PARALLEL EVENT

Parallel Event on Thurday
7 June 2001
1pm-3pm
"Talking the Same Talk: Women Commonly Define Success in Local Governance"

Co-sponsored by Huairou Commission, GROOTS, and AWAS

Summary Report

The event organizers explained the purpose of the workshop as to encourage a dialogue and debate around the issue of women and/in local governance among the participants. Several discussants were invited to introduce the debate with examples and experiences from different countries. Turkey, Costa Rica and UNDP were present to introduce some opening issues and questions for the following discussion.

The issue of grassroots women's access to governance was a recurrent theme of the discussion. Several participants also remarked on the fact that even when women were included in decision making structures and governance it did not specifically mean that grassroot women had greater access to local authorities or authorities in general. The issue of women's access to these levels of decision making in whatever context still remains as one of the greater problems to face for future action.

The Turkish example as well as the introductory remark by UNDP also commented on the fact that women often in cases of neglect from decision making procedures take to action themselves. This is often with the consequence of being even more marginalized and invisible in non sustainable structures if not officially supported. Alternative actions should definitely be encouraged but the general conclusion was that no group should be left behind or made invisible.