve a number of successes, including
amending the inheritance law to enable women to inherit properties, amending the
personal status law to enable both the husband and the wife to be head of the family, etc. It
also succeeded inenhancing the political and legal empowerment of women in parliament
and in increasing their capacities and performances.
The successes of the Caucus of Women Parliamentarians in Ivory Coast are due to:
The determination of women in parliament and their willingness to work together
and to succeed.
The support of a number of male parliamentarians and male politicians from outside
the parliament.
The existence of political will at the level of the Presidency of the Parliament and
even the State Presidency.
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The technical and financial support of international partners including the provision
of a series of capacity building workshops on various issues which helped develop
unity between women parliamentarian andincrease their capacities, which
contributed to fostering a common strategic priorities of work among them.
6- Recommendations on Viable Options for Women Parliamentarians in
Tunisia
The activities of the workshop on "The Importance of Women Working Together in
Parliament" revealed:
1/ A positive dynamic between all women MPs does exist.
2/ The polarization that prevailed during the 2014 legislative elections did not affect the
spirit of cooperation for cross-party work among women parliamentarians, particularly in
regards to supporting the status and rights of women and women’s access to leadership and
decision making positions (in particular in areas that do not refer to their traditional roles).
3/ The incremental learning of the experience of women working together across party lines
initiated in the NCA (even though the experience was primarily based on reactions to threats
to the rights of women and on reactions to the challenges faced by women in Parliament
rather than a conscious decision to establish such a body) . Efforts should be made to build
on this experience and promote it.
4/The importance of women working together across party lines is crucial during the current
parliament’s mandate and especially at the legislative level, because the Parliament will
enforce the Constitution and translate its provisions into several laws that will undoubtedly
have an impact on women.
5/The success of the mechanism(s) that will allow women parliamentarians to work together
will depend on the realization of a number of conditions including:
Political support from the highest levels (Speaker of the Parliament, First
deputy of the speaker, President of the Republic, leaders of the political parties).
Support from the ARP’s male members
Support of men politicians non present at the ARP.
The continuous support of civil society.
Based on the above and on the agreements reached, participants presented a number of
proposals regarding potential mechanisms that could allow Tunisian women
parliamentarians to better work together. These proposals take into consideration the
Tunisian legal and political context and constitute a multi-dimensional strategy.
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The proposals are presented below in the form of recommendations:
1/Form two parallel and complementary structures. They will be outlined in the ARP’s rules
of procedure (organization and work). Both are formal mechanisms.
a/A permanent and thematic parliamentary commission to be named “the Commission of
Women and Family Affairs” or the “Equality” commission8 It will be composed of men and
women and will comply with the principle of proportional representation. It should have
legislative functions and the mandate to oversee the work of the government. It should be
able to hold hearings and access all the documents needed for its work.
b/A women’s parliamentary caucus that works across party lines (similar to the caucus in
the Ivory Coast). Membership in this caucus should be open to all women parliamentarians
who agree on a charter of common values and certain rules that will be jointly determined
prior to the establishment of the caucus. Male members of the ARP will be eligible to
participate in the activities of the caucus but they should not have the right to vote. The
caucus will be the mechanism that will allow women from the APR, NCA, CSOs and experts
to interact. The main missions of this caucus should be to help build the capacity of women
parliamentarians and help catalyze and mobilize women MPs, and politicians and CSOs to
enforce the constitutional provisions related to equality between men and women and
women’s rights.
2/Take advantage of the opportunity of the preparation and the discussion of the ARP’s draft
rules of procedure:
a/To collect the signatures of women MPs on a document stating that women MPs support
the establishment of a permanent and thematic parliamentary commission to be named
“the Commission of Women and Family Affairs” or the commission of “Equality” within the
parliament
b/To propose an article in the ARP’s draft rules of procedures which provides for the
possibility of forming structures within the parliament that gather specific types of MPs such
as women or young parliamentarians.
In case the special commission established to prepare the draft ARP’s rules of procedure has
finished the draft, it is possible to present amendments to the draft that could be examined
and discussed in the plenary session during the vote on the text.
