Guidebook on Strengthening the Representative Capacity of Legislatures
This background paper was prepared for a UNDP staff training seminar entitled, “Strengthening the Legislature – Challenges and Techniques,” held in Brussels in October 2001.
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.
Committees in Legislatures: A Division of Labor
This paper highlights the importance of legislative committees, as well as committee meetings and hearings. It describes the different types of committees, the regulations governing committee membership and leadership, and the responsibilities of committee staff.
Assembly of Kosovo: Public Hearing Manual
This manual describes public hearings as an integral part of the work of parliamentary committees. It serves as a guide for members of parliamentary committees in Kosovo on conducting a public hearing.
The Role and Practice of Legislative Hearings in Democracies: Examples from Germany and the United States
This paper was written for a series of seminars on public legislative hearings held in Beijing and Shanghai, China.
Promoting Women's Political Participation: Women Representatives Training (WRT) Program Trainer's Manual
This training manual includes a detailed description of an eight-week long training session conducted for women political leaders in Nepal.
Women’s Candidate Training Program: Trainer's Manual Nepal
This manual provides training tips and workshop techniques for political party trainers to train Nepali women candidates for local government.
Constituency Outreach In Sierra Leone: A Guide For Members of Parliament
This manual provides guidelines for Members of Parliament (MPs) in Sierra Leone on how to prepare an effective community outreach program.
Republic of Macedonia Code of Conduct Of Political Parties For Free and Fair Parliamentary Elections
This code of conduct, agreed upon by the political parties of Macedonia, sets forth rules and standards for ensuring free and fair parliamentary elections. It focuses particularly on regulations relating to rule of law and electoral conduct.
Lobbying for Women's Political Rights: Strategies for Poland and Ukraine
This report describes a collaborative project between the Center for Russian, Central and East European Studies at Rutgers University; the Information Center on Women’s Organizations and Initiatives (OSKA) in Poland; and the Kharkiv Center for Women’s Studies (KCWS) in Ukraine.