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Background
On October, 2005, the Council of Asian Liberals &
Democrats (CALD), in cooperation with Liberal
International (LI), the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)
of Taiwan, and Friedrich Naumann Foundation , sponsored
the LI Women’s Workshop and CALD General Assembly with the
theme Advancing Women in Politics: the Role of Political
Parties”.
First there was a workshop and training session designed
for women planning to run for political office, plus
political party staff and campaign workers. The training
was aimed at
developing women’s campaign skills and helping them gain
confidence to run for political positions. The workshop
also concentrated on how to overcome obstacles and how to
find support within their political parties. Political
parties were the opening avenues to political
participation. The workshop focused on how to manage
women’s role within their parties and sharpening
communication skills with personal action plans that set
achievable goals. The trainers were from the British
Liberal Democrats.
There was also an expanded conference coinciding with the
CALD General Assembly, involving women political leaders,
party executives and members interested in advancing women
in politics through political parties. Women from
various countries will share their experiences and
successful strategies. Past LI President and Minister of
State for Belgium Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck presented the
liberal agenda for women’s political participation, while
Taiwan Vice President Annette Lu, a long-time champion on
women’s rights, opened the conference. Women
parliamentarians, many from CALD member parties, served as
speakers and resource persons.
Liberal International (LI) has been committed to promoting
the role of women in political parties, an effort that was
intensified with the initiation of a series of conferences
and workshops on the role of women in political parties.
In line with the “Win with Women” Global Action Plan,
Liberal International organized a training seminar in
Bucharest, Romania in October 2004, followed by a
roundtable in San Jose, Costa Rica, in November last
year. These events brought together women leaders and
staff from political parties in Eastern Europe and Latin
America, to devise strategies on expanding and deepening
women’s political participation. The third event was the
aforementioned workshop.
The envisaged women’s workshop is a continuation of the
Taipei event and is consistent with the four
themes of the Global Action Plan, namely:
1.
Removing restrictions on women’s political participation,
including restrictions on
women’s suffrage and candidacy
2. Increasing the number of women elected officials at the
national, provincial
and local level
3. Ensuring that political parties include women in
meaningful leadership positions
and in meaningful numbers
4. Encouraging greater participation of women in
government decison-making
and advocating for legislation that enshrines full equality of men
and women
Workshop Summary
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Coverage:
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The
following will be the coverage of the CALD Roundtable
Discussion:
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Introduction with a review of the Taipei Workshop
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Part I: Getting There (experiences and practices for
getting selected and elected)
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Operationalizing the term “women’s votes”
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- Is
there a “women’s votes”? If yes, how does one tap the
women’s votes? What are
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the roles of political parties in
terms of establishing a women’s agenda and in terms
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of tapping the women’s votes?
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Do
women candidates make a difference in positively affecting
the nature of
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electoral campaigns?
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Case
studies for candidacy selection and electoral victories
for women in politics
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Part
II: Staying There (transformative politics)
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Operationalizing the term “transformative politics”
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Are
what we (as women elected officials) doing sufficient to
stay in political power?
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Do
women politicians make a difference in positively
affecting the political culture?
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How do
we deal with the realities of political compromise?
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What
are the roles of political parties in institutionalizing
the role of women
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politicians in terms of transformative
politics?
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The
CALD Executive Committee will be held as well. Aside from
the workshop, there will be visits to the party
headquarters of the host party (Sam Rainsy Party) as well
as an exposure trip to a nearby commune where a project by
a women Cambodian politician has made an impact in the
local community.
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Participants:
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Senior
party officials including MPs and high ranking government
officials from CALD member and observer parties.
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Suggested Speakers:
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The following are the suggested speakers from CALD member
and observer parties:
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Hon. Saumura Tioulong, MP
or Hon. Mu Sochua, former MP and Women Minister
Sam Rainsy Party of Cambodia
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Hon. Bi-Khim Hsiao
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Democratic Progressive Party of Taiwan
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Hon. Senator Rhina Baar
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Party Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia
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Hon. Governor Grace Padaca
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Hon. Liwayway Vinzons Chato, MP
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Liberal Party of the Philippines
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Hon. Kim Myung-Ja, MP
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Uri Party of Korea
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Ms. Jenny Wahid
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Nation Awakening Party of Indonesia
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Submitted by:
Dr. J.R. Nereus Acosta, MP
Secretary General
Council of Asian Liberals and Democrat
Hon.
Henedina Abad, MP
Head
of the CALD Women’s Caucus
Council of Asian Liberals & Democrats
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