3/Look for platforms for further discussion and exchange of ideas and experiences to set up
the caucus’ objectives, name, rules of procedures (including the charter on common rules
and principles to be signed by eligible women’s MPs), areas of intervention and action plan.
4/Call for civil society to support the initiative.
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Annex 1: Concept note
Introduction
Worldwide and regardless of culture, social practices, and levels of education, there is
considerable attention paid toward women parliamentarians. This is the case whether they
are a minority group – as in most countries - or a critical mass.
Women parliamentarians have many expectations on them and their performance. Their
male colleagues “scrutinize their work to assess how it might change the current political
dynamics and bring fresh perspectives”6. Women’s organizations and the media also inspect
their work to see how they seek to advance issues or matters of particular interest to
women, while simultaneously monitoring their contribution in mainstreaming gender
throughout issues of national policy. This has been the case even when they were under-
represented!
Yet, around the world there are stories of women parliamentarians who succeeded in
improving gender sensitivity in legislation as well as in government policy and operations.
Although the increase in the number of women parliamentarians has not always translated
into effective initiatives for ensuring that women’s interests are adequately represented, it is
important to note that their numbers within the parliament and the forms of organization
they adopt are crucial to keeping gender issues and women’s matters on the public agenda.
External and internal factors make the work of women parliamentarians difficult. Internally,
parties’ visions on gender issues as well as the fact that parliaments are “institutions
designed by men and which remain dominated by men in areas including their structure and
internal functioning”7 impact the influence women parliamentarians can have. Externally,
the often dominant patriarchal culture in state institutions as well as media put pressure on
the work undertaken by women parliamentarians.
Various reports from International IDEA, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the
National Democratic Institute (NDI) show that the more women work together, in concert
and across party lines, the more they gain influence in parliaments. In so doing, they better
succeed in influencing the decision-making processes, advancing issues of interest to them in
parliament and consequently contributing in re-forming political priorities.
The Tunisian Assembly of the Representatives of the People (ARP) elected on October24-26,
2014 was inaugurated as the new Tunisian parliament on December 2, 2014. It includes 68
women parliamentarians (31.33%). Only 11 among them have had a parliamentary
experience.
6 -IPU: Guidelines for women’s caucuses , p 7.
7 -IDEA and NDI: One size does not fit all : Lessons from legislative gender commissions and caucuses , p.15
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Rationale for the workshop
The joint International IDEA and Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy’s (NIMD)
program “Respect for Women’s Political Rights: Participation and Leadership of Women in
Politics in Tunisia”, implemented in partnership with the Center of Mediterranean and
International Studies (CEMI), tries to address the factors behind the low presence and
leadership of women in political parties in Tunisia. Furthermore, it aims to contribute to the
reduction in the number and type of barriers that impede women’s entry into, and retention
in, political parties.
The program was launched in Tunisia in April 2014 and has been targeting 12 political
parties: Ennahdha, Ettakatol, CPR, Le Courant Démocratique, Al Joumhoury, Coalition
démocratique, Nidaa Tounes, Parti des travailleurs, Al Massar, Parti Afak Tounes,
Mouvement Wafa, and Parti Moubadara.
To respond to the political parties’ priorities during the legislative elections, International
IDEA and the Center of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR) partnered on a
series of activities designed to support women candidates and to draw lessons learned by
the female members of the National Constituent Assembly (NCA).
The dialogue sessions organized with women candidates and heads of lists and civil society
organizations (CSOs) active in related constituencies stressed the important role that CSOs
played during the constitution building process. Both women candidates and CSOs raised the
need to establish permanent mechanisms of exchange and mutual support.
In a workshop hosted by International IDEA and CAWTAR on December 6, 2014, women
members of the NCA who did not run in the 2014 elections also noted that a cross-party
women caucus set up during the last phase of the constitution building process was crucial
for the adoption of Article 46 of the Constitution (below). They also referred to the support
that some of their male colleagues provided them with in order to help them gain influence
and ensure this article as well as others providing for women’s rights were adopted.
