IFES-CEC Ukraine Training Center conducted Gender and Elections workshop

IFES Ukraine in cooperation with the joint IFES-Central Election Commission (CEC) Administrative Center for the Training of Elections Process Participants and with the financial support of USAID, Global Affairs Canada and the UK department for international affairs conducted a BRIDGE modular workshop on Gender and Elections.

The aim of the workshop was to provide participants with knowledge on the concept of stereotypes and myths in the field of gender, the influence of myths and stereotypes on women’s representation and mechanisms to overcome barriers for women during the electoral process.

The workshop was conducted in Kyiv, Ukraine, on October 10-12, 2017 and hosted by the joint IFES-CEC Administrative Center for the Training of Election Process Participants.

The workshop was held in Ukrainian language and was facilitated by BRIDGE workshop-level facilitators Alyona Sheshenya, Serhii Serzhan and Ttf-completed facilitator Serhii Dubovyk. Twenty-two participants from the CEC and CSOs of Ukraine attended the workshop (out of which five were male and seventeen female).

The workshop, which was customized for the Ukrainian experience and context, engaged participants on various topics, including but not limited to:

• Voting and Discrimination
• Definition of gender. Influence of myths and stereotypes
• Women’s rights: level playing field
• International election standards and principles: women’s rights
• Gender aspects of the electoral cycle
• Participation of women in elections: barriers and difficulties
• Tools for gender mainstreaming
• Representation of women in politics
• Election systems and gender quotas
• Voter education: Methods and Approaches
• Advocacy and lobbying for reforms
• Conduct a campaign to advance reforms

All sessions were highly interactive and enabled participants to discuss various issues related to gender aspects of electoral process through role play, simulations, discussions and group work. Participants had the opportunity to try themselves in the role of candidates, leaders of political parties, as well as representatives of media, NGOs and EMBs, which enabled participants to better understand the roles of different stakeholders in In the process of promoting reforms to ensure equal representation of men and women in politics.

On the last day the participants were given the task to develop a step-by-step reform strategy, which enabled the participants to use in practice the received early knowledge

Participants throughout the workshop actively engaged in all activities and responded positively to the training. After the workshop, there was a general consensus amongst participants regarding the need to change the public attitude towards gender quotas through comprehensive educational and informational efforts.