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At the village assembly meeting or Gram Sabha in Barrod village of Rajasthan’s Alwar district on 5 October, almost 5000 men and women gathered to promote the rights of girls and education for all. The Barrod village assembly announced a special cash transfer scheme for the first-born girl in families, rewarding them with a bank deposit of Rs. 1100, to mature only after the girl turns 20.

“Girls are an important fabric of society — without them we are nothing. Without them, we don’t have mothers, daughters or sisters,” said Manjulata Sharma whose granddaughter is one of beneficiaries of this new scheme.

To launch the scheme, the Gram Sabha had a special guest — UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet.

To Manjulata and others, Ms. Bachelet’s message was simple: “The Gram Sabha is the cornerstone of this great venture of equality and democracy. If you use it and succeed, you will change India and the world for the better — and the change will be felt now and for generations to come.”

Read more at UN Women, published 8 October 2012.

At the village assembly meeting or Gram Sabha in Barrod village of Rajasthan’s Alwar district on 5 October, almost 5000 men and women gathered to promote the rights of girls and education for all. The Barrod village assembly announced a special cash transfer scheme for the first-born girl in families, rewarding them with a bank deposit of Rs. 1100, to mature only after the girl turns 20.

“Girls are an important fabric of society — without them we are nothing. Without them, we don’t have mothers, daughters or sisters,” said Manjulata Sharma whose granddaughter is one of beneficiaries of this new scheme.

To launch the scheme, the Gram Sabha had a special guest — UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet.

To Manjulata and others, Ms. Bachelet’s message was simple: “The Gram Sabha is the cornerstone of this great venture of equality and democracy. If you use it and succeed, you will change India and the world for the better — and the change will be felt now and for generations to come.”

Read more at UN Women, published 8 October 2012.

At the village assembly meeting or Gram Sabha in Barrod village of Rajasthan’s Alwar district on 5 October, almost 5000 men and women gathered to promote the rights of girls and education for all. The Barrod village assembly announced a special cash transfer scheme for the first-born girl in families, rewarding them with a bank deposit of Rs. 1100, to mature only after the girl turns 20.

“Girls are an important fabric of society — without them we are nothing. Without them, we don’t have mothers, daughters or sisters,” said Manjulata Sharma whose granddaughter is one of beneficiaries of this new scheme.

To launch the scheme, the Gram Sabha had a special guest — UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet.

To Manjulata and others, Ms. Bachelet’s message was simple: “The Gram Sabha is the cornerstone of this great venture of equality and democracy. If you use it and succeed, you will change India and the world for the better — and the change will be felt now and for generations to come.”

Read more at UN Women, published 8 October 2012.

At the village assembly meeting or Gram Sabha in Barrod village of Rajasthan’s Alwar district on 5 October, almost 5000 men and women gathered to promote the rights of girls and education for all. The Barrod village assembly announced a special cash transfer scheme for the first-born girl in families, rewarding them with a bank deposit of Rs. 1100, to mature only after the girl turns 20.

“Girls are an important fabric of society — without them we are nothing. Without them, we don’t have mothers, daughters or sisters,” said Manjulata Sharma whose granddaughter is one of beneficiaries of this new scheme.

To launch the scheme, the Gram Sabha had a special guest — UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet.

To Manjulata and others, Ms. Bachelet’s message was simple: “The Gram Sabha is the cornerstone of this great venture of equality and democracy. If you use it and succeed, you will change India and the world for the better — and the change will be felt now and for generations to come.”

Read more at UN Women, published 8 October 2012.

At the village assembly meeting or Gram Sabha in Barrod village of Rajasthan’s Alwar district on 5 October, almost 5000 men and women gathered to promote the rights of girls and education for all. The Barrod village assembly announced a special cash transfer scheme for the first-born girl in families, rewarding them with a bank deposit of Rs. 1100, to mature only after the girl turns 20.

“Girls are an important fabric of society — without them we are nothing. Without them, we don’t have mothers, daughters or sisters,” said Manjulata Sharma whose granddaughter is one of beneficiaries of this new scheme.

To launch the scheme, the Gram Sabha had a special guest — UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet.

To Manjulata and others, Ms. Bachelet’s message was simple: “The Gram Sabha is the cornerstone of this great venture of equality and democracy. If you use it and succeed, you will change India and the world for the better — and the change will be felt now and for generations to come.”

Read more at UN Women, published 8 October 2012.

At the village assembly meeting or Gram Sabha in Barrod village of Rajasthan’s Alwar district on 5 October, almost 5000 men and women gathered to promote the rights of girls and education for all. The Barrod village assembly announced a special cash transfer scheme for the first-born girl in families, rewarding them with a bank deposit of Rs. 1100, to mature only after the girl turns 20.

