VZCZCXRO1547
OO RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHMOS
DE RUEHKU #1986/01 1501641
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 301641Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4787
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 001986 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR NEA/PPD (DBENZE), NEA/ARP (DBERNS), AND NEA/PI (OKIRBY) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KPAO KMPI PHUM KU FREEDOM AGENDA
SUBJECT:  FREEDOM AGENDA:  MEPI, BMENA, AND EXCHANGES BASIS OF 
HEARTY USG SUPPORT FOR KUWAITI WOMEN AS ELECTION NEARS 
 
REF:  A) KUWAIT 1889 
  B) KUWAIT 1833 
  C) KUWAIT 1244 
  D) KUWAIT 605 
  E) 05 KUWAIT 4144 
  F) 05 KUWAIT 2732 
  G) 05 KUWAIT 2091 
 
ENTIRE TEXT SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  NOT FOR INTERNET 
DISTRIBUTION. 
 
¶1. (SBU)  Summary: The Embassy has pursued a consistent, 
comprehensive plan in support of women's empowerment and full 
political participation in Kuwait.  That support has involved more 
than 350 Kuwaiti women in professional development and exchange 
programs, public diplomacy activities, regional conferences, 
training sessions, networking opportunities, and consultations with 
specialists in preparation for their unprecedented inclusion in the 
June 2006 elections, originally scheduled for July 2007. 
Additionally, more than $150,000 has been committed to the political 
education and advancement of Kuwaiti women through MEPI Small Grants 
projects.  Virtually all of the women political activists in Kuwait 
have been supported in some significant way by USG programs. 
Although work remains in both long-term support for women's rights 
and overall democratization, we can be justly proud of the Freedom 
Agenda accomplishments achieved with our Kuwaiti partners.  End 
Summary. 
 
Amir Dissolves Parliament, Early Elections Due 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶2. (SBU)  The Embassy has made significant efforts over the past two 
years to offer training and professional development opportunities 
to women in Kuwait to bolster their quest for full political rights 
that were granted on May 16, 2005.  On May 21, 2006, confronted by 
heated and divisive debates on the topic of reform of Kuwait's 
electoral constituencies (ref A), the Amir dissolved the National 
Assembly.  His dissolution of the Parliament forced the scheduling 
of constitutionally mandated elections to be held a year early, on 
June 29, 2006. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Many of the Embassy's activities and programs that aid the 
political development of Kuwait's women and democratic institutions 
were based on a July 2007 election date and included campaign 
schools, voter awareness programs, and other comprehensive 
activities, some projected to run a full year.  A clear preference 
by Kuwaiti women to forego training and concentrate on hands-on 
experience gained from running campaigns has now forced the 
cancellation of some programs and the reshaping of others.  Post is 
confident that the training previously provided to Kuwaiti women has 
them well positioned to play an influential role in the electoral 
process.  Creative programming already in place through significant 
support from Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and public 
diplomacy efforts, will further enable them to successfully 
participate in campaigns and voter education activities, and to cast 
their ballots. 
 
Public Diplomacy Programs Support Women 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Embassy has made important inroads using Public 
Diplomacy programs, including the International Visitor Leadership 
Program, the Fulbright program, and other professional exchanges to 
support advocates of women's political rights and women's rights 
activists. 
 
International Visitor Leadership Programs: 
 
Since FY 2003, 11 Kuwaitis (10 women and 1 man) participated in IVLP 
projects directly related to women's rights.  One of the Embassy's 
IVLP alumni, Dr. Masouma Al-Mubarak, became Kuwait's first woman 
Minister in 2005, while two others, Dr. Rola Dashti and Dr. Fatima 
al-Abdali, have announced their candidacies in the upcoming 
election. 
 
FY 2003 
--Mr. Amer Al-Tameemi, Women as Leaders in the Public and Private 
Sectors, May 12-31, 2003 
--Ms. Kawthar Al-Jouan, Promoting Effective NGO Leadership for 
Women, February 24-March 14, 2003 (head of Women's Training and 
Development NGO) 
--Dr. Fatima Al-Abdali, Women as Political Partners, October 
21-November 5, 2002 (running for National Assembly) 
--Dr. Rola Dashti, Women as Political Partners, October 21-November 
5, 2002 (running for National Assembly) 
--Ms. Laila Al-Awadi, Women as Political Partners, October 
21-November 5, 2002 (working as advisor to first female Cabinet 
Minister) 
--Ms. Nadia Al-Sharrah, Women as Political Partners, October 
 
KUWAIT 00001986  002 OF 003 
 
 
21-November 5, 2002 (campaign manager for Rola Dashti) 
 
FY 2004 
--Dr. Suad Al-Ansari, Teaching English as a Second Language, 
February 2-19, 2004 (head of English Training at Ministry of 
Education 
--Dr. Wafaa Al-Yaseen, Curriculum Development and Civic Education, 
October 6-24, 2003, FY 2004, 
 
FY 2005 
--Ms. Thikra Al-Rashidi, "Promoting Rule of Law and Judicial 
Reform," January 10-28, 2005 (she focuses on women's rights) 
 
FY 2006 
--Dr. Suad Al-Tararwah, "Promoting Rule of Law and Judicial Reform," 
February 27 to March 17, 2006 (she focuses on women's legal rights 
and is the only female member of the Municipal Housing Committee) 
--Ms. Abrar Al-Awadhi, "Young Leaders, Effecting Social, Political 
and Economic Change," May 8 to 26, 2006 (she is encouraging Kuwaitis 
to work in the private sector and working with Islamic charities) 
 
Georgetown Leadership Seminar: 
 
--Dr. Alanoud Al-Sharekh, March 26-31, 2006, Georgetown University 
(she focuses on women's legal rights, is a member of the Women's 
Cultural Society, and completed a successful MEPI small grants 
project on discrimination against women) 
 
Kuwaiti Fulbright Scholar Grantees: 
 
This year alone, all three Kuwaiti Fulbright researchers are women's 
rights activists. 
 
