Catriona Laing

Catriona Laing

British Ambassador to Zimbabwe

Part of UK in Afghanistan

22nd June 2013 Harare, Zimbabwe

Update: Women Register to Vote in Municipal Advisory Board Elections

Helmand women crowding to vote at the Municipal Advisory Board elections
Helmand women crowding to vote at the Municipal Advisory Board elections

Following on from my previous blog “A Generational Change Plays Out as Women in Helmand Register to Vote in Local Elections” I am delighted to report the success of the 15 June Municipal Advisory Board (MAB) election.

525 women voted representing the largest turn out of female voters in a local election in Helmand. 4 seats were reserved for women and 5 female candidates stood. The 4 selected will have their say on a wide range of local issues including education, security, and job creation.

The gradual empowerment of women in Lashkar Gah is one of the clearest signs of the progress made in the province. With nearly 30,000 girls in school, up from zero in 2007, and 2 female representatives from Helmand sitting in the national Parliament this progress has become a part of Helmand life and will be difficult to roll back.

About Catriona Laing

I was born in Cardiff but brought up in South London. I studied economics and joined the civil service through the Government Economic Service after 2.5 years working for the…

I was born in Cardiff but brought up in South London. I studied
economics and joined the civil service through the Government Economic
Service after 2.5 years working for the Government of Botswana as an
infrastructure economist.
I was posted to Kenya to advise on the government’s development
programmes in East Africa, and then seconded to the United Nations
Mission in Somalia heading the UN Development Office.
I spent five years working for Prime Minister Tony Blair in his
strategy unit, and was later posted to head the DFID office in Sudan
running a £116 million programme and addressing the drivers of conflict.
Most recently I have been working for the Ministry of Justice to
establish the new international function with responsibility for
European and international justice.
I live with my partner – Clive Bates and our Sudanese dog – in
Balham. My hobbies are yoga, dog and mountain walking and cooking.