Women's participation in decision making

The concept of human security was developed primarily to assess and ameliorate dramatic challenges to life and livelihood in the ‘Third World’. In this chapter, we explore the relevance of the concept of human security to political participation of women in the Northwest Territories (NWT) and Nunavut in Canada. We start with the assumption that functioning and appropriate political systems and institutions are fundamental to human security. We also assume that legitimate and effective Indigenous representation and the creation of political institutions appropriate to Indigenous peoples' senses of identity, community and culture are essential to the well-being of Indigenous individuals and communities.