Regional Conference on Women's Political Participation: Charting a Path for Political Equality in Asia

Charting a Path for Political Equality in Asia is organized by UNDP (Country Office Mongolia and supported by the Asia-Pacific Regional Center and the Regional Bureau of the Asia Pacific) in collaboration with the National Committee on Gender Equality of Mongolia. This conference is a follow-up to the South Asia regional conference held in Dhaka in October and will target the North East and South East Asian countries of the region. It aims to further the discussions and recommendations of the Dhaka conference by assisting the invited countries develop strategies to assist in the achievement women’s political equality.

Together with national governments and partners UNDP actively seeks ways to advance discussions and actions to translate international commitments into a reality. The Asia Pacific Human Development Report of 2010 “Power, Voice and Rights” was devoted to this particular theme. Jointly with the Parliament of Bangladesh, UNDP Asia Pacific Regional Offices organized a conference “Women in Leadership” on 16-18 October 2011 in Dhaka, with a specific focus on the South Asia region. The conference discussed the obstacles to increasing the representation in parliaments and decision making positions of women and the ways to address these obstacles. Recognizing that women’s participation is fundamental to democracy and gender equality is basic human rights, the conference participants issued a declaration with recommendations on ways to advance women’s political participation. One of the recommendations was to establish a community of women’s political leadership with an aim to bring together existing networks and stakeholders in the region to address key issues in this area.

This community of practice will feed into the “Charting a path of action for political equality in Asia” conference by providing the basis for prelimary discussions. This professional network will also support participants after the event to finalize national path of action plans for political equality, and advocate for their implementation.

The indicative list of thematic areas to explore at the event and subject to further negotiation and fine-tuning include:

National commitments and regional perspective of women’s political participation at national and local levels

Electoral systems and temporary special measures

Role of political parties in promoting empowerment of women

Exploring alternative pathways to politics for young women leaders

For more information visit UNDP Mongolia.