By Hadi Fornaji.
Tripoli, 27 August 2013:
Twenty-five Libyans finished a four-day workshop today, being trained as facilitators to travel throughout the country . . .[restrict]and run dialogue and civic education sessions to enable women to participate fully in the elections to the 60-member Constitutional Commission.
The 25 were mainly women but included some men and represent civil society from Tripoli, Benghazi, Sebha, Misrata, Beida, Zawia, Nalut, Jadu, Sirte and Tragen.
This was the second part of a training for Women’s Dialogue Facilitators. The first part took place in June 2013.
The training was organised by the UNDP projects Support to Civic Engagement in Libya’s Transition and Assistance to Building a Constitution as well as the United Nations Electoral Support Team in collaboration with the Ministry of Planning, the Ministry of Culture and civil society organisations.
The objective, a UNDP statement said, was to deepen participants’ knowledge and skills in electoral systems, in the content of constitution and constitutional process, in special positive measures to enhance women’s political participation and dialogue facilitation techniques.
“Following the training, the facilitators will run civic education and dialogue sessions for women at local level in around 20 locations throughout the country. UNDP will provide further support to organising the sessions. Results of the dialogue sessions will be consolidated in one report which will be used for further advocacy of civil society to strengthen in the New Libyan Constitution mechanisms protecting women’s rights and enhancing women’s political participation.”
The dialogue meetings, which are expected to start in October, will target women only so that they feel comfortable, a UNDP official said.
Apart from concentrating on the Constitutional Commission elections, they will also focus on the value of dialogue, the hope being that they can promote it. [/restrict]
