Time to ACT: Strengthening Capacity for Gender Parity in Decision-Making in Cyprus

MIGS is happy to announce that is coordinating a new project entitled: Time to ACT: Strengthening Capacity for Gender Parity in Political Decision-making in Cyprus. The Time to ACT project aims to effectively promote women’s leadership and active participation in decision-making at all levels.

Partners: Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies (MIGS) - Cyprus, National Democratic Institute (NDI).

Cyprus is among the three countries in the European Union that have the lowest representation of women in politics (EU Justice 2014, House of Representatives 2015). In fact, since 2006 there has been a dramatic backward trend both in political appointment of women as well as in women’s political participation both as candidates as well as among those elected. The absence of women in key decision-making bodies has as a result the hindering of the inclusion of a gender perspective in these critical spheres of influence.

The objectives set and the methodology of the activities for their achievement are as follow:

-Strengthen the capacity of civil society and the women’s movement in Cyprus to effectively advocate for gender parity in decision-making, and women’s participation in the peace process:

•Mapping study, structured online questionnaire and focus group meetings with women’s organizations, NGOs and other human rights activists

•Semi-structured interviews carried out with key policy makers;

•Strengthen the capacity of women’s organizations and NGOs;

•3-day interactive and participatory capacity building workshops;

•Advocacy tools, advocacy kit and policy recommendations;

- Increase the pool of women experts in areas where women tend to be under-represented (including in the media), through the Expert Women Initiative:

•Identify and recruit 30 expert women with specialist knowledge in areas where women tend to be under-represented;

•Implementation of 6 Expert Women Training Days for 30 female experts

•Develop and launch an Expert Women database and a YouTube Channel;

- Empower and build capacity among women within and across the political parties, and, secondly, promote gender qualitywithin political party regulations and structures, as well as in their electoral programmes.

•Political Party Needs assessment through structured self-evaluation questionnaires;

•Women’s leadership academy

•Develop a Political Part Gender Equality Pledge.

Few of the expected deliverables & outputs are as follow:

•Increase engagement and strengthen capacity of women’s organization and NGOs to mobilize support and advocate for gender parity;

•Develop tools to support women’s organization and NGOs to effectively advocate for gender parity;

•Strengthen working relationships among women’s organizations and NGOs in Cyprus, as well as between women’s groups and decision-makers;

Duration: 01/09/2015 – 31/08/2017