--Dr. Zahra Hussein, College of English Literature and Linguistics, 
Kuwait University, FY 06 (nine months) 
--Dr. Manal Al-Fadhala, College of Engineering, Kuwait University FY 
06 (nine months) 
--Dr. Wafaa Al-Yaseen, College of Education, Kuwait University FY 06 
(three months) 
 
Continued Support with Diverse Programs 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU)  Ongoing public affairs programming stresses the positive 
and productive role of women in American society, supporting the 
stance of Kuwaiti women activists through instructive examples and 
models.  These programs have included DVCs with American women 
activists and political analysts, and gatherings that offer 
opportunities for networking across societal barriers, such as the 
Embassy's celebration of International Women's Day that brought 
together more than 50 Kuwaiti women leaders and honored their 
contributions in a spectrum of fields. 
 
MEPI: Small Grants, Big Impact 
------------------------------ 
 
¶6. (SBU)  As part of the Embassy's MEPI outreach, approximately 
$151,000 has been committed to an increasing number of projects 
devoted to the women's pillar. 
 
--In FY04, one project, a gender budgeting study, was implemented. 
 
--In FY05, two projects were funded, a women's rights survey and a 
brochure identifying and proposing changes to laws that disadvantage 
women. 
--In FY06, three women's-pillar projects have been approved by the 
Embassy's MEPI working group, including a political education 
newsletter, a women's leadership training seminar, and a women's 
legal and political rights and legal reform seminar series. 
 
MEPI-related Conferences, Training and Exchanges 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶7. (SBU)  In addition to support rendered through MEPI's Small 
Grants program, MEPI-related conferences, training programs and 
exchanges have reached hundreds of Kuwaiti women, including students 
and experienced political rights campaigners, setting the stage for 
their political activism at present and in the future.  In its two 
years of existence, the MEPI Business Internship Program for Young 
Middle Eastern Women has sent three Kuwaitis to America and the 
Middle East Entrepreneurial Training (MEET U.S.) program has sent 
four Kuwaiti women over two years to America.  Two librarians, both 
women, will be heading to the United States on a study tour this 
June and another woman has applied for the MEPI Independent Media 
Project to establish a women's issues oriented magazine in Kuwait. 
 
 
¶8. (SBU)  International training workshops and conferences have 
attracted a number of influential and politically active Kuwaiti 
 
KUWAIT 00001986  003 OF 003 
 
 
women.  NDI has trained over 100 Kuwaiti women with MEPI funding 
and, with IRI, has also trained 20 Kuwaiti women (and more than 50 
other Arab women) in a regional campaign school held in Kuwait in 
September 2005.  Kuwait's MEPI-funded INJAZ (Junior Achievement) 
program has taken off in 2005 and 2006 with more than 380 high 
school students participating, about half of them girls and young 
women. 
 
¶9. (SBU)  Kuwaiti women have participated in the following MEPI- and 
BMENA-related conferences as part of the Embassy's plan to advance 
women's leadership in Kuwait: 
 
--Five in the Businesswomen's Summit, Tunisia, May 2005; 
--One in the Democracy Assistance Dialogue, Venice, July 2005; 
--One in the Arab Women's Legal Network, Jordan, November 2005; 
--Two in the Demos Institute Project conference, Morocco, December 
2-3, 2005; 
--One in the Arab Civitas Conference on Civic Education, Jordan, 
February 2006; 
--Five in the Women as Leaders of Change Conference, Bahrain, March 
26, 2006; 
and 
--Two in the World Movement for Democracy Assembly, Turkey, April, 
¶2006. 
 
From Now until the Election 
--------------------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU)  The Embassy continues to provide reinforcement for those 
women who have entered the political contest.  Five women registered 
as candidates on May 25, the day the rolls opened and that number 
has now grown to 20 and may continue to expand.  Working in close 
cooperation with the Mission, NDI has re-established its presence 
and has launched assistance to Kuwaiti voter education, political 
participation, and communication projects that form the basis for 
campaigns by Kuwaiti women candidates.  EmbOffs, sensitive to 
Kuwaiti concerns about external interference in domestic projects, 
are helping to put the candidates in touch with NDI and other local 
organizations providing electoral support and guidance.  We also 
provided guidance to UNDP on how it could be supportive at this 
juncture.  EmbOffs also are engaged in an active program of 
monitoring public opinion through increased attendances at diwaniyas 
and observing satellite and broadcast television reporting and 
commentary, so that they can provide feedback to the candidates and 
the programming agencies on which strategies are proving to be 
successful. 
 
********************************************* * 
For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s 
 
You can also access the site through the 
State Department's Classified SIPRNET website 
********************************************* * 
 
LEBARON