US embassy cable - 04SANAA2385

UNCLAS SANAA 002385 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMPI, PGOV, KDEM, PHUM, YM, DEMOCRATIC REFORM, HUMAN RIGHTS 
SUBJECT: YEMENI WOMEN DEMAND GREATER PARTICIPATION IN PARTY 
POLITICS 
 
1.  Summary: On August 25 nineteen female members of the 
three major Yemeni political parties overcame substantive 
political differences to sign a joint-declaration calling on 
their parties to accept a quota for women candidates in the 
2006 municipal and 2009 parliamentary elections. The 
culmination of a MEPI/NDI workshop, the declaration calls for 
greater inclusion of women in their parties' decision making 
process, improved media coverage of women's political 
activism, and party support for a women's department in the 
Supreme Commission for Elections and Referenda. The women 
expect to release the declaration at a press conference on 
Wednesday, September 8.  End summary. 
 
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Challenges: Identifying the Road Ahead 
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2.  Nineteen female members of the General People's Congress 
(GPC), The Yemeni Congregation for Reform (Islah), and the 
Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP) participated in the August 21-25 
NDI workshop.  According to NDI Yemen Country Director Yemen 
Robin Madrid, reaching consensus on the declaration was not 
easy.  NDI conference facilitators had to overcome the fear 
of participants that the majority GPC women would dominate 
the process.  Interestingly, according to Madrid, it was the 
Islah women who were more politically astute, more 
progressive vis a vis women's rights, and more accustomed to 
fighting in order to defend their position. 
 
3. During the conference, the women identified some of the 
difficulties they faced in daily political life.  Primary 
among their frustrations was their exclusion from access to 
decision making gatherings, including evening party 
assemblies (which some were not allowed to participate in 
because of their families), meetings with tribal Sheikhs, and 
Qat chews. 
 
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Reforms: Putting on the Pressure 
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4. In addition to approving the declaration, the participants 
identified needed projects to facilitate reform.  These 
ranged from conducting a public opinion survey to determine 
the attitudes of male and female party members attitudes 
towards women's participation in local councils and improving 
party fundraising capacity. They also identified the 
substantive step toward implementing these reforms.  The 
women also identified three principal goals they needed to 
collectively achieve: Enhancing personal power, increasing 
women's strength within political parties, and developing a 
national message and strategy to promote women's political 
participation. 
 
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Next Steps: Keeping up the Momentum 
----------------------------------- 
 
5.  To ensure follow-up on the conference and the ensuing 
declaration, NDI will appoint a resident political party 
expert to visit the various party branches in September to 
advice on implementation of the proposed reforms, assist in 
the development of enhanced intra-party communication, and 
help lobby for the implementation of the declaration. 
 
6.  Comment.  Both the declaration and workshop come at a 
time when Yemeni women have been losing political ground 
within the ROYG.  Since unification in 1990, societal norms 
and political parties' systematic hindrance of female 
candidates have chipped away at women's political 
representation.  Since 1990, women have lost ten out of 11 
seats in Parliament.  However, at the same time that their 
numbers in Parliament have declined, Yemeni women have 
increased their participation in voting and party activities. 
 Capitalizing on the growing political awareness of women in 
Yemen, this MEPI program is helping women develop the 
necessary tools for women to regain and exceed their previous 
levels of representation in elected bodies.  End Comment. 
KRAJESKI