Equality and empowerment are the keywords of the launching conference of the project PARFAIT (Women’s Participation for Advancement and Innovation of Tunisia), held on 28 November in Tunis.
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An incredible participation the one seen at the launching conference of the project PARFAIT, that gathered more than one hundred women from all around Tunisia to discuss about the challenges of today’s women on the Tunisian political scene.
No more dictatorship, but legal and moral inequalities are today the first enemies of the democratic process in Tunisia. This is what emerges from the conference, that saw the precious participation of high level representatives of Tunisian institutions and civil society organisations last 28 November in Tunis.
The event was opened by the welcoming speech of Antonella Valmorbida, Secretary General of ALDA, who gave a glance on the action of ALDA in supporting the democratic process in the country, and followed by the important contribution of Patrice Bergamini, Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union in Tunisia, who declared: “Respect, equality and citizenship are essential values we should ensure to each woman, in Tunisia and elsewhere, because we know that if provided with the right tools, women can do anything better”. The fight against every kind of violence and inequality has been at the core of the contributions by Saida Garrach, spokesperson of the President of the Republic, and Neziha Labidi, Minister of Women, Children and Family, who stressed the importance of a balanced participation of men and women on the political and social level.
Anne-Laure Joedicke, project manager of the project PARFAIT, presented the activities and goals of the project funded by the European Union, that will last two years and aims to improve women’s participation in local governance in Tunisia by giving them the means to fully integrate into public life, as voters and candidates, as well as in their role as informed, engaged and involved citizens so that the system of local decentralisation can be a success for the entire population. 180 women in 8 regions of Tunisia including the metropolitan area of Tunis, Kairouan, Jendouba, Gafsa, Kebili and Mahdia will benefit from training sessions in the framework of this project to build their capacity and promote their participation in political life.
Imed Abdeljaoued et Ayda Ben Chaabane, respectively representatives of EPD – the European Partnership for Democracy, et La Coalition pour les Femmes de Tunisie, partners of the project PARFAIT together with ALDA, presented the work of their networks, and how they completely meet the objectives of the project itself. Also Afaf Zaddem, Delegate of the Local Democracy Agency Tunisia based in Kairouan, participated among panellists, moderating the session and contributing with her experience on the local level.
The conference saw also the contribution of three key experts in the field of women engagement. Monia Sanekli, expert on political philosophy, mentioned the several historical steps that made the difference on the juridical level towards gender equality, and stressed the importance of equality itself in order to achieve a real integration of women in the policy make decisions. Anware Mnasri, representative of the Ligue des Electrices Tunisiennes, referred to the lack of legal measures against economic violations that often affect Tunisian women, and underlined the importance of decentralisation and of working on the local and regional level to foster equal participation to the political life. Salhoua Ghrissa, Academic Researcher and Executive Director of the « Association Right to Difference » showcased campaigns and studies on the field for the awareness raising and advocacy on the integration of women in their communities.
Anna Ditta, project manager of ALDA, moderated the following activities, that saw the active participation of all people attending, opening the discussion on 5 different topics: 1) Citizen forums as tools for active participation of women; 2) The effective representation of women in politics: how to ensure it beyond the quotas; 3) How to integrate and ensure a gender dimension in local policies; 4) Participation in local elections: the problem of abstention and how to limit it; 5) Stereotypes and violence against women politicians: how to eradicate the issues.
During the discussion, equality, empowerment, decentralisation, information, awareness raising and local approach have been recognised as the solutions leading to a real democracy in the country.
Equality and empowerment are the keywords of the launching conference of the project PARFAIT (Women’s Participation for Advancement and Innovation of Tunisia), held on 28 November in Tunis.
***
An incredible participation the one seen at the launching conference of the project PARFAIT, that gathered more than one hundred women from all around Tunisia to discuss about the challenges of today’s women on the Tunisian political scene.
No more dictatorship, but legal and moral inequalities are today the first enemies of the democratic process in Tunisia. This is what emerges from the conference, that saw the precious participation of high level representatives of Tunisian institutions and civil society organisations last 28 November in Tunis.
The event was opened by the welcoming speech of Antonella Valmorbida, Secretary General of ALDA, who gave a glance on the action of ALDA in supporting the democratic process in the country, and followed by the important contribution of Patrice Bergamini, Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union in Tunisia, who declared: “Respect, equality and citizenship are essential values we should ensure to each woman, in Tunisia and elsewhere, because we know that if provided with the right tools, women can do anything better”. The fight against every kind of violence and inequality has been at the core of the contributions by Saida Garrach, spokesperson of the President of the Republic, and Neziha Labidi, Minister of Women, Children and Family, who stressed the importance of a balanced participation of men and women on the political and social level.
Anne-Laure Joedicke, project manager of the project PARFAIT, presented the activities and goals of the project funded by the European Union, that will last two years and aims to improve women’s participation in local governance in Tunisia by giving them the means to fully integrate into public life, as voters and candidates, as well as in their role as informed, engaged and involved citizens so that the system of local decentralisation can be a success for the entire population. 180 women in 8 regions of Tunisia including the metropolitan area of Tunis, Kairouan, Jendouba, Gafsa, Kebili and Mahdia will benefit from training sessions in the framework of this project to build their capacity and promote their participation in political life.
Imed Abdeljaoued et Ayda Ben Chaabane, respectively representatives of EPD – the European Partnership for Democracy, et La Coalition pour les Femmes de Tunisie, partners of the project PARFAIT together with ALDA, presented the work of their networks, and how they completely meet the objectives of the project itself. Also Afaf Zaddem, Delegate of the Local Democracy Agency Tunisia based in Kairouan, participated among panellists, moderating the session and contributing with her experience on the local level.
The conference saw also the contribution of three key experts in the field of women engagement. Monia Sanekli, expert on political philosophy, mentioned the several historical steps that made the difference on the juridical level towards gender equality, and stressed the importance of equality itself in order to achieve a real integration of women in the policy make decisions. Anware Mnasri, representative of the Ligue des Electrices Tunisiennes, referred to the lack of legal measures against economic violations that often affect Tunisian women, and underlined the importance of decentralisation and of working on the local and regional level to foster equal participation to the political life. Salhoua Ghrissa, Academic Researcher and Executive Director of the « Association Right to Difference » showcased campaigns and studies on the field for the awareness raising and advocacy on the integration of women in their communities.
Anna Ditta, project manager of ALDA, moderated the following activities, that saw the active participation of all people attending, opening the discussion on 5 different topics: 1) Citizen forums as tools for active participation of women; 2) The effective representation of women in politics: how to ensure it beyond the quotas; 3) How to integrate and ensure a gender dimension in local policies; 4) Participation in local elections: the problem of abstention and how to limit it; 5) Stereotypes and violence against women politicians: how to eradicate the issues.
During the discussion, equality, empowerment, decentralisation, information, awareness raising and local approach have been recognised as the solutions leading to a real democracy in the country.