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Parliaments and Representatives

Democracy and the equal participation of men and women in the political arena are closely intertwined. No parliament or any decision-making body can claim to be representative without the participation of both men and women. As stated in the Universal Declaration on Democracy adopted by the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Member Parliaments in 1997, "The achievement of democracy presupposes a genuine partnership between men and women in the conduct of the affairs of society in which they work in equality and complementarity, drawing mutual enrichment from their differences."

Recent years have seen a steady increase in the number of women in parliament, though the world average of less than 22 percent remains far from the goal of parity between women and men. The election of women to the highest positions of state and government in several countries has also contributed to the changing face of politics.

While the road to election is a difficult one, the challenges for women do not stop there. Once women enter parliament or other bodies, they are faced with many new challenges. Parliament is traditionally a male-oriented domain where the rules and practices have been written by men. It is, therefore, an ongoing challenge to transform parliament into a gender-sensitive environment, to ensure that actions are gender-sensitive and to guarantee that gender is mainstreamed throughout the legislature.

Women, Politics and Quotas in Southeast Europe

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March 23, 2010

Women, Politics and Quotas in Southeast Europe

This report shows that while quotas are certainly important for giving women better chances to enter politics, women still face meaningful obstacles in making their contribution substantive and meaningful.

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This report shows that while quotas are certainly important for giving women better chances to enter politics, women still face meaningful obstacles in making their contribution substantive and meaningful.

Online Courses on Decentralization and Governance

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March 19, 2010

Online Courses on Decentralization and Governance

The UNPAN Online Training Centre delivers courses on various topics in public administration. The main objective of the UNPAN Training Centre is to increase the opportunities for government officials from all over the world to access training materials on e-government.

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The UNPAN Online Training Centre delivers courses on various topics in public administration. The main objective of the UNPAN Training Centre is to increase the opportunities for government officials from all over the world to access training materials on e-government.

E-Learning Course: Getting to the Gate

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March 19, 2010

E-Learning Course: Getting to the Gate

Equal Voices present 'Getting to the Gate', our online campaign school for women interested in getting into politics. This course is free of charge; however, all users must register to access the course.

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Equal Voices present 'Getting to the Gate', our online campaign school for women interested in getting into politics. This course is free of charge; however, all users must register to access the course.

BRIDGE Civic Education Development Project

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March 19, 2010

BRIDGE Civic Education Development Project

The BRIDGE Civic Education Development Project (CEDP) is a professional development project to build capacity in people working in areas of democracy and governance.This project developed from the concept of establishing a civics and governance component within the umbrella of BRIDGE.

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The BRIDGE Civic Education Development Project (CEDP) is a professional development project to build capacity in people working in areas of democracy and governance.This project developed from the concept of establishing a civics and governance component within the umbrella of BRIDGE.

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Gender, cities and local governance in the Arab world

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Gender, cities and local governance in the Arab world

The symposium « Gender, cities and local governance in the Arab world and in the Mediterranean region» aims to study urban development by focusing on gender issues and the role of women in this pro

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Combating Trafficking in Persons: A Handbook for Parliamentarians

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March 9, 2010

Combating Trafficking in Persons: A Handbook for Parliamentarians

Jointly produced by the IPU and UNODC, the Handbook on Combating Trafficking in Persons is intended to encourage parliamentarians to take an active part in stopping human trafficking. It contains a compilation of international laws and good practices developed to combat human trafficking.

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Jointly produced by the IPU and UNODC, the Handbook on Combating Trafficking in Persons is intended to encourage parliamentarians to take an active part in stopping human trafficking. It contains a compilation of international laws and good practices developed to combat human trafficking.

Empowering Parliaments through the Use of ICTs

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March 9, 2010

Empowering Parliaments through the Use of ICTs

The study, published by the United Nations Development Programme, has developed an analytical framework that focuses on the three core functions of Parliaments - legislation, representation and oversight - and establishes links between them.

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The study, published by the United Nations Development Programme, has developed an analytical framework that focuses on the three core functions of Parliaments - legislation, representation and oversight - and establishes links between them.

Assessing Legislation - A manual for legislators

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March 9, 2010

Assessing Legislation - A manual for legislators

It aims at providing the legislators with the necessary tools that would help them in assessing legislations and proposing them to promote social and democratic change in their countries.

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It aims at providing the legislators with the necessary tools that would help them in assessing legislations and proposing them to promote social and democratic change in their countries.

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