“Girls are an important fabric of society — without them we are nothing. Without them, we don’t have mothers, daughters or sisters,” said Manjulata Sharma whose granddaughter is one of beneficiaries of this new scheme.

To launch the scheme, the Gram Sabha had a special guest — UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet.

To Manjulata and others, Ms. Bachelet’s message was simple: “The Gram Sabha is the cornerstone of this great venture of equality and democracy. If you use it and succeed, you will change India and the world for the better — and the change will be felt now and for generations to come.”

Read more at UN Women, published 8 October 2012.

At the village assembly meeting or Gram Sabha in Barrod village of Rajasthan’s Alwar district on 5 October, almost 5000 men and women gathered to promote the rights of girls and education for all. The Barrod village assembly announced a special cash transfer scheme for the first-born girl in families, rewarding them with a bank deposit of Rs. 1100, to mature only after the girl turns 20.

“Girls are an important fabric of society — without them we are nothing. Without them, we don’t have mothers, daughters or sisters,” said Manjulata Sharma whose granddaughter is one of beneficiaries of this new scheme.

To launch the scheme, the Gram Sabha had a special guest — UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet.

To Manjulata and others, Ms. Bachelet’s message was simple: “The Gram Sabha is the cornerstone of this great venture of equality and democracy. If you use it and succeed, you will change India and the world for the better — and the change will be felt now and for generations to come.”

Read more at UN Women, published 8 October 2012.

In partnership with Governments across South Asia, UN Women’s Executive Director Michelle Bachelet and four elected women representatives from South Asia launched the first ever knowledge hub for elected women representatives in rural areas across the region.

Unveiled in the presence of more than 200 women leaders, experts and policy makers, the knowledge hub will use audio and video content in different languages to reach women leaders in remote areas, cutting past literacy and linguistic barriers.

“This is a huge leap forward for women leaders across South Asia. The Regional Centre for Excellence will ensure that much needed information is available to them in different languages. This will undoubtedly strengthen their leadership and provide them with skills to perform their roles more effectively,” said Ms. Bachelet.

Also present at the launch was Bhavana Damor, a three-term sarpanch (village head) from Rampur Mewada Gram Panchayat (village council) in Rajasthan. “Greater access to information will help us serve our communities more effectively. If our women decide to stand on their own feet, then development will be for all within the community,” said Ms. Damor.

Women from Bhutan or Madhya Pradesh will be able to share their experiences by uploading audio-visual content on mobiles using an interactive application, Wi-Net.

Read more at UN Women, published 4 October 2012.

In partnership with Governments across South Asia, UN Women’s Executive Director Michelle Bachelet and four elected women representatives from South Asia launched the first ever knowledge hub for elected women representatives in rural areas across the region.

Unveiled in the presence of more than 200 women leaders, experts and policy makers, the knowledge hub will use audio and video content in different languages to reach women leaders in remote areas, cutting past literacy and linguistic barriers.

“This is a huge leap forward for women leaders across South Asia. The Regional Centre for Excellence will ensure that much needed information is available to them in different languages. This will undoubtedly strengthen their leadership and provide them with skills to perform their roles more effectively,” said Ms. Bachelet.

Also present at the launch was Bhavana Damor, a three-term sarpanch (village head) from Rampur Mewada Gram Panchayat (village council) in Rajasthan. “Greater access to information will help us serve our communities more effectively. If our women decide to stand on their own feet, then development will be for all within the community,” said Ms. Damor.

Women from Bhutan or Madhya Pradesh will be able to share their experiences by uploading audio-visual content on mobiles using an interactive application, Wi-Net.

Read more at UN Women, published 4 October 2012.

In partnership with Governments across South Asia, UN Women’s Executive Director Michelle Bachelet and four elected women representatives from South Asia launched the first ever knowledge hub for elected women representatives in rural areas across the region.

Unveiled in the presence of more than 200 women leaders, experts and policy makers, the knowledge hub will use audio and video content in different languages to reach women leaders in remote areas, cutting past literacy and linguistic barriers.

“This is a huge leap forward for women leaders across South Asia. The Regional Centre for Excellence will ensure that much needed information is available to them in different languages. This will undoubtedly strengthen their leadership and provide them with skills to perform their roles more effectively,” said Ms. Bachelet.

Also present at the launch was Bhavana Damor, a three-term sarpanch (village head) from Rampur Mewada Gram Panchayat (village council) in Rajasthan. “Greater access to information will help us serve our communities more effectively. If our women decide to stand on their own feet, then development will be for all within the community,” said Ms. Damor.

