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Women in politics

Launch of a new exchange format in the MENA region

Group photo of the participants | photo: Governance Fund

Leading female politicians from the MENA region want to use their new network to exchange ideas, support each other and develop joint positions. They will be supported in a 10-month programme by the GIZ projects "WoMENA" and "Governance Fund". German politicians will also be on hand to advise the women and promote mutual dialogue.

The new exchange format for women in politics kicked off with a three-day event in Istanbul in May 2024. It was attended by female parliamentarians, mayors and leaders of women's organisations from Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon. A total of 13 selected women from six countries in the MENA region. The aim of the meeting was to get to know each other and to develop common goals and guidelines. On the third day, the participants also had the opportunity to exchange ideas with colleagues from Germany, including leading local politicians and prizewinners of the Helene Weber Network. The event was moderated and led by Ms Kah Walla, a leading politician and experienced networking expert from Cameroon.

"Tremendous energy, drive and respect"

After the event, all the women agreed that the kick-off meeting was a complete success! "I felt an enormous amount of energy during the three days! All the participants were full of drive. The atmosphere here in Istanbul was characterised by respect and appreciation for each other and the work of women worldwide," says Marion Bolten. 

All the women have spoken out in favour of bringing the group to life as an active network: "We want to support each other and develop common positions for political directions in our region and the respective countries," was the common tenor of the women. The exchange with the German politicians was also very moving - and informative: "The exchange in Istanbul once again confirmed that women in politics face very similar challenges everywhere. This makes transnational women's networks all the more important for the women themselves - and for the promotion of a more inclusive and fairer society worldwide," says Cecile Weidhofer from the Helene Weber Network.

What happens next?

Further activities are planned in the 10-month programme for 2024/2025:

• virtual meetings of MENA politicians (in July and December)
• a delegation trip for in-depth dialogue with German peers, the Helene Weber Network and other interesting institutions in Germany in September
• the participation of the North African network partners in the 2nd Africa Conference of the School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG) in Nigeria
• Participation and contributions by some representatives at the Governance Fund network event in Berlin in November on the topic of "Feminist perspectives on development and democracy"
• Outlook event to plan the structure and tasks of the newly founded network in the region in January 2025

Kontakt

Marion Bolten, marion.bolten(at)giz.de