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) 
 
¶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