Women from Bhutan or Madhya Pradesh will be able to share their experiences by uploading audio-visual content on mobiles using an interactive application, Wi-Net.

Read more at UN Women, published 4 October 2012.

In partnership with Governments across South Asia, UN Women’s Executive Director Michelle Bachelet and four elected women representatives from South Asia launched the first ever knowledge hub for elected women representatives in rural areas across the region.

Unveiled in the presence of more than 200 women leaders, experts and policy makers, the knowledge hub will use audio and video content in different languages to reach women leaders in remote areas, cutting past literacy and linguistic barriers.

“This is a huge leap forward for women leaders across South Asia. The Regional Centre for Excellence will ensure that much needed information is available to them in different languages. This will undoubtedly strengthen their leadership and provide them with skills to perform their roles more effectively,” said Ms. Bachelet.

Also present at the launch was Bhavana Damor, a three-term sarpanch (village head) from Rampur Mewada Gram Panchayat (village council) in Rajasthan. “Greater access to information will help us serve our communities more effectively. If our women decide to stand on their own feet, then development will be for all within the community,” said Ms. Damor.

Women from Bhutan or Madhya Pradesh will be able to share their experiences by uploading audio-visual content on mobiles using an interactive application, Wi-Net.

Read more at UN Women, published 4 October 2012.

In partnership with Governments across South Asia, UN Women’s Executive Director Michelle Bachelet and four elected women representatives from South Asia launched the first ever knowledge hub for elected women representatives in rural areas across the region.

Unveiled in the presence of more than 200 women leaders, experts and policy makers, the knowledge hub will use audio and video content in different languages to reach women leaders in remote areas, cutting past literacy and linguistic barriers.

“This is a huge leap forward for women leaders across South Asia. The Regional Centre for Excellence will ensure that much needed information is available to them in different languages. This will undoubtedly strengthen their leadership and provide them with skills to perform their roles more effectively,” said Ms. Bachelet.

Also present at the launch was Bhavana Damor, a three-term sarpanch (village head) from Rampur Mewada Gram Panchayat (village council) in Rajasthan. “Greater access to information will help us serve our communities more effectively. If our women decide to stand on their own feet, then development will be for all within the community,” said Ms. Damor.

Women from Bhutan or Madhya Pradesh will be able to share their experiences by uploading audio-visual content on mobiles using an interactive application, Wi-Net.

Read more at UN Women, published 4 October 2012.

In partnership with Governments across South Asia, UN Women’s Executive Director Michelle Bachelet and four elected women representatives from South Asia launched the first ever knowledge hub for elected women representatives in rural areas across the region.

Unveiled in the presence of more than 200 women leaders, experts and policy makers, the knowledge hub will use audio and video content in different languages to reach women leaders in remote areas, cutting past literacy and linguistic barriers.

“This is a huge leap forward for women leaders across South Asia. The Regional Centre for Excellence will ensure that much needed information is available to them in different languages. This will undoubtedly strengthen their leadership and provide them with skills to perform their roles more effectively,” said Ms. Bachelet.

Also present at the launch was Bhavana Damor, a three-term sarpanch (village head) from Rampur Mewada Gram Panchayat (village council) in Rajasthan. “Greater access to information will help us serve our communities more effectively. If our women decide to stand on their own feet, then development will be for all within the community,” said Ms. Damor.

Women from Bhutan or Madhya Pradesh will be able to share their experiences by uploading audio-visual content on mobiles using an interactive application, Wi-Net.

Read more at UN Women, published 4 October 2012.

In partnership with Governments across South Asia, UN Women’s Executive Director Michelle Bachelet and four elected women representatives from South Asia launched the first ever knowledge hub for elected women representatives in rural areas across the region.

Unveiled in the presence of more than 200 women leaders, experts and policy makers, the knowledge hub will use audio and video content in different languages to reach women leaders in remote areas, cutting past literacy and linguistic barriers.

“This is a huge leap forward for women leaders across South Asia. The Regional Centre for Excellence will ensure that much needed information is available to them in different languages. This will undoubtedly strengthen their leadership and provide them with skills to perform their roles more effectively,” said Ms. Bachelet.

Also present at the launch was Bhavana Damor, a three-term sarpanch (village head) from Rampur Mewada Gram Panchayat (village council) in Rajasthan. “Greater access to information will help us serve our communities more effectively. If our women decide to stand on their own feet, then development will be for all within the community,” said Ms. Damor.

Women from Bhutan or Madhya Pradesh will be able to share their experiences by uploading audio-visual content on mobiles using an interactive application, Wi-Net.

Read more at UN Women, published 4 October 2012.

