KPAC21: 'How May Donors Support Women’s Political Empowerment' with IDS Brighton

The session focused on women’s claim making and collective action in conflict affected and fragile settings in South Asia and Africa. The speakers used specific case studies to explore gender specific barriers to women’s ability to make claims and how external actors may support or enhance women’s collective voice and agency. The empirical cases included: the Hazara (ethnic minority) women’s protests and action against state oppression in Pakistan; the Chiango Protests in Maputo, Mozambique to make claims on urban authorities to address inequalities; women’s rights organizations providing humanitarian assistance at the community level in the Horn of Africa; and lessons from an electoral intervention to increase women’s participation in politics in Pakistan. 

First, women’s rights agenda at times may be in contention with the security agenda in conflict affected and fragile settings. Second, women can and do collectively organize to make claims on the state (local and national government) and demand answers from other powerholders at the community level. Third, the way donors may better support women’s rights in fragile settings is through active collaboration (not just passively funding programs). Fourth, CSOs were deemed central by all speakers to empowering women’s claim making, and that these linkages should be strengthened by external actors. Lastly, global frameworks such as CEDAW and SDGs provide a road map for what the aspirations are for attaining gender equality and promoting women’s leadership.

This session included panelists Dr. Shandana Khan Mohmand (Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies), Dr. Ali Cheema (Associate Professor of Economics at the Lahore University of Management Sciences), Hala Al Karib (Regional Director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa), Dr. Kátia Taela (Mozambican Feminist Anthropologist), Ayesha Khan (Senior Reseacher at Collective for Social Science Research in Karachi), Sohela Nazneen (Lead of Gender, Politics and Governance programme at the Institute of Development Studies).