Art 46 of the Tunisian constitution adopted on January 27th, 2014: -The state commits to protect women’s accrued rights and work to strengthen and develop those rights -The state guarantees the equality of opportunities between women and men to have access to all levels of responsibility in all domains. -The state works to attain parity between women and men in elected Assemblies. -The state takes all necessary measures in order to eradicate violence against women
Bearing in mind the aforementioned recommendations and due to the fact that the ARP has
recently been established and is currently working on its rules of regulation, International
IDEA and CAWTAR consider it is important to:
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Sensitize the newly elected women parliamentarians on the importance of working together to obtain influence in parliament;
Demonstrate to the newly elected women parliamentarians what can be achieved if they work together;
Discuss mechanisms these women could adopt to work together.
Informal meetings with the president of the ARP‘s appointed commission to prepare the
draft rules of regulation indicated that there is a consensus on establishing a commission
which will focus on gender issues and women’s concerns, among others. While International
IDEA and CAWTAR consider this as very positive, the two organizations fear that gender
issues and women’s concerns could be lost or diluted when many proposals are under
discussion, particularly if they compete with other priority areas that fall under the
responsibility of this commission. It is therefore crucial to highlight the various options for
women to organize, and to show that such options are not necessarily exclusive to one
another.
To this end, a series of workshops will be organized to present and debate these issues. The
first workshop will be organized prior to the adoption of the ARP‘s rules of regulation in
order to sensitize and raise the awareness of women parliamentarians on the various
mechanisms that can strengthen their political impact within the parliament. Subsequent
workshops will be organized throughout 2015 in order to support the mechanisms set up.
Objectives of the workshop
The objectives of the workshop are to:
Provide a forum for discussion, reflection and sharing of experiences among the
newly elected women at the ARP and the members of the informal women’s caucus
established at the NCA on the lessons learned from their experience in the caucus.
Provide options for formal and informal strategies for women parliamentarians to
better obtain influence in parliament.
Provide comparative real –life experiences about formal and informal strategies for
women parliamentarians to work together in parliament as well as the pros and cons
of each strategy.
Expected outcomes
It is expected that after the workshop women parliamentarians will be better able to:
Contribute substantially and more efficiently in the debate that will take place in the parliament on the ARP‘s rules of regulation and on the commissions to be established
Adopt a multi –dimensional and more efficient strategy to work together to advance issues of interest to women.
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Participants
The workshop will gather:
Members of the informal women parliamentarian caucus established at the NCA
Members of the ARP‘s appointed commission to prepare the draft ARP‘s rules of
regulation
Women parliamentarians
The Head of Women parliamentary Caucus of Cote d’Ivoire Parliament will share her
experience with Tunisian participants. Some parts of the IPU publication on “guidelines for
women’s caucuses” will be presented.
Languages of the workshop:
The workshop will be conducted in Arabic and French.
Date and location of the workshop
The workshop will be organized in at the Golden Tulip- El Mechtel, Tunis -Tunisia on Monday
December 29, 2014 in the Emerald Room.
