The IPU joined the UN Division for the Advancement of Women (UNDAW) in convening a one-day meeting for parliamentarians in New York on 2 March 2010 during the 54th session of the CSW. The meeting brought together 140 parliamentarians from 50 countries to discuss "The role of parliaments in enforcing gender equality and human rights: 15 years after Beijing". The meeting focused on two issues: a review of the progress and setbacks in relation to women’s access to parliaments over the past fifteen years, and how to deal with discriminatory legislation, and develop a more gender-sensitive legal framework.
Two new publications were launched at the meeting: A new World Map of Women in Politics 2010, a poster-size map produced with UNDAW showing the number of women politicians by country and region, and the results of the IPU survey on the progress and setbacks of Women in Parliament in 2009. The publications suggest that progress for women in politics gives cause for guarded satisfaction. While overall improvements have been seen in parliamentary and executive spheres of government over the past 15 years, the Beijing target of 30 per cent women in decision-making positions is still out of reach in most countries.
Overall progress to today’s average of 18.8 per cent has been slow, although some counties have moved faster than others. The number of parliamentary chambers reaching the 30 per-cent target now stands at 44 (16.7%) spread across 38 countries. This is a six-fold increase over 1995, when just seven chambers in seven countries achieved this goal. However, in several parliaments there have only ever been a handful of women, and the number of parliamentary chambers where no women have seats has not shown any dramatic decline, dropping from 13 in 1995 to 10 today. Women’s advancement into leadership positions in parliament has been much slower than the improvement in access to parliament. From 24 in 1995, there were 35 women presiding officers at the helm of parliaments at the start of 2010. On average, women hold 16 per cent of ministerial posts.
On the second issue, the meeting discussed the existence of many discriminatory laws, even in countries where international conventions, such as CEDAW, have been ratified. Fifteen years after Beijing, the question of systematic follow-up and monitoring of the implementation of the measures agreed in the Platform for Action is still pending. Parliaments should review and amend these discriminatory laws and ensure that new legislation complies with international commitments. During the CSW, the IPU also held a meeting on parliamentary action to address violence against women. The meeting focused on parliaments’ responsibility for bridging the gap between the adoption of laws on violence against women and their effective implementation.
Lastly, the IPU participated in a side event organized by International IDEA and Stockholm University on International Women’s Day on 8 March, entitled Gender Quotas and Democracy: Getting the numbers and balance right. The meeting heard about the current status of quota implementation around the world, where 52 countries have legislated quotas, and in a further 30 countries political parties have adopted their own voluntary party quotas.
