The National Advisory Council (NAC) on Local Government Reform which was reconstituted in 2004 was challenged to wrestle with issues of gender in context of the discourse on democracy, participation and good governance which was one of the clusters around which its work was organized.

Among the central ideas governing the work of this cluster was that good governance is concerned and directed “to build a culture of multi-level political partnerships, changes of purpose, creating conditions of change, solve complex community problems, optimally use leadership sectors and interest those who have been excluded in the past and provide for a more informed, intelligent and involved community”.5

This perspective, which from all indications was widely shared among NAC members, clearly opened the space for conversations on gender in the reform process, beginning with issues of women’s participation in elected representation in Local Government Councils. Data had shown that there was a 7 per cent decline in female from 24 per cent in 1998 to 17 per cent in 2003.

The paper will trace the flow of this conversation including the findings of the study on gender and local government which was commissioned by the NAC and bring to the fore some of the challenges of moving from rhetoric to action. It will invite inputs from participants on how to secure action to deepen democracy within our structures of governance to secure the basis for sustainable human development in our communities and nation.

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