Project profile — Support of women's capacity to mediate electoral conflicts in DRC

The project is designed to contribute to peace consolidation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by getting women significantly involved in a peaceful electoral process. The project is helping to improve women’s participation in managing electoral conflicts and in promoting civic education in 10 provinces. Project activities include: (1) building the capacity of 45 women leaders in electoral conflict mediation and management; (2) organizing three capacity-building workshops for 45 women candidates or potential candidates on developing communication strategies in an election period, the various legal instruments protecting women, and advocacy; (3) organizing 16 advocacy missions about appointing women and girls to decision-making positions; (4) subsidizing 16 women’s organizations so they can implement projects pertaining to outreach, women’s participation in the electoral process, preventing and managing electoral conflicts, electoral observation and monitoring the status of women; and (5) organizing 3 capacity-building sessions on civic education and electoral observation for 30 women and girl leaders.

The expected results of this project include: (1) improved access to decision-making bodies for aspiring women candidates in national and provincial elections in the DRC; (2) increased awareness among national and provincial authorities and traditional leaders about supporting the significant involvement of women in decision-making bodies; and (3) improved access for women and men, including young women and men, to electoral dialogue forums organized by women’s organizations to ensure electoral monitoring and, if necessary, mediation of electoral conflicts in 10 provinces.

Results achieved at the end of the project (August 2019) include: (1) succeeded in getting 196 women accredited as election observers; (2) 131 women (out of the 196 women accredited) exercised their role while the elections had been cancelled in the constituencies for the remaining 65; (3) produced 34 election observation reports and 56 women participated in resolving election-related conflicts; (4) 412 women benefited directly from the activities of the 16 subsidized projects; and (5) succeeded in terms of mediation training and supported women candidates, election observation and advocacy with the authorities to increase women's participation. On the other hand, on the increased involvement of women in politics, only 1% more women in national elections and 2.2% more women in provincial elections is low considering that a significant number of women were candidates.