The United Nations Development Programme – Lebanese Elections Assistance Project, the European Union and UN Women Lebanon partnered with the Office of the Minister of State for Women’s Affairs (OMSWA) to implement an agreed gender joint roadmap that presents alternatives, other than quota, to increase women’s participation in elections and help in advocating and influencing public behaviour to support the inclusion of women in public life.
Within the framework of the roadmap, a public media awareness campaign was developed and launched on 10 January with an overall objective to enhance the role of Lebanese women and achieve an effective and meaningful participation in the upcoming 2018 parliamentary elections.
Targeting all Lebanese citizens, the campaign focuses on raising public awareness on the role of women in leadership, politics and electoral processes, and promoting an inclusive electoral process and a fair portrayal of women political leaders. Moreover, the campaign aims to encourage political parties to nominate women in leadership positions, women activists to run for elections and voters to vote for women candidates.
The awareness campaign includes TV spots, radio spots, billboards, posters and LED visuals, and is divided into three phases with 3 different messages:
- First phase: promotes women’s participation in elections;
- Second phase: endorses women as candidates;
- Third phase: will promote women as voters.
Watch the TV campaign “Half of the Society…Half of the Parliament” here:
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
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The EU-funded UNDP Lebanese Elections Assistance Project (LEAP) started its activities in October 2012 with the main objective to strengthen the institutional capacity of the national institutions and stakeholders in terms of electoral management and administration, for the conduct of credible, periodical, transparent and inclusive elections in Lebanon.
To achieve these objectives, UNDP LEAP works closely with the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities (MoIM), responsible for electoral management, administration and overall electoral operations. The project also supports other electoral stakeholders, such as the Constitutional Council, State Council, Supervisory Commission for the Election (SCE), judicial bodies and works in close cooperation with civil society organizations (CSOs). Within this context, UNDP LEAP provides electoral technical assistance and advisory support focused on: 1) management & administration of elections; 2) supervisory commission for elections; 3) voter education; 4) electoral dispute resolution; and 5) women’s participation in elections.