By Sundus Abbas

Politics is often seen as an exclusively male sphere. Women, who conducted the largest share of unpaid domestic work, often endeavor to find time to participate at similar levels to men. social practices and attitudes hold back many of those who do wish to engage as there are many beliefs that were taught at a young age, and continuously reinforced throughout life that lead women to internalize them and self-exclude themselves or their daughters from political activities. Women are disproportionately inclined to think of themselves as less knowledgeable about politics or ill-equipped to take part. In places where their political engagement is considered inappropriate or immoral, many fears reputational damage to themselves or their families. Those who do strike out into politics often experience harassment, intimidation, and violence.

As the 2030 agenda and SDGs, specially SDG5 and SDG16, speak directly to the importance of women’s political participation, UNDP in cooperation with Council of Representatives, Under the Patronage of H.E. the Speaker of the Council of Representatives of Iraq, Mr. Mohamed al-Halbousi, had conducted a session  on 14^th March 2019 in the Iraqi parliament under the title of “the Optimum policies to increase the participation of women in political parties and electoral lists”. with the participation of 42 MPs, the workshop aimed to highlight the most critical steps that should be taken by political parties to encourage women participation and to introduce the network of Arab Women Parliamentarians Network for Equality as well as to establish a team that can draft a national political policy to increase women participation in political affairs.

According to the agenda, Ms. Huda Sajad, member of COR and board member of Arab Women Parliamentarians Network for Equality, stated that: “empowering women politically doesn’t only mean to increase the number of women in political institutions, but to create a potential number of women who can be promoted to decision – making position within government institutions”.

During a fruitful debate, participants addressed a question about the additional specifications that should be taken to enhance women participation in decision- making, which was deeply explained by UNDP gender specialist, who underscored that political parties are the missing piece of the scene, due to their critical role in women’s political empowerment and participation. They must take some mechanisms or/and some temporary special measure to boost women’s role in political parties and electoral lists such as annual reviewing to their political policy and bylaw from gender perspective, adopt policy to prevent violence against women in elections process and endorse codes of conduct to stop gender-based political manipulation.

the chairperson of Raedat network, Dr. Rola Alharoub confirmed that: “increasing women participation at all levels requires reviewing the electoral laws which needs the Arab parliaments and civil societies to create a solid base that ensure human rights, women rights and adopt the necessary changes to approach the aspired future”.

An active “women mass” can be reflected in more stable policies, less corruption, socio-economic development, health, social welfare, education, peace and stability, as studies showed that women in government more readily tackle poverty reduction and service delivery, increase government expenditures on health and social welfare and increases educational expenditures, regardless of the political leanings of the government as well as states become less likely to relapse into civil war, less likely to use violence during an international crisis, and less likely to carry out human rights abuses. the main pillars of any strategy to ensure the representation and effective participation of women at all levels of decision- making are the women’s wells and solidarity, in addition to the role of the political parties that should consider conducting a gender audit of their internal party structures and the level of gender sensitivity of its members.

The workshop wrapped up with several points and recommendations to support women in political parties which highlighted the necessary of Formalizing transparent, gender-responsive nominee processes, Establishment of a women’s offices and the necessary of funding women as candidates.

To ensure the active role of women’s offices as tool to strength strategic roles of women in political parties, these offices should be well established and function, its position should be within the party structure and it should watch and measure women participation in decision making process inside the party itself. on other hand, it will function as a big window for a vast impact coming by women if they can establish women multi political parties’ network.