Work by the IPU in the field of gender equality received widespread attention at recent events surrounding the 50th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at UN Headquarters in New York. In what was a week of hectic activity, the IPU got extensive international media coverage of its most recent statistics on the representation of women in parliaments around the world, while also co-hosting a major event on the role of women in the political process and making several contributions to this year’s session of the CSW. Moreover, throughout the week of 1 March, the IPU succeeded in moving the public discussion beyond mere figures and into the realm of sound policies and mechanisms for enhancing women’s active participation in political life.
Women Speakers of Parliament |
Launching the busy week, a press conference was held by the IPU on Monday at the United Nations, during which new statistical data were presented on women and parliaments. Showing that one in five parliamentarians elected in 2005 was a woman, the statistics also made clear the pressing need for further progress in the area of empowering women politically. The data was also quoted at length in the UN Secretary General's Report to the CSW, as well as by many national delegations and the international media.
Later in the day, the IPU resumed its tradition, begun at the Second World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments (September 2005), of convening meetings of women Speakers of Parliaments from around the world. A dozen parliamentary leaders, representing close to half of the world’s female Presiding Officers of Parliament, met for a discussion on the impact of women in politics, ranging from the changes they bring in institutional culture to the difference they make when it comes to setting legislative agendas.
At a CSW panel discussion on Tuesday, the IPU Secretary General addressed the major trends in women’s political participation, with a special focus on the effectiveness of special mechanisms such as quotas and ways in which the IPU itself has become a gender-sensitive organization.
On Wednesday, the Speaker of the Parliament of Lesotho and the IPU Secretary General went on ABC television (United States), for a nation-wide interview. The special guests emphasized the outstanding results achieved in some post-conflict African countries, pointing out that Rwanda now tops the list of countries with women in elected office, holding an impressive 49 percent of seats in parliament. At the same time, it is important to note that progress for women in Western countries – save for the Nordic region – seems to have slowed almost to a halt. While some progress is still being made, at the current pace it would take another 40 years before complete 50-50 parity was reached in parliaments.
Throughout the same day, the IPU – in cooperation with the UN Division for the Advancement of Women – received legislators from around the world for an event entitled "Gender Equality – Making a Difference through Parliament". Some 150 MPs from all continents discussed parliamentary mechanisms to promote gender equality in parliaments and the role of parliamentary committees specifically dealing with gender issues, and drew up a number of recommendations for follow-up action.
The week ended on the Friday with Senator Joan Fraser of Canada, President of the IPU Coordinating Committee of Women Parliamentarians and Chair of the March 1st parliamentary event at the UN, delivering a statement before the plenary of the CSW. Outlining the conclusions of the parliamentary event at the UN, Senator Fraser echoed the conviction that much work still remains to be done and that, for progress to be meaningful, the current incremental pace needs to be accelerated. The IPU and its member parliaments remain committed to this process and will be closely monitoring future developments.
