Commitment to Democracy through Increasing Women's Participation (CodeIWP)

 

Funding

Europe for Citizens Programme, European Commission
Sub-programme: Strand2: Democratic engagement and civic participation | Action: 2.3: Civil Society Projects

 

 

Reference

2014-2694/001-001

 

 

Duration

18 months
Start date: 1-1-2015
End date: 30-6-2016

 

 

Partner organisations

University of Cyprus (Coord.), CIIE/U.Porto, University of Oulun (Finland), Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences (Lithuania), Riga Teacher Training and Educational Management Academy (Latvia)

 

 

Portuguese team

Helena C. Araújo (PI)
Sofia Marques da Silva
Florbela Sousa
Eunice Macedo
Elsa Teixeira (research assistant)

 

 

 

Parliaments are the most important floors for the implementation of Gender Equality, Women’s Empowerment, and voters (men and women) sensitization towards equality and towards the social profits from valuing women’s contribution to National and European (N&E) development and progress. The low percentages of women’s participation in the European Parliament according to the 2014 elections indicate that short term measures and campaigns just before the elections are not as efficient as it was expected. This project aims at the continuous encouraging/increasing the participation of women as voters and as candidates in both the N&E elections and the political life. The partnership is purposefully designed to include four countries with low percentages of female representation in National and European decision making bodies (Cyprus, Lithuania, Latvia, Portugal) and one model country (Finland) with relatively high percentages of female representation. The project' s objectives:1) to bring together and engage youth representatives, media stakeholders, politicians and researchers from each country in the analysis of the existing barriers to participation in European Policy Making and in the preparation of an integrated strategy for increasing youth and female participation in N&E decision making bodies; 2) provide face-to-face and on line animation training for women who aspire to a career in N&E politics; 3) provide on line workshops and participatory seminars for voters, men and women, from a variety of social and  professional groups for promoting equation, equity and democratic participation; 4) built-up an electronic forum and website, linked with the electronic social media, for promoting the aim and objectives of the project; 5) establish an on line tool for gathering the citizens' opinions; 6) produce a TV short film for advertising the campaign and the project' s aims;7) establish a European Network for Women in Politics (EUNWPOL)for sustainable volunteer engagement.