Political Cadre School Project

Political Cadre School Project

Project Peroid: three years 2021-2024

Donner: Diakonia

Geographic Areas: Cairo, Al Minya, Alexandria, and AlSharqia.

ProjectMain Result:

Increasing the capacity of women and enable them to actively participate in electedcommunity councils and to enhance the institutional capacities of non-governmental organizations. It also aims to promote gender-equality and incorporate it into action plan strategies, in addition to create opportunities for female lawyers to become part of decision- making and play an active role in local district associations in order to create a qualitative transformation and change women’s political participation from mere representation into empowerment and decision- making by the end of 2025 in various districts of The project scope will be expanded as ofthe third year to include Al Gharbia, Aswan, PortSaied, and New Valley Governorates.

The central idea for the project, which will be implemented in partnership with stakeholders, beneficiaries of non- governmental organizations, specialized councils, and professional associations, is to train and build the capacity of the cadres of non- governmental organizations, professional associations, and women who wish to run for parliamentary, local, and association local councils elections (the Bar Association as a guiding model) to enable them to actively participate in elected local councils. It also aims at strengthening the institutional capacities of non- governmental organizations, promoting gender equality and incorporating it into their working strategies, as well as creating opportunities for women lawyers to become part of decision- making and to influence district associations to promote a qualitative shift in women’s political participation from mere representation to empowerment, then to influence and decision-making.

This can be reached through a number of results to be achieved over the next three years:

• Higher representative of successful women models in the media and spreading awareness on the importance of women’s participation in the Parliament and associations.
• Availability and dissemination of tools to raise awareness on the importance of women’s participation in the Parliament, local councils and associations.
• Adoption of gender- equality initiatives by the Egyptian Bar Association,and local district associations.
• Developing the strategic objectives and policies of institutions, ensuring the active participation of women in the decision-making process of those institutions.
• Raising the awareness of targeted women on the importance of their participation in the Parliament, local councils, and associations, and on the requirements for fulfilling their roles when they win the elections and become members.
• Improving the skills of women running for election to be able to run their electoral campaigns.
• Increased access to resources for women candidates to support their electoral campaigns.
• An electoral system that guarantees gender equal opportunities.

To achieve these results, the annual action plan of the project shall include a number of activities such as:

• Activities to support the institutional capacities of non- governmental organizations (especially unions and associations).
• Programs designed to rehabilitate women cadre and provide technical and skills support for women candidates in local elections.
• Changing stereotypes about and passivity towards Egyptian women in the media.
• Lobbying decision makers and the Bar Association to amend the Advocates Law.
• Build the skilled and political capacities of women lawyers to qualify them to participate inBar elections and influence decision makers to allocate gender quota for women lawyers.

Direct beneficiaries of the Project:

• 600 rural and urban women who wish to participate in the upcoming local elections of 2020- 2021 aged 21 to 45 who hold intermediate and higher certificates and meet the requirements to become representatives at local councils in 4 targeted governorates.
• 120 female lawyers aged between 25- 45 registered at the Bar Association before 2020 (as a as a guiding model) and represent the district associations in 4 targeted governorates.

Secondary Beneficiaries:

• 12 female Members of the next Parliament following the 2020 parliamentary elections and who represent 25% of the total parliamentary seats.
• Women members of the National Council for Women and specialized councils who will participate in the upcoming 2020-2021 local elections in the eight governorates targeted by the project.
• Members of the boards of directors and administrative unitsat4 women associations and organizations in the targeted governorates.

Partners

• The National Council for Women
• Parliament
• Civil society organizations
• Egyptian TV and broadcasting.
• National and local newspapers and media.
• Women’s Rights Unit at the Ministry of Justice.
• Members of the Supreme Elections Committee.