Women Candidates Trained

Women Candiate Training National Facilitator Dr Orovu Sepoe
speaking at the Madang workshop.

ABOUT seventy-five women candidates and their campaign managers have now been trained to create and manage campaign strategies in preparation for the 2012 National Elections.

This follows the staging of four regional workshops this year in Mt Hagen for the Highlands Region on Jan 31-Feb 3, Alotau on Feb 13-17 covering the Southern Region, Mamose in Madang on March 5-9 while another workshop for those who were unable to attend the regional meet was held in Port Moresby on March 26-30.  

The workshops were designed to equip participants with the knowledge and tactics needed to devise and manage their election campaigns. The workshops will help candidates develop campaign plans, consider campaign messages, manage media relations, understand campaign financing, appreciate the rules of the game (including the LPV voting system) and discuss the respective roles of candidate and campaign manager.

These workshops were an opportunity to facilitate ways and process for a fair and equal participation of both women and men in the parliamentary process of the Government through creation of enabling environment. 

This is in a bid to increase the low participation by Pacific women in regional parliaments.

This training was made possible by a K2.5 million partnership deed between the Centre for Democratic Institution at the Australian National University and the PNG Office for the Development of Women (ODW) which is aimed at helping women in PNG gain skills in democratic politics. 

Strongim Pipol Strongim Nesen on behalf of AusAID has been engaged in the project to offer logistics and financial management support. 

The process of discussion and consultation for this important work began in 2011 with a consultative workshop in Lae to find a way forward on how best the Department for Community Development and core partners could assist facilitate capacity building programmes for the women candidates and their campaign managers.

This is part of a training strategy developed by ODW with support from UNDP’s Women in Leadership Program and the Centre for Democratic Institutions at the Australian National University. The Strategy is directed a women who are proposing to stand for election at open and provincial seats and complements the now lapsed proposal to establish reserved seats for women.

A progress check workshop was held on April 12-18, 2012 and a follow-up diagnostic workshop will be held after the election this year to evaluate results and lessons learnt.

Gender Equality Opportunities is one of SPSN key priority areas along with Health, Education, Increasing Participation and Services for Person(s) with Disability.

For more information contact Brian Nakrakundi on email: bnakrakundi@dfcd.gov.pg or telephone: 325 2574.