In partnership with Governments across South Asia, UN Women’s Executive Director Michelle Bachelet and four elected women representatives from South Asia launched the first ever knowledge hub for elected women representatives in rural areas across the region.

Unveiled in the presence of more than 200 women leaders, experts and policy makers, the knowledge hub will use audio and video content in different languages to reach women leaders in remote areas, cutting past literacy and linguistic barriers.

“This is a huge leap forward for women leaders across South Asia. The Regional Centre for Excellence will ensure that much needed information is available to them in different languages. This will undoubtedly strengthen their leadership and provide them with skills to perform their roles more effectively,” said Ms. Bachelet.

Also present at the launch was Bhavana Damor, a three-term sarpanch (village head) from Rampur Mewada Gram Panchayat (village council) in Rajasthan. “Greater access to information will help us serve our communities more effectively. If our women decide to stand on their own feet, then development will be for all within the community,” said Ms. Damor.

Women from Bhutan or Madhya Pradesh will be able to share their experiences by uploading audio-visual content on mobiles using an interactive application, Wi-Net.

Read more at UN Women, published 4 October 2012.

In partnership with Governments across South Asia, UN Women’s Executive Director Michelle Bachelet and four elected women representatives from South Asia launched the first ever knowledge hub for elected women representatives in rural areas across the region.

Unveiled in the presence of more than 200 women leaders, experts and policy makers, the knowledge hub will use audio and video content in different languages to reach women leaders in remote areas, cutting past literacy and linguistic barriers.

“This is a huge leap forward for women leaders across South Asia. The Regional Centre for Excellence will ensure that much needed information is available to them in different languages. This will undoubtedly strengthen their leadership and provide them with skills to perform their roles more effectively,” said Ms. Bachelet.

Also present at the launch was Bhavana Damor, a three-term sarpanch (village head) from Rampur Mewada Gram Panchayat (village council) in Rajasthan. “Greater access to information will help us serve our communities more effectively. If our women decide to stand on their own feet, then development will be for all within the community,” said Ms. Damor.

Women from Bhutan or Madhya Pradesh will be able to share their experiences by uploading audio-visual content on mobiles using an interactive application, Wi-Net.

Read more at UN Women, published 4 October 2012.

In partnership with Governments across South Asia, UN Women’s Executive Director Michelle Bachelet and four elected women representatives from South Asia launched the first ever knowledge hub for elected women representatives in rural areas across the region.

Unveiled in the presence of more than 200 women leaders, experts and policy makers, the knowledge hub will use audio and video content in different languages to reach women leaders in remote areas, cutting past literacy and linguistic barriers.

“This is a huge leap forward for women leaders across South Asia. The Regional Centre for Excellence will ensure that much needed information is available to them in different languages. This will undoubtedly strengthen their leadership and provide them with skills to perform their roles more effectively,” said Ms. Bachelet.

Also present at the launch was Bhavana Damor, a three-term sarpanch (village head) from Rampur Mewada Gram Panchayat (village council) in Rajasthan. “Greater access to information will help us serve our communities more effectively. If our women decide to stand on their own feet, then development will be for all within the community,” said Ms. Damor.

Women from Bhutan or Madhya Pradesh will be able to share their experiences by uploading audio-visual content on mobiles using an interactive application, Wi-Net.

Read more at UN Women, published 4 October 2012.

In partnership with Governments across South Asia, UN Women’s Executive Director Michelle Bachelet and four elected women representatives from South Asia launched the first ever knowledge hub for elected women representatives in rural areas across the region.

Unveiled in the presence of more than 200 women leaders, experts and policy makers, the knowledge hub will use audio and video content in different languages to reach women leaders in remote areas, cutting past literacy and linguistic barriers.

“This is a huge leap forward for women leaders across South Asia. The Regional Centre for Excellence will ensure that much needed information is available to them in different languages. This will undoubtedly strengthen their leadership and provide them with skills to perform their roles more effectively,” said Ms. Bachelet.

Also present at the launch was Bhavana Damor, a three-term sarpanch (village head) from Rampur Mewada Gram Panchayat (village council) in Rajasthan. “Greater access to information will help us serve our communities more effectively. If our women decide to stand on their own feet, then development will be for all within the community,” said Ms. Damor.

Women from Bhutan or Madhya Pradesh will be able to share their experiences by uploading audio-visual content on mobiles using an interactive application, Wi-Net.

Read more at UN Women, published 4 October 2012.

In partnership with Governments across South Asia, UN Women’s Executive Director Michelle Bachelet and four elected women representatives from South Asia launched the first ever knowledge hub for elected women representatives in rural areas across the region.

