The Participation of Tunisian Women in Local Governance: the Best Practices Nation Roundtable
June 10^th, 2006, Safkis Tunisia.

CAWTAR, in collaboration with its partners the Urban Development and Management Program and the Alkef Foundation for Rural Development in Tunisia, organized a national roundtable on June 10th, 2006 in the city of Safkis. The roundtable was attended by 30 participants representing governmental institutions, NGOs, activists concerned with women’s issues in local governance and the media.

The objective of the roundtable was to present the study on the Participation of Tunisian Women in Local Governance. It was commissioned by CAWTAR under its regional project entitled: The Participation of Arab Women in Local Governance. The program of the roundtable also included sessions in which activists gave testimonisals of their experiences.

Mr. Altayeb Haj, the Local Counsellor of Safakis city, opened the roundtable and shed light on political and legislative factors which have enabled Tunisian women to effectively participate in local governance.

Dr. Saneem Abdullah, the consultant who conducted the study, presented the main findings which included: the gaps in operationalization of the quota system which constrain women's participation in local administrations; the low percentage of women and their lack of voting powers in the provinces, local councils and rural administrations; the improvement of the local councils structure   within the last few years due to the adoption of the quota in local elections (1/5 in 2000 and the ¼ in 2005) and as a result an increase in the percentage of women in local councils (from 16,6% in 1995 to 26% in 2005) nevertheless, their participation in key decision-making positions is low (only 4 head of local councils; 13 deputy local councilors; 10 head of administrations of local councils); the increase in percentage of women in provinces due political appointments; the minimal participation in village councils compared to other local administrations.

The participants recommended several issues to improve the participation of women in local governance:

The adoption of a quota system at all national and local administrative structures

•  Balance women participation in local councils
•  Maintaining the perception of the participation of women in decision-making starting from the family
•  Increase the number of male participants in administrations concerned with women issues, particularly in rural areas.

With respect to the Best Practices and Experiences, Mrs Gafsi, the Executive Director of the Urban Development and Management Program, presented the experience of the program in capacity building of local administrations in urban Tunis using research, technical assistance and training as key tools.

With respect to the testimonials of women activists in local governance, their main challenges and achievements can be summarized as follows:

•  There is a greater challenge to maintain the work-life balance due to undertaking decision-making positions
•  The necessity for women to be assertive and proactive in order to maintain their position in society
•  The need for women to engage in voluntary work and social and political activities
•  The need for women to seek their rights and to disengage from being dependent on the government
•  The need for women to improve their skills to effectively participate in the decision-making process

The Media Coverage

The local press and Radios in Safakis covered the event. The following media programs and the press covered the roundtables:

•  Dr. Abduallah presented the study on Abeer Alsabah's local radio program in Safkis.. This was broadcasted on the morning of June 10th 2006.
•  Reports were presented in the news on the afternoon of  June 10th 2006 and covered briefs of organizers and the participants in the event.
•  Press article issued  in the local newspaper, Shams alJanoub, on June 22nd, 2006
•  Press article in the Asabah national  newspaper on June 13th 2006