As part of the Indonesian activities in 2002, International IDEA’s gender track included a study tour of Indonesians to India, the Philippines and Thailand, and a National Conference and regional workshops on Strengthening Women’s Political Participation in Indonesia. The events were arranged in partnership with the Centre for Electoral Reform (CETRO), Women’s Political Caucus in Makassar and United Federation of Independent Women of North Sumatra.
The aim was to share knowledge and increase the understanding of women’s political participation. In September 2002, Indonesian women parliamentarians and civil society activists embarked on a study tour to India, the Philippines and Thailand to meet with counterparts to share experiences and information exchange, and also to increase the dialogue between the participants and their counterparts in other countries. The lessons learned from the study tour were shared further with other Indonesians through a series of meetings and workshops to see how the strategies used by others might be applicable to the Indonesian context.
The Asian Study visit was followed by a National Conference on Women in Politics in Jakarta on 24 September 2002, in partnership with the Centre for Electoral Reform (CETRO). The objective of the National Conference was to share the newly gained knowledge from the Study visits with other Indonesians, but also to act as a forum to gather national, provincial and international experiences on the issue of increasing women’s political participation. The turnout at the National Conference was high with approximately one hundred participants, ranging from the provincial representatives, politicians, civil society activists, academics and the media.
The National Conference was followed by two Provincial Workshops. The first was held in Makassar in South Sulawesi on the 30th of September, being organized in together with Women’s Caucus in Politics, Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi. The second provincial workshop was held in Medan in North Sumatra on the 2nd of October, and was organized with Hapsari, Federasi Serikat Perempuan Merdeka Sumatera Utara. The provincial workshops had the same aim as the National Conference, but to deliver the findings and create a forum for discussion at the provincial level. The provinces were selected based on their geographic location, the level of the developments in terms of gender equality and the dynamic and productive discourses emerging in these regions. The level of interest among the groups working in the field of gender and politics, as well as the interest among the general public, was indeed laudable.
During 2002, International IDEA also produced an Indonesian version of the handbook Women in Parliament: Beyond Numbers. The Handbook focuses on the political representation and participation of women in decision-making bodies. The original English version was produced in 1998, and in 2002 it was ‘regionalised’ for Indonesia by including additional case studies from South East Asia. The purpose of the regionalisation is to make the Handbook directly relevant and applicable to those working to enhance the political representation and participation of women in the regions. The handbook was launched at the National Conference and Provincial Workshops.
