Parliaments & Representatives
PACE called on member States to promote the participation of women from under-represented groups in political decision-making by acting at several levels, with particular emphasis on combating gender-based stereotypes and sexism, access to public decision-making, and participation in political party structures.
“Progress is too slow and uneven, in particular as regards women from under-represented groups such as women with disabilities, young women, LBTI women, Roma women, women of colour, or those with an immigration background,” the parliamentarians underlined, by adopting a resolution based on the report of Eglantina Gjermeni (Albania, SOC).
The Assembly believes that an intersectional approach to decision-making as well as targeted measures can help to make sure "no one is left behind”. Men are also called upon to further promote gender equality, especially in politics, and combating violence against women.
“The participation of women and girls, in all their diversity, in political and public decision-making will send a powerful message of recognition of the importance of inclusive societies, increase representativeness and strengthen the legitimacy and relevance of decisions,” the parliamentarians concluded.
See the video of the debate here.
Source: PACE
Newly inaugurated Samia Suluhu Hassan who served as Tanzanian vice-president under President John Magufuli has declared 21 days of mourning for her predecessor. Click here to access the recording.
Listen to Rumbidzai Kandawasvika-Nhundu, Senior Advisor for Democracy and Inclusion at International IDEA, starting at minute 26:30.
The IPU has been promoting gender equality for decades ever since the first woman parliamentarian took the floor at an IPU parliamentary event in 1922. On 8 March, 2021, International Women's Day, listen to IPU President, Mr. Duarte Pacheco, speak on why gender equality is so important for democracy.
Source: IPU
Watch the third in a series of short videos on the Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality. This video on legislation for gender equality looks at how countries can achieve full gender equality, something that none of them have done until now.
This is a partnership video project between the IPU, Arizona State University, Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians, the Council of Women World Leaders, Equality Now, Global Governance Forum, International Development Law Organization (IDLO), Represent Women, United Nations, UN Women, the World Bank and Women Political Leaders. The videos are designed for people working in and for parliaments, and for societal champions advocating for change.
Watch the fourth in a series of short videos on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This video shares some shocking facts about violence against women and outlines steps that parliaments can take against this scourge.
This is a partnership video project between the IPU, Arizona State University, Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians, the Council of Women World Leaders, Equality Now, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS), Represent Women, United Nations, UN Women, Women Political Leaders, and the World Bank. The videos are designed for people working in and for parliaments, and for societal champions advocating for change.
Kibowa Faridah Hajjat is the Chairperson of the National Women Council in Uganda.
This interview was conducted in March 2019 in the margins of the sixty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63) in New York.
This online resource will guide you in implementing the OECD Recommendation on Gender Equality in Public Life. In addition to better familiarising you with the Principles, the Toolkit lets you compare indicators and good practices in use in numerous countries. The self-assessment tools will help governments assess the strengths and weaknesses of their gender policies, which in turn, will help policy makers set priorities for improvement.
Source: OECD
This action kit is a practical tool for unpacking gender responsive budgeting (GRB) and engaging parliaments and parliamentarians in strengthening scrutiny and oversight of gender responsive budget formulation, execution, and evaluation. As a result of their interventions, the budget process can be more participatory, inclusive, and effective.
This publication is directed primarily to actors who want to build an effective system for integrating GRB into the annual state budget process. This includes Members of Parliament (MPs), parliamentary staff and committees, caucuses of women MPs, as well as other actors, including UN Women or other United Nations entities who may want to initiate and support a stronger role for parliament and MPs in GRB.
The action kit is divided into sections:
- Building government systems to support GRB through the budget cycle;
- Parliament’s role in engaging with GRB in the budget process; and
- Programmatic interventions to support parliaments in the GRB process.
To ensure the guidance and information provided in the publication are grounded in practice, country examples of GRB implementation and entry points for parliamentary engagement are included.
Click here to access the publication.