Unveiled in the presence of more than 200 women leaders, experts and policy makers, the knowledge hub will use audio and video content in different languages to reach women leaders in remote areas, cutting past literacy and linguistic barriers.

“This is a huge leap forward for women leaders across South Asia. The Regional Centre for Excellence will ensure that much needed information is available to them in different languages. This will undoubtedly strengthen their leadership and provide them with skills to perform their roles more effectively,” said Ms. Bachelet.

Also present at the launch was Bhavana Damor, a three-term sarpanch (village head) from Rampur Mewada Gram Panchayat (village council) in Rajasthan. “Greater access to information will help us serve our communities more effectively. If our women decide to stand on their own feet, then development will be for all within the community,” said Ms. Damor.

Women from Bhutan or Madhya Pradesh will be able to share their experiences by uploading audio-visual content on mobiles using an interactive application, Wi-Net.

Read more at UN Women, published 4 October 2012.

The key issues of women's access to parliament and to internal parliamentary structures kicked off an engaged and lively debate at the 7th IPU Meeting of Women Speakers of Parliament in New Delhi on 3rd October.

The issue of quotas or special measures to increase the numbers of women in parliament raised again the question of whether such measures helped or hindered women politicians. For Botswana, there is no question that quotas or special measures are desperately needed. For Speaker Nasha Nnananyana, the fact that her parliament hosts only a couple of women MPs is a desperately sad fact. "Women are completely absent from parliament," she told her fellow women Speakers. The priority had to be in redressing this fundamental imbalance before other gender-related work in parliament could begin she stressed.

Although a milestone has been reached in women's participation in parliament in 2012, with one in five MPs in the world now being women, the statistic falls far short of the 50 per cent that women represent in the global population.

The two-day meeting, officially opened by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee at an inaugural ceremony in the grand and historic setting of the Lok Sabha (lower house) chamber and hosted by Speaker of the Lok Sabha Meira Kumar, is focused on how to transform women's political participation by sensitizing parliaments to gender issues.

In addition to how to increase the numbers of women MPs, the meeting, which brought together 13 women speakers from around the world, is looking at ways to change the structures and working methods of parliament to make them more gender sensitive.

The issue of child care facilities within parliaments, working times, and gender policies such as on parental leave or on sexual harassment and how these can help create an environment that would help women want to work in parliament, were also discussed. It allowed for an exchange of ideas on how to address common challenges.

Austrian Speaker Barbara Prammer spoke of the importance of mentoring women MPs. "Women need to have powerful supporters who can mentor them," she told her counterparts. "Women who have broken the glass ceiling have to take other women with them."

In his inaugural speech, Indian President Mukherjee highlighted how amendments to the Indian Constitution allowing seats on local governance structures and councils to be reserved for women had had a dramatic impact on women's participation in local politics. The act of reserving one third of seats in local bodies for women had brought 800,000 into the political process in a single election, he said. "This is very significant as the gram panchayat (village councils) is, in my view, the best training ground for future parliamentarians," he added. Eleven per cent of India's MPs are women. India had yet to adopt a quota system at national parliament level.

IPU President Abdelwahad Radi told the gathering that he refused to be pessimistic about the levels of women's participation in parliament. He highlighted that the percentage of women speakers – 14 per cent – fared well with the figure for women ministers (16 per cent) and higher than that of women heads of state.

The opening day also saw keynote addresses by IPU Secretary General Anders B. Johnsson and Executive Director of UN Women Michelle Bachelet. Both pressed the need for affirmative action on women's access to parliament.

With democracy fundamentally tied to representation that brought change to all of society, it was not acceptable for half of the world's population to not have an equal voice in the way politics is done and in the political decisions that are taken, Secretary General Johnsson told participants. Parliaments had to respond to the needs and concerns of all of society.

He acknowledged that the Organization was witnessing much change among its 162 members in response to public demand. But women's political representation and making parliaments sensitive to the needs of both men and women was part of a huge challenge. "But it is a challenge that parliaments must take on with verve and commitment," he urged.

Read more at IPU, published 3 October 2012.

The key issues of women's access to parliament and to internal parliamentary structures kicked off an engaged and lively debate at the 7th IPU Meeting of Women Speakers of Parliament in New Delhi on 3rd October.

The issue of quotas or special measures to increase the numbers of women in parliament raised again the question of whether such measures helped or hindered women politicians. For Botswana, there is no question that quotas or special measures are desperately needed. For Speaker Nasha Nnananyana, the fact that her parliament hosts only a couple of women MPs is a desperately sad fact. "Women are completely absent from parliament," she told her fellow women Speakers. The priority had to be in redressing this fundamental imbalance before other gender-related work in parliament could begin she stressed.

