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Short Summary
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In recent years, there has been a striking increase in the numbers of women in public decision-making roles in Africa at regional, national, and local levels. Interestingly, many of the countries with the highest proportion of women in decision-making structures have recently emerged from armed conflict. This discussion paper outlines the contributions of UNIFEM to enhance women's political participation and integrate a gender perspective into post-conflict governance in Africa. In-depth case examples from Burundi, Liberia, and Somalia reveal the complexity of post-conflict governance. In Liberia, UNIFEM has been supporting women as voters and candidates in national elections. For example, UNIFEM jointly conducted an intensive training for all female candidates, covering issues such as public speaking, political campaigning and the design of community-specific manifestos. Another initiative - the “Wake Up Early to Vote” campaign - was launched in September 2005 by the ministry of gender, UNIFEM, and other partners to ensure that registered voters actually participated at the polls. Such initiatives have contributed greatly to the successful candidacy of Africa's first female elected president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who won with 59 percent of the vote and was sworn into office in January 2006.
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