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Actions to improve Gender Equity
The APGFWN intends for all member parties to implement a program of action to increase women’s political participation. These actions aim to improve training, recruitment and the success of women members and candidates. The APGFWN intends to help parties monitor and report on their progress in implementing the following actions.
Mentoring programs
Mentoring programs represent a cost-effective method to support aspiring women candidates to enter politics and to advance established political women into senior leadership positions. Experienced women and men in a political party can become mentors to share advice, skills and knowledge with their women mentees and support them to address challenges and discrimination that they may face (Ballington 2012).
Case Study: The APGFWN Mentorship Program
The APFGWN mentorship program is a program and learning opportunity for women in APGF countries. Working with the Australian Greens International Development Committee, the mentorship program is now in its fifth year. The program pairs women from APGF parties from Asia, the Pacific and the Middle East with experienced Greens women leaders from across the region and globally. Throughout the year-long program, mentors and mentees meet online each month to work on key issues and problem-solving, skill development, career pathways and project coordination.
The program has helped women to take up key positions in party executives, stand as candidates for election, recruit more women party members, introduce buddy systems and training initiatives and develop policies relevant to women in the region. In all, the program trains Greens women leaders of the future. Mentoring represents one of the most direct methods to learn new skills and to develop them further for each specific situation and experience within individual Greens parties.
The mentoring program holds an annual online workshop for all of the mentors in the mentorship program, as an orientation for new mentors and to build the alumni of APGFWN mentors. There is also an annual such training for new mentees to meet one another and share goals for the year ahead.
APGFWN is currently in the process of piloting national mentoring programs. As part of this new program, a buddy system, in which women with similar experiences within the party meet together has proven to be very helpful to learn from and provide support to one another.
If you are interested in participating in the mentoring program as either a mentor or a mentee, please contact: anita@asiapacificgreens.org.
- Training programs
Training programs can teach aspiring women candidates practical skills related to fundraising, campaigning techniques, media relations, message development and communication skills, and provide knowledge related to party policies, rules, processes and goals (Ballington 2012). Training programs for newly-elected parliamentarians can include navigation of parliamentary rules and procedures, public speaking skills and explanation on how the party functions in a parliamentary setting (Ballington 2012).
Case Study: APGFWN Online Mentee Training
APGFWN conducted two half day online training sessions for mentees participating in the APGFWN mentoring program in April 2020. 18 individuals participated in the sessions. The training session focussed on:
Increasing the skills, capabilities and confidence of women members in APGF parties through webinars
Increasing women’s participation in leadership positions in APGF parties through mentoring and case studies
Increasing women’s participation as party executives, electoral candidates and representatives of their national parties and the APGFWN
Building the APGFWN mentee alumni network to provide support to future mentees
Global Greens Ambassador, Christine Milne and Mongolian Greens Women’s Leader and APGFWN Co-Convenor, Saruul Tovuusuren provided keynote addresses on women in leadership and knowing your legal rights as women respectively. These presentations are available on the APGF YouTube website.
Case Study: She Will Run Project by Green Party of Korea
In 2020, the Green Party of Korea conducted a project that aimed to foster and support young women who wish to pursue a career in Greens politics. The project included a year-long step-by-step training program for women with the aim for participants to achieve political candidacy in the 21성 General Election of South Korea, held on 15 April 2020. More information about the project is available as part of the APGWN webinar presented by Shin Jiye, Feminist Leader of Green Party Korea.
Gender Equity and Gender Sensitivity training
Gender Equity and Gender Sensitivity training represent an effective method to increase knowledge about gender equality, the value of women’s work and political participation and respectful relationships between men and women. They represent a useful tool to empower women and increase men’s support for women as male allies. In order for the training to succeed, the support of the party president is essential.
Case Study: APGFWN Gender Equity Training with APGF Parties
The APGFWN and Australian Greens International Development Committee conducted the first pilot Gender Equity training in 2019 with 18 women from the India Greens Party (IGP). The two-day training workshop led to the creation of an India Greens Party Women’s Network and established a two-year action plan and roadmap for the network. In addition, men and women of the party participated in a half-day gender sensitivity training session in which participants learnt about the issues facing women in India. From this training session, it has been identified that a one-day gender sensitisation training session would be useful for the men of the party. IGP has since conducted online Gender Equity trainings at the national level and now adapted these to the state level.
In 2021, a two day national training was held with 18 women of the Nepali Greens party to revitalise their national women’s wing and set a roadmap for the next two years. This was the first instance women from the party had met together for a training session. The objectives of a national training include
To revive, restructure and strengthen the NGWN.
To identify key objectives of the NGP Women’s Network
To identify and define strategies for the women’s group to succeed in the next 2-3 years so that women’s groups are in all the seven provinces, key municipalities, and rural municipalities.
To agree a road map for the NGP women’s group for the next 2-3 years including 60% of party membership and executive members to be female by 2023.
To bring together men and women from the NGP to educate them on key issues relating to Gender Equity
To encourage all in the party to adopt Gender Equity measures outlined in the roadmap and policies, and to agree to an implementation and review schedule
Twenty women have participated in a two-day online Train the Trainer Gender Equity training with women from Bangladesh, India, Mongolia, Nepal, and South Korea. They in turn will undertake national or regional training in their own parties and languages with modules to be adapted to the national or local circumstance. Advanced training for longer-term APGFWN members is under development..
More information about the training session can be found in interviews with Michelle Sheather, International Development Committee Coordinator, the Australian Greens and Rachana Shrestha, APGFWN Secretary, Nepali Greens.
Electoral campaigning strategies
Electoral campaigning strategies which promote women candidates, women’s issues and policies can counter prejudice and biases against women candidates and politicians and increase their electoral success. These strategies include to:
Expand the number of women candidates and support their placement in winnable electoral seats.
Increase women’s visibility in campaigns by supporting media exposure and providing information to voters that include specific messages highlighting the importance of women’s right to vote as equal members of society.
Focus on women’s issues and policies when campaigning to gain greater votes from women. This includes to adopt and discuss APGF Women and Gender Equity Policy.
Recruit women as party agents to be present at polling stations and monitor the election process, particularly if polling stations are allocated for women only.
Advocate for measures and code of ethics to protect women candidates from hostile environments in electoral campaigns.
Working with other parties
Through collaboration with other Greens parties across the Asia Pacific and globally, women in APGF parties and women’s wings are able to share their experiences, challenges, concerns and advice regarding women’s participation in Greens politics. This can be conducted through special programs which engage women in the political process as voters and activists and represent opportunities for training, empowerment and networking. Women can also share knowledge and encourage understanding of sexual harassment policies for all members, leaders and participants in Greens politics to ensure that everyone feels safe.
Parties are also able to work with local, regional and international civil society organisations to oversee the implementation of gender equity policies in their respective parties and countries.
