Programme launched to enhance women's participation in the 19th Parliament

The Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW), in collaboration with UN Women and UNDP, launched the first training programme for members of the National Team of Trainers that will be deployed to support women's participation in the upcoming elections to form Jordan’s 19th Parliament. From 2 September, and in compliance with national preventive measures to limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, this initiative includes a series of trainings targeting 15 experts to build their capacity in assisting potential women’s candidates from all Governorates of the Kingdom in running successful electoral campaigns. 

During the launch of this training-of-trainers programme, Salma Nims, Secretary General of JNCW, affirmed that this initiative contributes to achieve the first objective of the National Strategy for Women (2020-2025), namely to promote the social, economic and political rights of women and girls in Jordan, through enhanced representation and leadership in decision-making positions, as well as by fostering an enabling environment free of gender-based discrimination.

Nims also welcomed the new members of the National Team of Trainers, which was established in 2010 and that currently encompass 30 members from the academia, civil society, as well as experts and activists from various fields. Their work is not limited to the electoral process, as their expertise will be also leveraged throughout the implementation of Jordan’s National Strategy for Women.

Nims also acknowledged the collaboration and support of UN Women in operationalizing the vision and priorities of the National Strategy for Women towards increasing women’s representation in the public life. The implementation of this programme falls under JNCW’s long-term partnership priorities, as this cadre of distinguished experts and specialists in the field of political participation and women’s empowerment will serve as ambassadors of JNCW’s vision at the governorate level to reach an increase number of women, especially in rural areas.

During the event, Bushra Abu Shahout, Political Participation Specialist at UN Women, provided an overview of the training programme and the expected role of the trainers after deployment in all Governorates of Jordan.  Conducted by two UN Women regional experts who joined remotely, the workshop focused on issues related to the procedures for running, how to formulate the political programme and manage the electoral campaign, as well as how to boost women candidates’ confidence and personal skills throughout the electoral process.

The content of the training programme is based on the recently launched manual by UN Women titled Women’s ‘Electoral Campaigning and COVID-19: A Companion Guide to UN Women’s Political Leadership and Candidate Training Manual’.

JNCW encourages women who wish to apply to the workshops that will take place in each Governorates to register via the link (https://bit.ly/2Dj0tel). JNCW also noted that programme seeks to increase women’s awareness on the role of the House of Representatives and its working mechanisms, to enhance their knowledge and understanding of the legislative process beyond women’s issues. 

Available in Arabic here.