Kea Thavy is one of the more visible female politicians in Cambodia. Elected in 2007 to her second five-year term as Commune Chief of Toul Taek, Battambang Province, the youthful looking 48-year-old embodies one of the benchmarks UNDP Cambodia envisages for the country's future development -- the mainstreaming of gender equality and empowerment of women.

If she is confident in her ability to bring positive change to her community, it is for a good reason: since her tenure as Commune Chief, she has managed to achieve several core development goals, including the construction of roads, irrigation canals and a primary school. Before she was elected, there wasn't even a proper commune office. The building was broken down, dirty and flooded annually in the rainy season. She collected money from citizens and other funders to build a proper office space. The construction of this office has changed her commune and the way its constituents interact. It is a place where citizens can meet with their commune leader, express their concerns and desires for their community, and discuss personal issues.

As she sees it, inclusion of women in Cambodian public life is well on its way to becoming a reality. "All of my colleagues, men and women, respect my qualifications, ability and knowledge. They feel comfortable with my leadership." She speaks confidently of the respect and admiration she receives from constituents, government officials and commune leaders alike.

Kea Thavy is part of a growing trend toward women's involvement in Cambodian politics and public life. The 2007 Commune Council elections saw female participation increase substantially. The number of women running for Commune Council seats increased to more than 21 percent, up five percent from 2002. In urban areas the number of female candidates was even higher, up to 35.08 percent in Phnom Penh. Of the 11,353 seats contested, women won 1,662 seats, 14.6 percent of the total seats in Cambodia's Commune Councils, up from 8.8 percent in 2002.

UNDP Cambodia is dedicated to helping Cambodia continue along this path toward gender mainstreaming. UNDP has been successful in promoting gender-sensitive voter information and education, gathering gender disaggregated data on voter registration, producing a gender analysis of laws and urging gender consideration for polling station officials. The National Election Committee (NEC) has integrated gender considerations into its regulations and procedure manuals.

For the first time, recruitment of women and ethnic minorities were specifically encouraged. For the 2007 elections, women made up 30 percent of the electoral workforce on election day. UNDP also played a central role in increasing the number of women in Commune Election Commissions and has used their weekly leadership meeting with political parties to lobby policymakers to encourage more women to stand as candidates. UNDP, in partnership with other agencies, has successfully trained women candidates, helping them improve their skills and gain in confidence.

On 20 March, UNDP organized a workshop for political party strategists, campaign managers and other key party members aimed at helping political parties formulate gender-inclusive political platforms for the 2008 national election.

Participants examined how investments in gender equality in all sectors can bring lasting improvement to Cambodian society, strengthening the country's economy and democratic processes for future generations. Although women comprise 50 percent of Cambodia's workforce, they are largely relegated to the informal sector. The inclusion of women as key participants in Cambodia's economic development was a central theme for the conference. The conference also encouraged male parliamentarians to advocate for gender rights and reforms. UNDP seeks to build upon past campaign platforms and establish a stronger focus on gender issues, hoping to increase the ability of political party strategists to discuss the specific reasons why gender matters.

Despite the noteworthy success of some female politicians, such as Toul Taek's Commune Chief, attaining true equality among the sexes in Cambodia is still a ways off. But if Kea Thavy is any indication of things to come, UNDP Cambodia's gender mainstreaming projects are on the right track, preparing women, as well as Cambodian society, for the inclusion of women in political life.