Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06KUWAIT2445
2006-06-21 14:01:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Embassy Kuwait
Cable title:  

FREEDOM AGENDA: MEPI -- MAKING A REAL DIFFERENCE

Tags:  PREL PHUM KDEM KMPI KU FREEDOM AGENDA 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO6248
OO RUEHBC RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHKU #2445/01 1721401
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 211401Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5337
INFO RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 002445 

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

FOR NEA/ARP AND NEA/PI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/20/2016
TAGS: PREL PHUM KDEM KMPI KU FREEDOM AGENDA
SUBJECT: FREEDOM AGENDA: MEPI -- MAKING A REAL DIFFERENCE
IN WOMEN'S POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

REF: A. KUWAIT 2392 -- FREEDOM AGENDA: WOMEN'S ELECTION
PARTICIPATION BREAKING TABOOS SHAPING
ISSUES AND CHANGING THE STATUS QUO

B. KUWAIT 1986 -- FREEDOM AGENDA: MEPI BMENA AND
EXCHANGES BASIS OF HEARTY USG SUPPORT
FOR KUWAITI WOMEN AS ELECTION NEARS

C. KUWAIT 925 -- FREEDOM AGENDA: EMBASSY'S
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY CELEBRATION
APPLAUDS ACHIEVEMENTS OF KUWAITI WOMEN

D. KUWAIT 85 -- FREEDOM AGENDA: MOST SAY WOMEN
WON'T WIN BUT KUWAIT GEARING UP THEIR
ROLE IN 2007 ELECTIONS

E. 05 KUWAIT 4325 -- MEPI-FUNDED REGIONAL CAMPAIGN
SCHOOL BRINGS ARAB WOMEN TOGETHER TO
STRENGTHEN THEIR POLITICAL SKILLS

Classified By: CDA Matt Tueller for reasons 1.4(b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 002445

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

FOR NEA/ARP AND NEA/PI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/20/2016
TAGS: PREL PHUM KDEM KMPI KU FREEDOM AGENDA
SUBJECT: FREEDOM AGENDA: MEPI -- MAKING A REAL DIFFERENCE
IN WOMEN'S POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

REF: A. KUWAIT 2392 -- FREEDOM AGENDA: WOMEN'S ELECTION
PARTICIPATION BREAKING TABOOS SHAPING
ISSUES AND CHANGING THE STATUS QUO

B. KUWAIT 1986 -- FREEDOM AGENDA: MEPI BMENA AND
EXCHANGES BASIS OF HEARTY USG SUPPORT
FOR KUWAITI WOMEN AS ELECTION NEARS

C. KUWAIT 925 -- FREEDOM AGENDA: EMBASSY'S
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY CELEBRATION
APPLAUDS ACHIEVEMENTS OF KUWAITI WOMEN

D. KUWAIT 85 -- FREEDOM AGENDA: MOST SAY WOMEN
WON'T WIN BUT KUWAIT GEARING UP THEIR
ROLE IN 2007 ELECTIONS

E. 05 KUWAIT 4325 -- MEPI-FUNDED REGIONAL CAMPAIGN
SCHOOL BRINGS ARAB WOMEN TOGETHER TO
STRENGTHEN THEIR POLITICAL SKILLS

Classified By: CDA Matt Tueller for reasons 1.4(b) and (d)


1. (SBU) Summary: More than half of the Kuwaiti women
currently running for office, while different in their
social, economic, and educational backgrounds, have in common
their participation in a range of MEPI programs designed to
strengthen the role played by women. The women campaigning
on their behalf and encouraging women to vote are also MEPI
program alumnae and several have administered MEPI small
grants. Training and resources provided through MEPI and
other programs have helped them to refine their skills and
develop the confidence to speak out on political rights,
highlight other areas of discrimination, and effectively
challenge those who question the need for further reform.
The success of Post's MEPI activities in the field of women's
empowerment is due to the organic nature of the programs.
Kuwaiti women have articulated what they need and program
implementors spent considerable time meeting with activists
and academics to tailor workshops accordingly. All small
grant projects have a uniquely Kuwaiti flair and have been
warmly received. The post-election period presents an
opportunity to provide advanced training for those women
already politically active and to work with women in the

political arena. Post has already begun to poll its contacts
on the type of training and events most needed and expects to
pursue civic education activities and programs to help women
work with elected officials. End summary.

MEPI A Common Theme among Politically Active Women
-------------- --------------


2. (SBU) The 29 women still actively campaigning for the
June 29 parliamentary elections represent a broad
cross-section of Kuwaiti society. They range in age from 33
to 78; include several U.S. university graduates; are
practitioners of both Sunni and Shi'a Islam and even include
one atheist; have a wide range of educational and
professional experience from high school graduates to post
graduate education and professional degrees; come from urban
and rural areas; include married women and divorcees; and are
veiled and unveiled. Despite these differences, however, the
majority have one thing in common: training from MEPI-funded
programs. Seventeen of the 29 have actively participated
since May 23 in seminars, training, and one-on-one
consultations with campaign experts provided by a MEPI grant
to the National Democratic Institute (NDI). Many of these
same women have participated in recent years in numerous MEPI
programs in the political, economic, and women's pillars. In
addition, several of their campaign managers, women's
committee leaders for numerous male candidates, numerous
speakers at election events, and many audience members are
all MEPI-alumnae. Some candidates and campaign staff have
also participated in International Visitor Program projects.


