No democracy without women
Today, 2 of March, a conference about “The role of Parliaments in Enforcing Gender Equality and Women’s Rights: 15 year after Beijing” took place at the UN Headquarters in New York. A new 2010 map of women in politics across the globe was presented. The map shows that only 10 countries in the world achieved the goal of 40% of women in the Government, and less than 10 – having the same balance in Parliaments.
This was a Parliamentary event organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the UN Division for the Advancement of Women on the occasion of the 54th Session of the Comission on the Status of Women..
Racheal Manjanja, the deputy Secretary General of United Nations opened the event, by some arguments about what was done and what should be brought in attention of global politics as soon as possible.
She expressed the wish that it could be “an unique opportunity of Praliamentaries” to contribute to improving the balance of women and men equality in politics. She expresse as a need to enroll actively in education of girls, in free access to school, in scholarships providing for the silent half of the humanity.
Mrs. Manjanja spotted that women access to economic and financial resources brings opens the way of women to the decision level institutions. But, while gender stereotypes still stop women to enter political levels, and violence against women cuts also their ways to politics, it comes clear that women are not in equal conditions as men in the area of governance.
“No democracy without women”, said Rachel Manjanja, adding that only equality brings the right mixtire for governing well countries.
Julie Balington, Programme Officer – Partnership Between Men & Women at Inter-Parliamentary Union, explained to the audience the 2010 map “Women in politics”.
Due to high level of women participation in the Parliaments of Nordic countries – as much as 42%, the global level is rising. However, globally, the level of women in Parliament is less than 19%, while Arab states have the very law number of women in legislative bodies: 9,5 %.
Only 6% of women at the global level are presidents of countries, what means only 9 women are leading a country. The same time, less than 6% of women are as heads of Governments.
Balington said this map would be a good tool for NGOs, as well as for world Governments to see the reality and to address the problem of inequality between men and women.
The event was attended by four IAWRT members, among Fokus and other women NGO representatives.
This blog was written by Alina RADU
