Enhancing The Role of Women
UNDP-Yemen Electoral Support Programme
Global Practice Meeting on Electoral
Systems and Processes
Manila, Philippines
15-18 October 2004
Background
 1990: Unification
 1993, 1997, 2003: Three multi-party
Parliamentary elections
 1999: First Presidential elections
 2001: Local Council elections
 2001: Establishment of the Supreme
Commission for Elections and Referenda (SCER)
 2006: Local Councils and Presidential
UN Assistance
 UN Electoral Assistance in Yemen:
– 1997 Parliamentary
– 1999 Presidential
– 2001 Local Councils
 2003: UNDP/UN Support to 2003
Parliamentary elections
 2004 - 2006: UNDP support to local
councils and Presidential elections 2006
Strategic Areas of Support
 Electoral Administration
 Voter Registration Process
 Decentralization Process of the
SCER (333 Districts and 22
governorates)
 Training of Registration Workers
and Polling Station Officials
 Voter Education Campaign
Women Voters
1997
2003
Registered
Voters
62%
of 5.6 ml.
76%
of 8 ml.
Women voters
total 42% of
electorate
1.7 million
3.4 million
(30%)
Total population estimated at 18 million in 2000
(41%)
(74.4% of reg.
female voters)
(Yemen MDGR 2003 - http://www.mpic-yemen.org/dsp/mdgs/PERFACE2.pdf)
Challenges
of Voters Education Campaigns
Gender Disparity
– Registered voters
– Women’s participation
Illiteracy Rate NHDR (2000) http://www.mpicyemen.org/dsp/humandev.htm
– Adult illiteracy: 47.3%
– Female illiteracy: 61.5%
Voters Education: Means and Channels
 Involve Civil Society (not political parties)
to conduct civic and voter education
activities;
 Publications, printed material, banners,
Large scale advertising even on “dabbabs”;
 SMS messaging
Voters Education: Means and Channels
 Info tent: Special times/days were allocated
exclusively for women
Voters Education: Means and Channels
Mobile Van: Were mounted with special
panels depicting on one side a woman
voting and on the other side a man;
TV: One programme was customized for
targeting women
Women as
Candidates
 Only 10 Women candidates out of 1, 393
 Out of 22 political parties only 4 put forward
female candidates
 Of the 9 members of SCER – none are women
 Of 60 supervisory committees, none had women
 Of the 19 trainers, none were women
 Out of 31 Basic Committees, 3 are women
 Women were present at the level of subcommittees - Segregation requires female
registration and election committees
Developments for 2006 Elections
 A new Department for women’s issues is
being established in the SCER
 The quota proposal was developed by
SCER in collaboration with political
parties and the assistance of NDI -
decree is submitted to Parliament for
approval
Lessons learned from Phase I
 Voter Education efforts must link
women’s participation with religious
instructions in order to counter
unsubstantiated claims that female are
banned from political participation by
religion;
 More understanding of women’s rights;
 Further Capacity building of Yemeni
NGOs
 Involvement of Political Parties
THANK YOU