Annex 2 : Attendance list
Members of the informal women parliamentarian caucus established at the NCA and who are not present in the ARP
Email Mobile Party Name
hmarsit@gmail.com
21.534.138
Independant and does not belong to any parliamentary group. She was elected in 2011 on CPR List
Hasna Marsit
1
nejibaberyoul@yahoo.com 96.531.831
Ennahdha
Najiba Beryoul
2
Maitrehajer.Azaiez@gmail.com 98-324.748
Ennahdha
Hager Azaiez
3
91
rbifat@yahoo.frgha
21-872.904
Independant and does not belong to any parliamentary group.She was elected in 2011 on Ettakatol List
Fatma Gharbi
4
nwhellali@hotmail.fr
21169216
97174233 Independant and does not belong to any parliamentary group.She was elected in 2011 on Ettakatol List
Nefissa Wafa Marzouki
5
Fleur.doublia@hotmail.com
26-302031
98-302031
Al Massar Salma Bakkar
6
Members of the ARP
Email Mobile Party Name
Brahmi.mbarka@yahoo.com 29-203765 Jabha Chabia Mbarka
Brahmi
1
bochrabhh@gmail.com
98-312168
54-512168
Nidaa Tounes Bochra Belhaj Hamida
2
leylahamrouni@hotmail.com
98-365336 Nidaa Tounes Leila
Hamrouni
3
92
swan_leith@yahoo.fr 98-458278 Nidaa Tounes Hayet Kbayar
4
khansabenharrath@gmail.com
98-317659
26-551661
Nidaa Tounes Khansa Ben Harrath
5
Myriam_kais@yahoo.fr
98308922 Nidaa Tounes Myriam
Boujbel
6
mlayah_l@yahoo.fr 98558856 Nidaa Tounes Lamia mlayah
7
Khawla.benaicha@gmail.com
52-899666 Nidaa Tounes Khawla
Benaicha
8
Aroua.benabbes@gmail.com
98354604 Ennahdha Arwa Ben
Abbes
9
Boutheina.byaghlane@gmail.com
98-356622 Ennahdha Boutheina Ben
Yaghlane
10
93
Emna.bz@gmail.com
22-983713 93-62 12 44
Ennahdha Emna Ben Hamid
11
Chahida.dfc@hotmail.com
98-205270 Ennahdha Chahida Fraj
12
saida.ounissi@gmail.com
53980663 Ennahdha Saida Ounissi
13
am_sui@hotmail.fr
93633177 Ennahdha Amal Souid
14
Member of the informal women parliamentarian caucus established at the NCA and who is present in the ARP
yaminazogha@gmail.com
20 419 331 Ennahdha Yamina
Zoghlami
1
Guests
ahlem.hachicha@planet.tn 53545546 Nidaa Tounes Ahlem Chaker 1
94
Annex 3 : Program
Opening Session: Welcome and Introduction 09.00-09.30
*Mrs.Donia Ben Romdhane, International IDEA *Mrs.Atidel Mejbri, Center of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR)
Session 1: 09.30-10.45
Reflection and experience sharing by the members of the informal women’s caucus established at the National Constituent Assembly *General discussion Moderator: Mrs.Atidel Mejbri, Center of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR)
sarahsako@gmail.com 52356469 First deputy president of Ivory Cost parliament and Head of Women parliamentary Caucus of Ivory Coast
Mme FADICA SARRAH SAKO
2
biare.leontine@gmail.com 54248016 Embassy of Ivory Cost
DALLY BIARE AHOU LEONINE
3
Organizers’ List
D.BenRomdhane@idea.int 22521414 International IDEA Donia Ben Romdhane
1
media@cawtar.org 20574221 CAWTAR Atidel Mejbri 2
mouna.tabei@gmail.com 23313074 International IDEA Mouna Tabei 3
narjess.tahar@gmail.com 22511667 Expert Narjess Tahar 4
95
Coffee beak and group picture 11.00- 10.45
Session 1: Continuation 11.00- 12.00 Reflection and experience sharing by the members of the informal women’s caucus established at the National Constituent Assembly
Session 2 : 13.30 -12.00 Options for formal and informal strategies for women parliamentarians to better obtain
influence in parliament. *Presentation of IPU publication on “Guidelines for Women’s Caucuses”: Honorable Sarah Sako, Head of Women parliamentary Caucus of Cote d’Ivoire
*General discussion
Lunch Break : 13.30-14.30
Session 3 : 14.30 -15.30 -Comparative experience on formal strategies used by women parliamentarians in the Ivory Coast. *Presentation by the Honorable Sarah Sako, Head of Women Cross Party Caucus of the Ivory Coast Parliament
*General discussion
Session 4 : 15.30-16.30 Recommendations on viable options for women parliamentarians in Tunisia *General discussion
Moderator: Donia Ben Romdhane, International IDEA
Concluding remarks and closing session 16.30-16.45