Resource
Assessing women’s political party programmes: best practices and recommendations
Producer:
National Democratic Institute
Publication year:
2008
Source of the information:
National Democratic Institute This handbook presents the specific elements and approaches that are most effective in encouraging women’s participation and leadership in political parties.
The handbook draws mainly on NDI’s programmes to integrate and advance women within political parties and promote women’s political participation. However, the information gathered in this assessment is intended to be used by both individuals and organisations as a road map to help facilitate women’s political leadership worldwide.
Interviews with women in four countries – Morocco, Indonesia, Serbia and Nepal – provide the basis for the handbook. The interview data captures the character of the countries and reveal how women across regions share both challenges to political leadership and strategies to overcoming those barriers.
The best practices in women’s political participation programmes compiled here include strategic approaches that are widely effective and are also necessary elements of successful women’s political party efforts. These practices include:
- implementing consistent communications trainings
- focusing on building leadership skills
- planning initiatives that unite women across parties
- working with parties on internal reform
- training women to train other women
- developing the capacity and preparedness of elected women
- exchanging information internationally
- engaging youth as a way to change political attitudes and behavior.
