DemocraShe

building peace and democracy by promoting women in politics

DemocraShe was conceived in response to the Belfast Agreement to the “right of women to full and equal political participation” and launched in Northern Ireland in 2000

DemocraShe works with

Serving and aspiring women politicians to:

Strengthen their position politically within their parties;

Improve their policy and communication skills;

Run effective and successful election campaigns.

Government, political parties and institutions to:

Address women's under-representation at all levels in politics;

Encourage and develop women politicians;

Remove barriers to women's entry into and advancement in politics.

BUILDING POLITICAL CAPACITY

We believe that building women's capacity in political strategy, campaigning, policy analysis and media skills is vital. Therefore, DemocraShe:

Develops critical thinking, analytic skills and the ability to articulate and communicate complex ideas;

Equips women with the range of knowledge and skills necessary to participate effectively in political life;

Encourages women to assume a more prominent role in party leadership and policy development;

Introduces women to key debates and new thinking about social and economic issues.

ELECTIONS

Northern Ireland has four sets of elections, some of which coincide, to:

26 local Councils across Northern Ireland (also known as local government) - 582 councillors;

Northern Ireland Assembly in Belfast (the regional government of Northern Ireland) - 108 MLAs;

Westminster Parliament in London (known as the general election) - 18 Northern Ireland MPs;

European Parliament in Strasbourg - 3 Northern Ireland MEPs.

DemocraShe worked in Northern Ireland in 2001 in advance of the UK parliamentary and Northern Ireland local government elections; for the 2003 Northern Ireland Assembly election; and for the 2005 local government election.

2001 - Westminster and Local Councils
From May 2000 until March 2001 DemocraShe developed women's political skills to boost their position within political parties. In addition, it provided one-to-one media training in April and May 2001 for candidates in parliamentary and local government elections. All major political parties took part: Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), Sinn Fein, Democratic Ulster Party (DUP), Alliance Party, Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) and Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition (NIWC). Around 110 women from seven political parties spanning the entire political spectrum were trained. Nearly 70 went on to be actively involved in an election campaign including 30 who ran for office in local government; 15 were elected, an unprecedented success rate. The program helped to increase women’s representation in local government from 14% to 19%. With 50% of our candidates who ran for office winning their election, this was an unprecedented success rate. (see 'Election Results 2001' Homepage). Three women were elected to the Westminster Parliament and one of these women was trained by DemocraShe.

2003 - Northern Ireland Assembly
Between January and May 2003 DemocraShe trained women in preparation for the election to the Northern Ireland Assembly. This time the spotlight was on women candidates and key campaign staff such as campaign managers, press officers and election agents. The goal was to upgrade individual performance and teamwork for the Assembly campaign and to contribute to building peace and political stability in Northern Ireland by enhancing governance and policy making capacity among women to be elected to the Assembly. DemocraShe trained 76 women; 18 were candidates in the Assembly election and 8 were successful. Eighteen women were elected to the Assembly overall, compared with 14 in 1998, and 50% had received training from DemocraShe in 2001 and 2003. Interestingly, while some women lost their seats in the election, no woman trained by DemocraShe lost hers.

In the initial 2000-01 program, women were trained solely with their own party colleagues. In 2003 DemocraShe continued to provide single party training – mainly in campaign planning, message development and media strategy – but supplemented this with cross-party sessions for all participants; for example, on legal requirements under electoral law and introduction to STV (the Single Transferable Vote used in Northern Ireland).

2005 - Westminster and Local Councils
The cross-party approach continued in 2005 when Northern Ireland’s local government election came round again, with all-party seminars on significant local government policy areas and the media. Innovatively the program introduced a new approach to public speaking and performance skills with drama coaches working alongside broadcasting coaches. Attention was also devoted to learning the skills for winning an election campaign and to enhancing policy knowledge specific to local government. In 2005 DemocraShe worked with 64 women of whom 41 were candidates; 30 were successful. There were 20 further candidates in the 2005 election who had been trained in previous years. Thus a total of 61 DemocraShe-trained women contested the election and 74% of them were elected. This success helped to achieve an increase in women Councilors from 19% to 22%; with over a third of serving women Councilors trained by DemocraShe. (see 'Election 2005' Homepage). It also helped to overturn the position where, prior to this election, three Councils had NO women councilors, with women returned to all twenty-six Councils, albeit that six have only one or two. At the other end of the scale two Councils reached 40% female membership and three others over 30%.

DemocraShe had an impact on gender balancing the 2005 general election to the Westminster Parliament. The largest number of women ever stood for election with half of the 19 women who ran trained by DemocraShe. Most ran to gain campaign experience and increased public profile in an election where unseating incumbents is a rarity. All three women who had been elected to Westminster in 2001 retained their seats.

2006 – Gender Action Plans and Gender Champions Our work continues even in off-election years through networking and mentoring relationships that provide an invaluable opportunity for women who aspire to higher levels of political achievement. Since 2004, we have been building partnerships with local government organizations as well as political parties. The Women in Local Councils (www.womeninlocalcouncils.org.uk) initiative was launched in January 2006 bringing together multiple partners to work on increasing women’s access to public office and senior positions in local government. DemocraShe leads on developing Gender Action Plans for political parties and Councilors and in supporting political gender champions as part of the initiative. There are many lessons that can also be shared across the island of Ireland and with women politicians from Scotland, Wales and England.

THE FUTURE

The final elements of Northern Ireland’s peace agreement will be in place in 2007 along with a revitalized Assembly and its’ Ministers. Government and political parties are also deciding details of new local Councils for 2008. Despite considerable advance, women in Northern Ireland still only comprise 17% of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Westminster Parliament and 22% of local councils. The goal must be to attain political institutions that reflect the composition of the communities they serve. DemocraShe is determined to continue its works so that more women can enter politics in Northern Ireland; and be an inspiration to women elsewhere especially in regions in or emerging from conflict or transitioning to democracy.

Greater participation by women is one route to stabilizing and deepening the peace process for future generations. Many in the United States and across the world have invested concern and resources in enabling Northern Ireland to emerge from conflict. Northern Ireland can repay this endeavor by passing on lessons learned. We are encouraged that in October 2000, the UN took a critical step in advancing women in the political process through the unanimous adoption by the United Nations Security Council of UNSCR 1325 that focuses on women, peace and security. This marks the first time that the Security Council recognized the contributions women make to conflict prevention, peacekeeping, conflict resolution and peace building, and stress the importance of their equal and full participation as active agents of peace and change within the social and political landscape.

DemocraShe has developed a road map and process that has been well received when it has been shared with others - women from China, Eastern Europe, Iraq and Cyprus. We anticipate that our expertise will eventually assist and benefit women in other regions and areas of conflict in the world and serve as a model for democracies in transition. We are committed to building peace and democracy by promoting women in politics, and at the same time to ensure access, equality and quality in democratic representation.

DemocraShe is a partnership between the Northern Ireland Women’s Initiative and the Institute of Governance at Queen's University Belfast