FEM-ABLE
Lithuania
Good practices on implementation of gender equality strategies
Event with women NGOs
Workshop with women-politicians
Event with women NGOs
- DESCRIPTION
- IMPLEMENTATION STEPS/METHOD
- IMPACT ACHIEVED
- STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED
- RESOURCES REQUIRED
- CHALLENGES FACED
- LESSONS LEARNED
- POTENTIAL FOR REPLICATION
The Lithuania gender equality strategy developed during Femable project and suggested further to implement continuously in different levels, is based on three following pillars:
- Empowering women’s to actively participate in the elections and to express their support to women’s rights.
- Communicating with political parties to promote gender equality and requiring women’s issues to take priority in the political agenda.
- Advocating voters to support women in the national elections.
This strategy previously was introduced and discussed with the biggest Lithuanian women’s umbrella organization, Lithuanian women’s lobby organization, which unites 40 NGOS across the whole Lithuania.
The event was organized in April 2024, prior the elections to the European Parliament and upcoming elections to Seimas (Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania). Therefor it was organized as inspiration event to mobilize women’s NGO’s leaders to implement strategy, give them practical tools and good practices to draw the future action plans.
Social Innovation Fund is one of the founders of Lithuanian women’s lobby (LWLO) organization, thus it was agreed with the board that the best way is to organize face-to-face event in line with the annual meeting of LWLO.
The event facilitated critical discussions on strategies for promoting women’s political participation and monitoring political parties’ gender equality commitments. Recommendations included drafting letters to parties on gender equality issues, fostering collaboration with women politicians, and organizing workshops to build capacity for gender-sensitive policies within political parties.
Leaders of women’s NGOS
- Venue: rented premises in Kaunas, the city in the middle of Lithuania as the best place to reach it from the remoted areas.
- Meeting hall for the session and spaces for the discussions in small groups.
- PC, with the internet connection, projector, equipment for the video watching and analysing podcasts in small groups
- Handouts with Femable materials, including leaflet, national strategy, posters, ppt presentations with QR codes with the link to the Femable website, Facebook, impact questionnaire and survey of CERV.
The biggest challenge, seen from the point of women’s NGO’s to implement strategy – is lack of the resources to implement the strategy continuously. Not only advocacy campaigns prior the elections have to be organized, but also meetings with the politicians, revising the political programs in terms of the gender equality, and most important empowering women to become politician, collecting the pool of the women’s politicians – competitive future candidates, is essential.
To implement gender equality strategy, it is necessary to work continuously and mobilize all possible resources. Therefore, several additional steps were implemented: – during LWLO board meetings practical steps of the advocacy campaign were discussed, the letters for the political parties develop, agreed and send prior the elections. Women’s NGOs were actively involved in different social campaigns to advocate gender equality in the election to Seimas in a year 2014.
Thus, most important lesson – active moderation of practical steps after the inspirational event.
The involvement of the women’s NGOs in implementation of the gender equality strategies is crucial, thus it would be great to share the practice to NGOs; women’s leaders and activists.
Workshop with women-politicians
- DESCRIPTION
- IMPLEMENTATION STEPS/METHOD
- IMPACT ACHIEVED
- STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED
- RESOURCES REQUIRED
- CHALLENGES FACED
- LESSONS LEARNED
- POTENTIAL FOR REPLICATION
The women’s clubs MILDA (Women’s Initiative for Democracy in Lithuania), uniting women from the different political parties, were created in different cities across Lithuania. Most active club is established in Kaunas city. This club is led of one of member women politician – on the rotation basis. Club members meet regularly and have thematic topics to discuss. In other Lithuanian cities women politicians’ clubs established recently, in others, like Prienai – just have an idea to create such clubs.
To strengthen these clubs, two workshops in the frame of Femable project have been organized.
One workshop was held in the town Prienai, inviting women politicians and activists, willing to participate in the politics and having an idea to create MILDA club in Prienai. Another workshop – for the members of club MILDA in Kaunas and other politicians – candidates in the elections of the national Parliament.
Both workshops aimed to present the Femable National Gender Equality Strategy, along with the examples of good practices gathered during the research phase of the project. The main issue was to discuss the ways of promoting gender equality in political participation, with a focus on the context of Lithuania’s local political landscape and upcoming elections of 13th of October.
Invitations were sent to women-politicians having high positions in the Municipalities, representatives of municipal councils, members of the women’s clubs MILDA. The idea of the project and the aim of the workshop were briefly described in the invitation.
During the workshop different methods were used: presentations, analysis of the case studies, group discussions, listening of the podcast, video analysis.
Logical framework of the workshop:
- Gender equality in general and in the political sphere
- Why gender balance in politics is needed
- Challenges and obstacles for women- politicians to seek better political representation
- Analysis of the good practices from Fem-able project and personal experience
- Setting plans for the future.
Both workshops successfully created a platform for female politicians to engage in meaningful discussions about the barriers to their political participation. The interactive format encouraged participants to share personal experiences, enhancing mutual support and understanding. Women politicians from Prienai decided to meet once again to discuss more detailed the idea of creation of MILDA club in Prienai. Women politicians from Kaunas despite all challenges to try seeking better positions within their parties.
Women-politicians
Women leaders
- Venue: rented premises in Prienai town and Kaunas city.
- Meeting room for the session and table for the discussions in small groups or pairs.
- PC, with the internet connection, projector, equipment for the video watching and analysing podcasts in small groups.
- Handouts with Femable materials, including leaflet, national strategy, posters, ppt presentations with QR codes with the link to the Femable website, Facebook, impact questionnaire and survey of CERV.
Women politicians saw gender inequalities in the politics. Some of them doubts about possibility to participate in the activities of the women politicians’ clubs MILDA. As a good argument to support idea of creation of clubs MILDA is the example, that in Lithuanian Parliament is established provisional women’s parliamentarian group, aimed to raise gender inequality problems.
Small groups training is best way to organize the event. It is recommended to organize event outside the Municipality or workplace of women-politicians and to create encouraging and safe atmosphere and let women speak openly ensuring that their opinions, expressions will be not published.
This workshop could be replicated in another towns of Lithuania, or in other countries to gather women from different political parties and to discuss how to empower women politicians to seek better positions within the parties they belong and discuss gender equality problems to be raised and placed and priority topic in the political agenda.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.