Through the UNDP Democracy Strengthening in Zambia project, and in partnership with the Zambia National Women’s Lobby (ZNWL), the inaugural Conference on Policies and Strategies for Increased Participation and Representations of Women in Elections and Politics in Zambia was held in Zambia from the 13-14 December in Kabwe, Central Province. The conference featured key interventions from the UNDP Resident Representative, Lionel Laurens, the Permanent Secretary to the Gender Division of the Office of the President – Mainga D. Kabika and the Chairperson of the ZNWL – Daisy Ng’ambi.
Participants were engaged in a range of discussions from exploration of equal participation and representation of women and men in governance, bottlenecks that hinder the full implementation of the progressive legal framework on gender equality, the impact of electoral systems on the inclusive participation of women in elections, the role of political parties in addressing the decline in women’s participation in politics and elected leadership, amongst several other critical topics. Case studies on the situation of women in elections and politics were presented from Rwanda, Tanzania and South Africa.
This key event was held with the support of the European Union, the Governments of France, Germany, Ireland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
