Women’s Political Participation Project: Women’s Political Participation International Gender Policy Network Women’s Fund and Memory Research Center (GEORGIA)

Country Background - GEORGIA: 4,9% Representation of women in the Parliament of Georgia - 4,9% 11,9% Representation of women in local self governance bodies – 11,9%

Country Background - GEORGIA: Poverty & political ignorance of the majority of population; No governmental political will or public demand for gender equality; Gender Equality Law drafted and to be heard at the Parliament; Women’s political participation regarded as a less priority – despite the years’ long activism of several women’s NGOs in the field.

Working on database 3 options used: Our current /ex-grantee women, partners; Our partner women as mediators in their localities; Including other experienced NGOs in collecting the data for database

Distribution of women according to political party affiliation Non-party women – 54 Party member women – 52 (106 out of 140 applications received were included in the database. We are still working for increasing the number of women registered at database.)

Database includes range of women from very experienced to beginners

REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF WOMEN IN DATABASE Tbilisi (capital) 44 Shida Kartli 14 Kakheti 15 Samtskhe Javakheti 18 Imereti 3 Guria 2 Samegrelo 2 Kvemo Kartli 3 Adjara 4 Racha 1 Special attention was paid to the women from remote areas – the selection criteria were “softened” in order to include them in the database

Presentation of the WPP Project at Karaleti Women’s Center for Community Development and Combating violence attended by: Local women included in the database; Other socially active women; Representatives of local self governance and media

Presentation of WWP at Georgian Public Defender's Office Participants: Women’s NGO leaders and experts; Members of 5 political parties; Gender Focal Point of Public Defender’s Office

Special screenings at presentations To emphasize our vision of WPP a short documentary Blackberry was screened at both presentations. The documentary made by TF in 2009 depicts both rural women’s problems articulated by themselves and high potential of women.

Findings and future plans The space for dialogue between political parties and women’s NGOs should be created; We should find common language to deliver our values, vision and objectives to political parties; To increase women’s political participation, besides working for women’s empowerment, it is necessary to be in steady and purposeful dialogue with political parties.

Project extensions and plans Successful cooperation with UNDP Project Gender and Politics. 20 women from database were supported by Taso Foundation to participate in UNDP training sessions

Project extensions TF included additional trainings on Women’s Political Participation in educational program of its project Karaleti Women’s Center for Community Development and Combating Violence (conflict zone);

Plans Women’s Political Participation will be one of the main topics in educational program for IDPs and conflict affected women in frames of Taso Foundation upcoming 3-year project supported by UNIFEM TF plans to arrange meetings of rural women from the database with leaders of different political parties in order to increase women’s participation in upcoming local council election in May 2010

Thank You!