In Tunisia, June 2014, International IDEA held a needs assessment workshop for representatives from eight civil society organizations. It focused on the importance of electoral observation and how their work can better include a gender focus.
Shortly after this workshop, a meeting of young women involved in political parties was hosted under the joint International IDEA/Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) project, ‘Respect for Women’s Political Rights’. The workshop assessed the obstacles young women currently face within their political parties, and the challenges they face externally.
In October, International IDEA co-hosted a conference on strategies to prevent violence against women during elections. This conference brought together 50 participants and included presentations on gender-based violence (GBV) in Tunisia and its prevention in the legal framework, strategies currently being undertaken to combat GBV in Tunisia, an overview of International IDEA’s new guide on observing women’s participation in electoral processes (Tunisia), women in the media and the Code of Honour signed by many political parties in Tunisia. In addition to the Tunisian experience, the workshop included presentations on lessons learned from the USA, Cote D’Ivoire and Nepal.
