The Youth Parliament of the Democratic Republic of Congo, also known as Parlement des Jeunes de la RDC, partnered with ACCORD, the African Union, and the Congolese Women Fund (Fonds Pour Les Femmes Congolaises) to host a Capacity Building training program for young female election candidates. The event took place from 6-7 December 2023 in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The training session was held to prepare for the upcoming elections in DRC. The main objective of the training was to motivate young women candidates, parliamentarians and politicians to take a more resilient approach and participate actively in promoting good governance. The theme of the training was “Women in the Socio-Political Sphere for Good Governance in the DRC”.
During the two-day training, 60 young female and 13 male candidates from different provinces in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including Kinshasa, were brought together. The first day of the training focused on promoting female leadership for better electoral participation through active citizenry participation, political leadership, and good governance. On the second day, the training was mostly practical, enabling the participants to apply the knowledge gained on the first day. The participants had the opportunity to reflect and raise their awareness of electoral citizenship, their rights and duties towards society, as well as to better understand the constraints and difficulties encountered by women in the political sphere.
The training aligns with ACCORD’s efforts to enhance the role of women and youth, and the role of multidimensional stakeholders in addressing and resolving complex conflicts. As a process of continuity and monitoring the progression of the women candidates, ACCORD will remain engaged with the Youth Parliament of the DRC, the African Union and the Congolese Women Fund.
