The Committee for the Follow-Up on Women's Issues – CFUWI Association launches a field project within the framework of the pilot action of mobilization of gender equality actors at local level led in 2015. This action was realized in the governorate of Mount Lebanon and allowed to identify the brakes to the inclusion of Lebanese women in the political life. It was implemented through a meeting, group discussions and the elaboration of a paper.

The diagnosis led with the local actors highlighted the elements which prevent women from reaching high level positions in politics both in the municipalities and in the Parliament. Among them:

- At the legislative level, it is fundamental to modify the electoral law and develop policies to increase women’s political participation.

- From the social perspective, it is necessary to modify the values and the standards of the current patriarchal system.

- At the educational level, it would be necessary to include the concepts of gender equality, human rights and citizenship in the educational programs.

- At the media level, it is essential to change the stereotypical image of women, raising the awareness of the media on the importance to have gender quotas.

- At the individual and institutional level, it is necessary to train on: financial resources, digital and social media, electoral organization of campaigns and advocacy actions.

To contribute to improve this situation, the project of CFUWI plans activities of advocacy and political dialogue. These activities have the aim to push the members of Parliament to adopt a proposal of amendment of the law of the quotas at the municipal level launched by the national Commission of the Lebanese woman. The project will also raise awareness among policy-makers, media and NGO on the need to modify the law of the quotas in partnership with other civil society movements involved, such as the Civilian Campaign for electoral reform and the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections. The project will be implemented in the central-western region of Lebanon, specifically in the communities of Aley, Baabda, Metn, Chouf, Kesrouan and Jbeil (Byblos).

This project follows the mission of the Foundation to encourage women’s empowerment. It is one of fieldwork projects developed within the framework of the 1st cycle of the Axis 1 "Strengthening the capacity of the actors working for equality" of the project “Women for the future in the Mediterranean”, funded by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development (MAEDI) and the project "Developing Women Empowerment" labeled by the Union for the Mediterranean.