Last 8th December 2016, the kick-off seminar for the initiative "Strengthening the capacities of equality actors”, funded by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development (MAEDI) and empowered by the Foundation, took place in Tunis, Tunisia.

Every year, the Foundation selects 7 associations from the Southern Mediterranean (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia) with the goal of creating 7 local clusters of gender equality actors to work on a specific issue. These associations are in charge of mobilizing the gender equality actors in their territories, elaborating a diagnosis and promoting networking and collaboration to overcome the identified challenges.

Watch the following video to know more about the meeting that took place last December!

The 7 associations selected last year, together with their territories and chosen topics, were:

• Association des femmes en économie verte / Association of Women in Green Economy (AFEV), Algeria (Wilaya of Algiers): promoting women’s entrepreneurship.
• National Association for the Defense of Rights and Freedoms (NADRF), Egypt (Luxor): women’s representation in local councils.
• Jordan Forum for Business and Professional Women (JFBPW), Jordan (Zarqa): working conditions of women employed in factories.
• Lebanese League of Women’s Rights (LLWR), Lebanon (eastern suburbs of Beirut): prostitution and trafficking in women and girls.
• Tamaynut, Morocco (Inezgane-Agadir): gender parity and women’s access to decision-making positions in associations, syndicates and political parties.
• The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH), Palestine (Ramallah): the representation of women and youth in the Palestinian political system.
• Le Chemin de la dignité / The Road to Dignity (ACD), Tunisia (Douar Hicher): the participation of women in political and public life.

Currently, these associations are still working on their local initiatives. To find out about their progress, check the following news: 

• About the “Association des femmes en économie verte” action: “Mobilizing the local actors in order to enhance women’s entrepreneurship in Algiers”
• About the “National Association for the Defense of Rights and Freedoms” action: “For an effective women’s participation in local councils in Luxor”
• About the “Tamaynut” action: “Promoting women’s access to decision-making positions in Souss-Massa”
• About the “The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy” action: “MIFTAH wants to strengthen women’s access to decision-making positions”
• About the “Le Chemin de la dignité” action: “Encouraging women’s participation in public life in Douar Hicher”

These leading associations were selected through a call for applications. Currently, we are working on a new call that we’ll launch during 2017. If you are an association willing to become an actor of local change, be alert for new updates!