Projects

The project tackled the issue of women’s political participation from a broader, more inclusive perspective, moving beyond the national level to analyze developments in the provinces and municipalities. This approach responded to the unmet needs and challenges of the Argentine context, and led to greater equality in real terms and improved women’s participation in society and politics at the local level. The project strategy focused on consolidating and advancing a new view and understanding of the essential role of women leaders in social and policy-making bodies in Argentina.

The project targeted the Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (TANGO) in the Gambia, and more specifically its 121 member NGOs (including the staff of some 60 NGOs) including over 2,000 members (community based organizations, religious and cultural bodies, youth organizations, trade unions and farmer associations). While the country has a plan for decentralization, the implementation of the plan has been incomplete.

Media, Transparency and Accountability in Albania sought to strengthen the role of the Albanian media to promote transparency and government accountability by 1) investigating and informing citizens on issues of civic concern and corruption, and 2) developing, implementing and enforcing its own ethical and professional standards.

The project facilitated the participation of marginalized and vulnerable groups of citizens in the constitutional reform process in Ghana. This process was initiated by the Ghanaian government when it established a Constitution Review Commission (CRC). The project aimed to consult the country’s marginalized populations on key constitutional issues and considered their recommendations in conjunction with the results of field surveys and thematic research papers. The project organized workshops with participants. On average 21 new relevant recommendations were made by each participant.

The project sought to empower youth and increase their civic participation and the building of a more democratic society through the development of their media skills. Its intended outcomes were to: 1) increase civic and media literacy among regional youth; and, 2) increase the participation of youth in information creation, production and distribution.

The project was conducted by Center Women and Modern World (CWMW) in partnership with Baku Volunteer Center (BVC), and New Shamakhi Foundation (NSHF). The project was directed promote democratic values and mobilize women for participation in elections. I’s primary focus was on involving women in elections with journalists and local NGO heads as secondary beneficiaries. The project was carried out in 10 regions located close to Shamakhi, which is three hours’ drive outside the capital Baku.

The project was related to the establishment in Burundi of a National Consultation Steering Committee (NCSC) made up of government, UN and civil society representatives and tasked with addressing issues of national reconciliation and accountability for past large-scale human rights violations. The overall goal of the project was “to help the NCSC to achieve its mandate and promote transitional justice”

Increasing Women’s Participation in Politics and Decision Making in Angola targeted the women’s organizations of Angola’s political parties and other platforms that work to promote the political empowerment of women. Participants found the issues addressed by the project interesting and appreciated the participatory methodology, which encouraged interaction among people who in many cases were from different political parties, enabling them to get to know one another. However, the decline of the grantee’s institutional capacity substantially lessened the project’s potential impact.