Although a milestone has been reached in women's participation in parliament in 2012, with one in five MPs in the world now being women, the statistic falls far short of the 50 per cent that women represent in the global population.

The two-day meeting, officially opened by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee at an inaugural ceremony in the grand and historic setting of the Lok Sabha (lower house) chamber and hosted by Speaker of the Lok Sabha Meira Kumar, is focused on how to transform women's political participation by sensitizing parliaments to gender issues.

In addition to how to increase the numbers of women MPs, the meeting, which brought together 13 women speakers from around the world, is looking at ways to change the structures and working methods of parliament to make them more gender sensitive.

The issue of child care facilities within parliaments, working times, and gender policies such as on parental leave or on sexual harassment and how these can help create an environment that would help women want to work in parliament, were also discussed. It allowed for an exchange of ideas on how to address common challenges.

Austrian Speaker Barbara Prammer spoke of the importance of mentoring women MPs. "Women need to have powerful supporters who can mentor them," she told her counterparts. "Women who have broken the glass ceiling have to take other women with them."

In his inaugural speech, Indian President Mukherjee highlighted how amendments to the Indian Constitution allowing seats on local governance structures and councils to be reserved for women had had a dramatic impact on women's participation in local politics. The act of reserving one third of seats in local bodies for women had brought 800,000 into the political process in a single election, he said. "This is very significant as the gram panchayat (village councils) is, in my view, the best training ground for future parliamentarians," he added. Eleven per cent of India's MPs are women. India had yet to adopt a quota system at national parliament level.

IPU President Abdelwahad Radi told the gathering that he refused to be pessimistic about the levels of women's participation in parliament. He highlighted that the percentage of women speakers – 14 per cent – fared well with the figure for women ministers (16 per cent) and higher than that of women heads of state.

The opening day also saw keynote addresses by IPU Secretary General Anders B. Johnsson and Executive Director of UN Women Michelle Bachelet. Both pressed the need for affirmative action on women's access to parliament.

With democracy fundamentally tied to representation that brought change to all of society, it was not acceptable for half of the world's population to not have an equal voice in the way politics is done and in the political decisions that are taken, Secretary General Johnsson told participants. Parliaments had to respond to the needs and concerns of all of society.

He acknowledged that the Organization was witnessing much change among its 162 members in response to public demand. But women's political representation and making parliaments sensitive to the needs of both men and women was part of a huge challenge. "But it is a challenge that parliaments must take on with verve and commitment," he urged.

Read more at IPU, published 3 October 2012.

The key issues of women's access to parliament and to internal parliamentary structures kicked off an engaged and lively debate at the 7th IPU Meeting of Women Speakers of Parliament in New Delhi on 3rd October.

The issue of quotas or special measures to increase the numbers of women in parliament raised again the question of whether such measures helped or hindered women politicians. For Botswana, there is no question that quotas or special measures are desperately needed. For Speaker Nasha Nnananyana, the fact that her parliament hosts only a couple of women MPs is a desperately sad fact. "Women are completely absent from parliament," she told her fellow women Speakers. The priority had to be in redressing this fundamental imbalance before other gender-related work in parliament could begin she stressed.

Although a milestone has been reached in women's participation in parliament in 2012, with one in five MPs in the world now being women, the statistic falls far short of the 50 per cent that women represent in the global population.

The two-day meeting, officially opened by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee at an inaugural ceremony in the grand and historic setting of the Lok Sabha (lower house) chamber and hosted by Speaker of the Lok Sabha Meira Kumar, is focused on how to transform women's political participation by sensitizing parliaments to gender issues.

In addition to how to increase the numbers of women MPs, the meeting, which brought together 13 women speakers from around the world, is looking at ways to change the structures and working methods of parliament to make them more gender sensitive.

The issue of child care facilities within parliaments, working times, and gender policies such as on parental leave or on sexual harassment and how these can help create an environment that would help women want to work in parliament, were also discussed. It allowed for an exchange of ideas on how to address common challenges.

Austrian Speaker Barbara Prammer spoke of the importance of mentoring women MPs. "Women need to have powerful supporters who can mentor them," she told her counterparts. "Women who have broken the glass ceiling have to take other women with them."

In his inaugural speech, Indian President Mukherjee highlighted how amendments to the Indian Constitution allowing seats on local governance structures and councils to be reserved for women had had a dramatic impact on women's participation in local politics. The act of reserving one third of seats in local bodies for women had brought 800,000 into the political process in a single election, he said. "This is very significant as the gram panchayat (village councils) is, in my view, the best training ground for future parliamentarians," he added. Eleven per cent of India's MPs are women. India had yet to adopt a quota system at national parliament level.

