USAID/Guinea: Women and elections in Guinea

February 4, 2008

USAID helps Guinean women exercise their

fundamental rights.

woman with a voter card

USAID in Guinea assists women to participate in the election process.

As Guinea moves towards its 2008 parliamentary elections, women need support both as voters and as potential candidates. The International Foundation for Election System (IFES) through a program financed by USAID, has had a major impact on encouraging women to actively participate in the electoral process. IFES program, with USAID support has played a key role in promoting democratic values nationwide. The program launched the first civil society awareness campaign in the country, encouraged open dialogue toward advancing Democratic Governance, and started a nationwide civic education campaign aimed at encouraging citizens to use their election right’s as citizens.

Specifically focused on women issues, IFES with USAID support organized training and workshops in 2006 that sensitized women about the positive impact their participation would have on the next elections. The events had encouraging results with 91 women, approximately two from each prefecture, actively participating. The group later formed a women’s association to encourage greater involvement in the electoral process. The association’s coordinator, Mariama Cire Keita, continues to sensitize women on the importance of their participation in the democratization of Guinea. Since the association’s founding, women from all over the country have made clear that they wish to learn more about their rights as voters and their potential as possible candidates. Ms. Keita noted that women comprise 53 percent of Guinea’s population, which, if translated into votes, gives them a strong base to advance their issues on a national scale.

In 2007 USAID again partnered with IFES to further reinforce women’s participation in the country’s voting process. The campaign, which reached into rural area with the help of local women leaders, again touched on the essential element of women’s participation and involvement in the democratic process. More than 35000 people took part in this campaign as women engaged themselves to be part of the electoral list and to appear in the voting procedure.

In addition, on July 14, 2007, more than one hundred women leaders from all over Guinea along with representatives of political parties, civil society and government presented a memorandum calling for a greater role for women on election issues. The memorandum pressed the National Assembly to guarantee the rights of women in the electoral process and to reserve at least 30 percent of parliamentary seats for women.

The memorandum, financed by USAID, called on the government to reserve 30% of the positions on the independent electoral commission (CENI) for women. Women also demanded the organization of transparent and credible elections, and assurances that women would participate in the decision-making structures of government.
Women are using their voice through the memorandum to encourage civil society to educate rural women on their rights and duties as citizens, and to increase the participation of women in the election observer process.

The memorandum, which was translated in all Guinea’s dialects and rolled out on national television, represents a high water mark for the voices of women in Guinea. Ms. Keita is proud of the memorandum’s effects among women nationwide and continues to actively promote the document’s agenda.

IFES supported by USAID will remain a major player in this area as Guinea makes progress towards democracy.

IFES President Ms. Cote' and Coordinator Ms.Keita working on the Memorandum

USAID is moving on other fronts as well to bring women into Guinea’s emerging democratic process. The organization’s Faisons Ensemble (Working Together) project dedicates special attention to women’s education as members of the community. Civil Society groups are a critical element in the electoral process. Faison Ensemble provides special training for civil society members, including the women associations, to increase their advocacy skills.

USAID also promotes gender equity with specific training and workshops for girls to encourage their full future participation as active members of society. By reaching out to girls now USAID aims to raise their awareness of their rights and increase understanding of their civic duties and responsibilities.

As a result of USAID engagement, this awareness extends beyond the political issues to touch such female concerns as fistula prevention and female genital cutting. However, the goal remains essentially the same, namely to increase women’s understanding of issues that deeply affect their lives while providing them with the knowledge and encouragement to effectively advocate for their own solutions.

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These measures represent big steps for Guinean women toward democracy and a challenging transformation in the thinking of Guinean society.

Story and photos by Francesca Munzi