OSCE AND BRITISH COUNCIL ORGANIZE COURSE FOR FEMALE CANDIDATES IN ARMENIA ON ELECTION CAMPAIGN MANAGEMENT

armradio.am
19.09.2008 16:33

How to run an election campaign, manage media relations and give
political speeches are among the topics of an OSCE-organized two-day
course for women that started today in the southern Syunik province
of Armenia.

The course, jointly organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan and the
British Council Armenia, targets women from Syunik who are running
in the local elections.

A British consultant is teaching the course, which aims to help
participants enhance their lobbying and public speaking skills as well
as their ability to better formulate and communicate their messages
to voters and the media.

"Lack of confidence is an obstacle for women to run effective campaigns
and lobbying efforts," said Ambassador Sergey Kapinos, Head of the
OSCE Office in Yerevan. "We hope that this training course will
boost the participants’ confidence and promote networking among
women interested in becoming active in local politics. In the end,
we hope that more women are elected to local bodies."

This course is part of an OSCE Office project aiming to empower women
in Syunik in the economic and political fields. The OSCE Office opened
a Programme Presence in the Syunik city of Kapan in 2006.

A similar course was held earlier this week in Yerevan. The training
in the capital, which targeted women representing Armenia’s leading
political parties, was part of a British Council "Wo/Men in politics"
project financed by the British Embassy Yerevan.