Between 2012 and 2016 INTRAC delivered the design and implementation of an action research approach as part of the British Council’s Women Participating in Public Life programme. This regional project supports women who want to make a more valuable and lasting contribution to their societies by actively participating in public institutions locally and nationally.
The project started with four countries: Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Morocco. Given the success of the project, and given women in the Levant’s needs, the project was extended to three additional countries: Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan.
Through regional and country workshops, progress reviews and continuous mentoring, INTRAC helped coalitions of women’s organisations in each country to identify an issue affecting women’s participation in public life and to conduct the research themselves. The objective was to build the capacity of the groups to generate evidence that could be used to carry out advocacy and local level mobilisation.
The initial research phase was followed by a training programme focusing on advocacy techniques to enable the local partners to develop and implement advocacy programmes at the national level in all participating countries.