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) today published a “Participatory Gender Audits of Parliaments, a Step-by-Step Guidance Document,” which offers comprehensive tools and detailed steps on how parliaments can fully capitalize on their potential to implement a gender-sensitive and intersectional approach to legislative processes.
The PA and ODIHR collaborated on the publication, which sets out how to implement participatory gender audits through a clear framework and step-by-step process. The Guide recognizes that each parliament is unique and will undertake the audit in unique circumstances and it allows parliaments to choose the scope of the audit, the format and the timescale within which it will be conducted. As such, it adds to the extensive OSCE acquis in support of all parliaments of the region and it is in line with institutions’ respective mandates to advocate for ensuring transparency and accountability of all parliamentary procedures, practices, and standards, including those aimed at gender mainstreaming and conducting gender audits or assessments.
The “Participatory Gender Audits of Parliaments, a Step-by-Step Guidance Document” complements the “Realizing Gender Equality in Parliament: A Guide for Parliaments in the OSCE Region,” published in December 2021, which brought together lessons learned and good practices from 46 national parliaments in North America, Europe and Central Asia on introducing and improving gender sensitivity in parliaments, on which the two Institutions have also closely co-operated.
Click here to access the report.
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s Gender Sensitising Parliamentary Guidelines: A Seven-Step Field Guide (‘Field Guide’) provides a blueprint for Commonwealth parliaments interested in undertaking a Gender Sensitive Parliament (GSP) review of their institutions with the objective of making their parliaments more representative and inclusive. The Field Guide builds on earlier Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and Commonwealth Women Parliamentarian’s (CWP) gender sensitising reports, in which a GSP is defined as a place that responds to the needs and interests of women in its structures, operations, methods, and work and is a workplace that removes barriers to women’s full participation.
GSP reviews have the potential to respond to the needs of parliamentary members and staff who identify as women or as belonging to another marginalised group, and in some Commonwealth contexts, this includes people with intersecting identities, such as Indigenous People, Black People, and People of Colour, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer+ People (LGBTQ+), and people living with disabilities.
Click here to access the guide.
This course, written by Dr Sonia Palmieri, explores why and how to build gender sensitive parliaments. Rich in case studies, it sketches the international framework for action and outlines opportunities for shaping contextually-appropriate parliamentary processes and norms.
Click here to access the course.
Parliaments have a key role in ensuring not only that everyone is properly represented in decision-making, but also that legislation and government actions take account of the needs and experiences of women and men on an equal basis. However, the achievement of gender equality requires more than commitments and good intentions. It is reliant on action.
This Guide is designed to help parliamentarians, officials, civil society and democracy-support organizations undertake gender-sensitive scrutiny. It provides a model for gender-sensitive scrutiny and demonstrates how the techniques can be used when carrying out pre- and post-legislative scrutiny, conducting oversight and monitoring budgets. It also provides case studies and resources.
Click here to access the guide.
This guide is designed to help Members and staff of the Parliament of Malaysia undertake gender-sensitive scrutiny of laws, budgets, and policies.
Click here to download the guide published by INTER PARES.
This guide is designed to help Members and staff of the Parliament of Bhutan undertake gender-sensitive scrutiny of laws, budgets, and policies.
Click here to download the guide published by INTER PARES.
This practical guide is intended to support the full range of parliamentary actors — from parliamentary leadership teams, members of parliament, and political and parliamentary staff, to parliamentary practitioners and civil society organizations dealing with gender equality issues — in transforming these institutions into gender-sensitive parliaments.
Click here to access the guide.
This Primer highlights practical ways Members of Parliament (MPs) and parliamentary staff can take action to ensure COVID-19 response and recovery decision-making address women’s needs. It is informed by the differential impacts of the disease on women as documented to date, and the common needs and challenges expressed by MPs and parliamentary staff adapting to new priorities and ways of working around the world. A Checklist is included to guide MPs and parliamentary staff on gender-sensitive options for COVID-19 response and recovery both during and beyond the pandemic.
Click here to see the primer.