3. (C/NF) Three of the most prominent female candidates
have long, established relationships with Post and MEPI
programs. Dr. Rola Dashti, running for one of two seats
against 19 other candidates (five of them women) in her
district, has a distinguished relationship with MEPI. She
has participated in a series of campaign schools and attended
both MEPI and BMENA conferences. Through her various
organizations, she has made prolific use of MEPI small
grants, completing a gender budget study; conducting an
opinion poll on women's political participation; and in the
midst of her campaign, launching a new organization that in a
matter of days revised and completed a MEPI small grant
instructing women how and where to vote, where to seek
assistance, and providing religious texts and the statements
of religious leaders on why women should vote. Running
against Dashti is former Assistant Undersecretary for Tourism
Nabila Al-Anjari who took part in the September 2005
International Republican Institute- and NDI-sponsored
"Partners in Participation" regional campaign school. Dr.

KUWAIT 00002445 002 OF 003


Fatima Al-Abdali has also participated in MEPI-funded
campaign training for women. All three candidates and their
campaign managers, along with other Kuwaiti women, were
scheduled to take part in the June advanced campaign academy,
but understandably opted to remain in Kuwait and focus on
their campaigns instead.

Don't Stop with Political Rights
--------------


4. (C/NF) The campaign staffs of many candidates have also
benefited from training provided by the USG. Nadia
Al-Sharrah has attended various political participation
activities and is serving as Dashti's campaign manager and
also consulting on the campaigns of former MPs Ahmed
Al-Saadoun and Mohammed Jassem Al-Sager. Najat Al-Hashash, a
veteran of the September 2005 program, is running women's
outreach for former MP Abdulwahab Al-Haroun. On June 20,
EmbOffs attended a special meeting he held for an audience of
over 250 women, many of them past-participants in MEPI
programs. He spoke at length on healthcare and education,
issues brought to the forefront because of women's political
participation (ref A). Many of the women came with a list of
questions for him and one audience member and recent
recipient of a MEPI small grant for women's leadership
development, Dr. Samar Al-Roumi, told the women that
receiving their political rights was not enough. Women
needed enhanced social and civil rights and should only vote
for MPs committed to full equality.


5. (C/NF) Likewise, many of the guest speakers at campaign
tents are MEPI program graduates. Attorney Dr. Badria
Al-Awadi, who took part in the November 2005 Arab Women's
Legal Network in Jordan, delivered on June 20 an impassioned
presentation on areas in the law that discriminate against
women at the campaign headquarters of Marzouq Al-Ghanim,
nephew of former parliamentary speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi who
abstained during the May 16, 2005 suffrage vote. Al-Awadi
joined the chorus instructing women not to support candidates
who voted against women's rights and received cheers from the
audience when she named these candidates district by
district. Al-Awadi also hosts a Thursday morning breakfast
diwaniya frequented by several of the women running for
office and their staffs as well as female EmbOffs. Other USG
program participants delivering speeches and conducting
seminars and campaign tents include Dr. Suad Al-Trarwah (IVP
program "Promoting Rule of Law and Judicial Reform" and The
Demos Institute Project Conference) and Dr. Kawthar Al-Jouan
(IVP program "Promoting Effective NGO Leadership for Women,"
The Demos Institute Project Conference, and Partners in
Participation). Even women from more conservative
backgrounds are telling women to exercise their rights.
Khawla Al-Ateeqi, who participated in the September 2005
workshop, told female voters, "You'll have to answer on
judgment day if you don't vote."


6. (SBU) The Women's Cultural and Social Society, whose
membership and leadership have taken part in MEPI programs,
has also played an active and extremely effective role in an
election awareness campaign. With a bit of a prod from Post
and NDI's resident coordinator, the Society took the lead in
producing brochures and posters to encourage women to vote
and securing free air time for radio and TV public service
announcements (ref A). Emboffs visited June 20 three
campaign events targeting women and at each location audience
members had copies of the flyer.

After the Elections
--------------


7. (SBU) The U.S. can be proud of the assistance provided
to Kuwaiti women who are uniformly appreciative of U.S.
support and credit training programs for their successes.
They praise the programs for helping them to further develop
skills to compete with men, introducing them to successful
Arab and western woman who inspired them to persevere, and
not dictating how political reform and their participation
should take shape in Kuwait. The strength of all Post
programming in support of the political reform goal of the
Freedom Agenda has been its ability to address needs
identified by Kuwaiti partners. The post-election period,
whether women and reformers are elected or not, presents an
opportunity for additional programming, providing advanced
training to women on how to work with elected officials and
affect change and reaching out to the many women for whom the
June 2006 campaign period was their first foray into
politics. Recognizing that the most successful programs
originated with Post's Kuwaiti contacts, EmbOffs have already
begun to poll candidates and voters on what type of training

KUWAIT 00002445 003 OF 003


is necessary to sustain the current high level of political
interest and activism.

********************************************* *
For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s

Visit Kuwait's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/
********************************************* *
TUELLER