UNION OF TUNISIAN WOMEN

The largest and oldest women's organization in Tunisia.

In 1956, L'Union Nationale des Femmes Tunisiennes (Union of Tunisian Women; UNFT) was formed with the explicit goal of elevating the cultural, social, economic, and political status of Tunisian women. As a women's auxiliary of the national Neo-Destour Party, the UNFT was primarily responsible for communicating, supporting, and implementing the Neo-Destour Party's initiatives and policies. Among its early initiatives were literacy and education campaigns and awareness-raising programs about the personal status code and women's rights. The UNFT became a prominent organization in the years after independence, with nearly 14,000 members in 1960 and more than 38,000 in 1969. By 2000, the UNFT had grown to a membership of more than 135,000, with regional offices and regional delegates in each of Tunisia's twenty-three governorates.

The UNFT has been primarily dedicated to women's advocacy at the national level, urging the implementation of state-sponsored programs. With the goal of promoting women's interests in all areas of society, the UNFT has sponsored and implemented projects relating to business, culture, science, health, and education. The social condition of women and the elimination of poverty continue to be of particular concern to the organization, and the UNFT works with both governmental and nongovernmental organizations to address women's needs and represent women's interests.

see also gender: gender and education; gender: gender and law; gender: gender and politics;tunisia.

angel m. foster