Women and the 2007 PNG Elections: A Diagnostic Assessment

Women and the 2007 PNG Elections: A Diagnostic Assessment

Following the 2007 National Elections which saw only 1 women MP elected, a partnership of the United Nations, the Department for Community Development and the National Council of Women came together to undertake a process of examination, to identify the existing barriers to women‟s participation in national decision-making. An Elections Diagnostic Workshop was held in November 2007 and was attended by about 200 women and men, who undertook a process of examination of the electoral process, an assessment of campaign strategies and financing, partnerships, as well as training and capacity building. The objectives were to identify the existing barriers to women‟s political participation in national decision making, and to build consensus among all relevant stakeholders on the strategies that need to be taken collectively towards future planning, and programme implementation for women‟s leadership in PNG.