Gender integration and women’s leadership are essential for enduring democracy. In line with its commitment to improving women’s participation in politics and public life, USAID’s Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG) Bureau launched the Women’s Political Participation and Leadership (WPPL) Assessment Framework at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on June 10, 2024.
Through the Generating Results in our Work and Thought Leadership (GROWTH) Activity, EnCompass led the dissemination event design and delivery of this critical resource for USAID.
Developed in 2022, the WPPL Assessment Framework serves as a diagnostic tool for the Advancing Women’s and Girls’ Civic and Political Leadership Initiative. This initiative, announced at the first Summit for Democracy in 2021, aims to expand the pipeline of women leaders while creating an enabling environment for their safe and meaningful participation in politics and public life. So far, WPPL Assessments have been conducted in eight focus countries: Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Honduras, Kenya, the Kyrgyz Republic, Nigeria, and Tanzania, with two additional assessments planned for Georgia and Fiji in 2024. The full Assessment Framework and all eight assessment reports are available on DRGLinks.
At the launch event, Mark Billera, Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator of the DRG Bureau, emphasized USAID’s dedication to promoting women’s leadership in all DRG programming. “This assessment framework underscores the DRG Bureau’s commitment to evidence-based, holistic programming, allowing us to continue to grow our understanding of what works to improve women’s political participation and leadership,” he said. “By providing targeted, country-specific analysis and recommendations, they allow USAID and our partners to design projects that are informed by and responsive to the specific gender and social dynamics of each of our focus countries.”
The event also featured a panel discussion among experts deeply involved in the assessment process. Jamille Bigio, USAID’s Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, led the discussion on how the tool can advance gender-inclusive democracy programming. Panelists included Nicole Rowswell, Gender and Politics Advisor for the assessments and former Acting President of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), Mahabat Alymkulova, former USAID/Kyrgyz Republic Gender Advisor, and Keri Zolman, Deputy Director of the Women’s Democracy Network (WDN) at the International Republican Institute (IRI).
Each panelist shared insights on expanding existing and informing new programming to increase women’s political participation and leadership. They discussed the importance of identifying barriers, opportunities, key players, and providing tailored recommendations for each country’s programming landscape. One panelist, Ms. Alymkulova, emphasized that the new WPPL Assessment Framework promotes a locally led approach to identifying barriers and opportunities in various contexts. She highlighted that in Kyrgyzstan, prominent local researchers are utilizing the WPPL Assessment Framework to investigate the obstacles hindering women’s political engagement and to identify contextually relevant solutions.
Watch the full panel discussion online: USAID/DRG WPPL Assessment Launch Panel
Be sure to check out the DRG Bureau’s other gender integration resources, including videos on Gender Integration in DRG Programming and Gender Policy Principles in DRG Programming.
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Through the GROWTH Activity, EnCompass partners with USAID’s DRG Bureau to enhance the Bureau’s learning events and elevate its thought leadership. GROWTH is designed to strengthen the USAID DRG cadre’s capacity to exchange information and resources via synchronous and asynchronous training programs, internal and external events, and individual and group leadership activities.
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