IPU President Abdelwahad Radi told the gathering that he refused to be pessimistic about the levels of women's participation in parliament. He highlighted that the percentage of women speakers – 14 per cent – fared well with the figure for women ministers (16 per cent) and higher than that of women heads of state.

The opening day also saw keynote addresses by IPU Secretary General Anders B. Johnsson and Executive Director of UN Women Michelle Bachelet. Both pressed the need for affirmative action on women's access to parliament.

With democracy fundamentally tied to representation that brought change to all of society, it was not acceptable for half of the world's population to not have an equal voice in the way politics is done and in the political decisions that are taken, Secretary General Johnsson told participants. Parliaments had to respond to the needs and concerns of all of society.

He acknowledged that the Organization was witnessing much change among its 162 members in response to public demand. But women's political representation and making parliaments sensitive to the needs of both men and women was part of a huge challenge. "But it is a challenge that parliaments must take on with verve and commitment," he urged.

Read more at IPU, published 3 October 2012.

The key issues of women's access to parliament and to internal parliamentary structures kicked off an engaged and lively debate at the 7th IPU Meeting of Women Speakers of Parliament in New Delhi on 3rd October.

The issue of quotas or special measures to increase the numbers of women in parliament raised again the question of whether such measures helped or hindered women politicians. For Botswana, there is no question that quotas or special measures are desperately needed. For Speaker Nasha Nnananyana, the fact that her parliament hosts only a couple of women MPs is a desperately sad fact. "Women are completely absent from parliament," she told her fellow women Speakers. The priority had to be in redressing this fundamental imbalance before other gender-related work in parliament could begin she stressed.

Although a milestone has been reached in women's participation in parliament in 2012, with one in five MPs in the world now being women, the statistic falls far short of the 50 per cent that women represent in the global population.

The two-day meeting, officially opened by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee at an inaugural ceremony in the grand and historic setting of the Lok Sabha (lower house) chamber and hosted by Speaker of the Lok Sabha Meira Kumar, is focused on how to transform women's political participation by sensitizing parliaments to gender issues.

In addition to how to increase the numbers of women MPs, the meeting, which brought together 13 women speakers from around the world, is looking at ways to change the structures and working methods of parliament to make them more gender sensitive.

The issue of child care facilities within parliaments, working times, and gender policies such as on parental leave or on sexual harassment and how these can help create an environment that would help women want to work in parliament, were also discussed. It allowed for an exchange of ideas on how to address common challenges.

Austrian Speaker Barbara Prammer spoke of the importance of mentoring women MPs. "Women need to have powerful supporters who can mentor them," she told her counterparts. "Women who have broken the glass ceiling have to take other women with them."

In his inaugural speech, Indian President Mukherjee highlighted how amendments to the Indian Constitution allowing seats on local governance structures and councils to be reserved for women had had a dramatic impact on women's participation in local politics. The act of reserving one third of seats in local bodies for women had brought 800,000 into the political process in a single election, he said. "This is very significant as the gram panchayat (village councils) is, in my view, the best training ground for future parliamentarians," he added. Eleven per cent of India's MPs are women. India had yet to adopt a quota system at national parliament level.

IPU President Abdelwahad Radi told the gathering that he refused to be pessimistic about the levels of women's participation in parliament. He highlighted that the percentage of women speakers – 14 per cent – fared well with the figure for women ministers (16 per cent) and higher than that of women heads of state.

The opening day also saw keynote addresses by IPU Secretary General Anders B. Johnsson and Executive Director of UN Women Michelle Bachelet. Both pressed the need for affirmative action on women's access to parliament.

With democracy fundamentally tied to representation that brought change to all of society, it was not acceptable for half of the world's population to not have an equal voice in the way politics is done and in the political decisions that are taken, Secretary General Johnsson told participants. Parliaments had to respond to the needs and concerns of all of society.

He acknowledged that the Organization was witnessing much change among its 162 members in response to public demand. But women's political representation and making parliaments sensitive to the needs of both men and women was part of a huge challenge. "But it is a challenge that parliaments must take on with verve and commitment," he urged.

Read more at IPU, published 3 October 2012.

The key issues of women's access to parliament and to internal parliamentary structures kicked off an engaged and lively debate at the 7th IPU Meeting of Women Speakers of Parliament in New Delhi on 3rd October.

The issue of quotas or special measures to increase the numbers of women in parliament raised again the question of whether such measures helped or hindered women politicians. For Botswana, there is no question that quotas or special measures are desperately needed. For Speaker Nasha Nnananyana, the fact that her parliament hosts only a couple of women MPs is a desperately sad fact. "Women are completely absent from parliament," she told her fellow women Speakers. The priority had to be in redressing this fundamental imbalance before other gender-related work in parliament could begin she stressed.

