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Expert Group Meeting on gender-sensitive parliaments

Participants brainstorm at the Expert Group Meeting. ©Socé Sene

Five years ago, the IPU adopted its Plan of Action for Gender-Sensitive Parliaments at its 127th Assembly in Quebec. Since then, the IPU has helped parliaments become more gender sensitive and has developed a self-assessment toolkit to allow them to examine their strengths and challenges in embodying gender equality and delivering on it.

The five-year anniversary provides an opportunity to revitalize the plan of action and take stock of gender assessments of parliaments. To this end, the IPU organized an Expert Group Meeting, which brought together researchers, experts and practitioners involved in parliamentary gender assessments or audits. The meeting took place at IPU Headquarters in Geneva on 11-12 June.

Recommendations of the Expert Group include developing new tools, expanding the group of parliaments that carry out gender assessments, and providing further support to parliaments to reinforce their gender mainstreaming strategies and actions.

The concept of gender-sensitive parliaments was first developed by the IPU in 2011. A gender-sensitive parliament is one that embodies gender equality and delivers on it, and also responds to the needs and interests of both men and women in its structures, operations, methods and work.