Gender equality key to effectiveness and legitimacy of democratic institutions, say participants in regional conference co-organized by ODIHR in Chisinau
Making parliaments more representative and gender-sensitive was the focus of discussions among parliamentarians, local elected officials and civil society representatives from Eastern Europe and Central Asia during a regional conference held in Chisinau on 3 and 4 October 2017.
The event was co-organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Women.
“Parliaments must represent the needs, interests and priorities of all citizens. A gender-sensitive parliament not only has a balanced representation of women and men, but also produces legislation that benefits everyone equally,” said Marcin Walecki, Head of the ODIHR Democratization Department.
"Research shows that strong women's representation in parliaments influences the parliamentary agenda and issues raised there,” said Ainuru Altybaeva, a member of Kyrgyzstan’s Supreme Council. “Since women have limited opportunities and resources to access public office, we must create new institutions of decision-making with concrete powers and processes to facilitate women's participation.”
Dafina Gercheva, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Moldova, said: “We are at the crucial point where we must achieve women’s equal participation in political and public life. Our global goals for the future depend on this.”
The event was organized as part of ODIHR’s efforts to promote women’s political participation and gender-sensitive legislation in the OSCE region, as outlined in its recent publication Making Laws Work for Women and Men: A Practical Guide to Gender-Sensitive Legislation.