Women, you can vote too

Papua New Guineans will go to the polls at the end of this month to elect their new national leaders – but with one big change.

With the help of the UNDP’s Women’s Empowerment initiative, separate compartments for women voters will be set up at polling booths so that they can cast their votes in privacy. In the past, women voters have been intimidated by husbands, male relatives or other partisans, preventing them from voting for their preferred candidate. Workshops held by UNIFEM have also been conducted to train future female candidates in good governance and transparent leadership.

This is just one way the UNDP helps the voice of women be heard all over the world.