The Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC) in September deployed four field teams to eight districts for collect primary data for the ongoing survey on Women Participation in Politics at Local Government level. The data is needed to answer the research objectives on the quality of political representation, effective participation in legislative/deliberative bodies of Local governments.
In the survey being conducted by EPRC with support from UN Women in Uganda, the data was collected from selected districts of Nwoya, Kiryandongo, Gulu, Pader, Bugiri, Palisa, Napak and Moroto through key informant interviews with political leaders at the administrative levels in local governments, and focus group discussions with community people.
According to Dr. Mildred Barungi the focal officer for the study at EPRC, Women’s participation and representation in Local government councils is critical since it opens up avenues for them to enter arenas of political decision-making, and to advance women’s interests. The objectives of the study are:
To update and track progress towards attainment of gender parity in political representation at local government level; assess the extent to which women and men in LGs are effectively contributing to local decision making processes; and to provide a deeper understanding of the factors that hinder elected women and men in LGs from effectively participating and exercising their powers as provided for in the LG Act, 1997
The study is also enable EPRC provide technical support and leadership in evidence generation through research and policy analysis using gender statistics. Accordingly, EPRC intends to contribute to production of gender statistics, partly by conducting a study to track progress towards attainment of gender parity in political representation at local government (LG) level. It is anticipated that at the end of the study, EPRC will generate a comprehensive report, a policy brief and a policy dialogue at which key findings will be disseminated.
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