Although a milestone has been reached in women's participation in parliament in 2012, with one in five MPs in the world now being women, the statistic falls far short of the 50 per cent that women represent in the global population.

The two-day meeting, officially opened by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee at an inaugural ceremony in the grand and historic setting of the Lok Sabha (lower house) chamber and hosted by Speaker of the Lok Sabha Meira Kumar, is focused on how to transform women's political participation by sensitizing parliaments to gender issues.

In addition to how to increase the numbers of women MPs, the meeting, which brought together 13 women speakers from around the world, is looking at ways to change the structures and working methods of parliament to make them more gender sensitive.

The issue of child care facilities within parliaments, working times, and gender policies such as on parental leave or on sexual harassment and how these can help create an environment that would help women want to work in parliament, were also discussed. It allowed for an exchange of ideas on how to address common challenges.

Austrian Speaker Barbara Prammer spoke of the importance of mentoring women MPs. "Women need to have powerful supporters who can mentor them," she told her counterparts. "Women who have broken the glass ceiling have to take other women with them."

In his inaugural speech, Indian President Mukherjee highlighted how amendments to the Indian Constitution allowing seats on local governance structures and councils to be reserved for women had had a dramatic impact on women's participation in local politics. The act of reserving one third of seats in local bodies for women had brought 800,000 into the political process in a single election, he said. "This is very significant as the gram panchayat (village councils) is, in my view, the best training ground for future parliamentarians," he added. Eleven per cent of India's MPs are women. India had yet to adopt a quota system at national parliament level.

IPU President Abdelwahad Radi told the gathering that he refused to be pessimistic about the levels of women's participation in parliament. He highlighted that the percentage of women speakers – 14 per cent – fared well with the figure for women ministers (16 per cent) and higher than that of women heads of state.

The opening day also saw keynote addresses by IPU Secretary General Anders B. Johnsson and Executive Director of UN Women Michelle Bachelet. Both pressed the need for affirmative action on women's access to parliament.

With democracy fundamentally tied to representation that brought change to all of society, it was not acceptable for half of the world's population to not have an equal voice in the way politics is done and in the political decisions that are taken, Secretary General Johnsson told participants. Parliaments had to respond to the needs and concerns of all of society.

He acknowledged that the Organization was witnessing much change among its 162 members in response to public demand. But women's political representation and making parliaments sensitive to the needs of both men and women was part of a huge challenge. "But it is a challenge that parliaments must take on with verve and commitment," he urged.

Read more at IPU, published 3 October 2012.

The key issues of women's access to parliament and to internal parliamentary structures kicked off an engaged and lively debate at the 7th IPU Meeting of Women Speakers of Parliament in New Delhi on 3rd October.

The issue of quotas or special measures to increase the numbers of women in parliament raised again the question of whether such measures helped or hindered women politicians. For Botswana, there is no question that quotas or special measures are desperately needed. For Speaker Nasha Nnananyana, the fact that her parliament hosts only a couple of women MPs is a desperately sad fact. "Women are completely absent from parliament," she told her fellow women Speakers. The priority had to be in redressing this fundamental imbalance before other gender-related work in parliament could begin she stressed.

Although a milestone has been reached in women's participation in parliament in 2012, with one in five MPs in the world now being women, the statistic falls far short of the 50 per cent that women represent in the global population.

The two-day meeting, officially opened by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee at an inaugural ceremony in the grand and historic setting of the Lok Sabha (lower house) chamber and hosted by Speaker of the Lok Sabha Meira Kumar, is focused on how to transform women's political participation by sensitizing parliaments to gender issues.

In addition to how to increase the numbers of women MPs, the meeting, which brought together 13 women speakers from around the world, is looking at ways to change the structures and working methods of parliament to make them more gender sensitive.

The issue of child care facilities within parliaments, working times, and gender policies such as on parental leave or on sexual harassment and how these can help create an environment that would help women want to work in parliament, were also discussed. It allowed for an exchange of ideas on how to address common challenges.

Austrian Speaker Barbara Prammer spoke of the importance of mentoring women MPs. "Women need to have powerful supporters who can mentor them," she told her counterparts. "Women who have broken the glass ceiling have to take other women with them."

In his inaugural speech, Indian President Mukherjee highlighted how amendments to the Indian Constitution allowing seats on local governance structures and councils to be reserved for women had had a dramatic impact on women's participation in local politics. The act of reserving one third of seats in local bodies for women had brought 800,000 into the political process in a single election, he said. "This is very significant as the gram panchayat (village councils) is, in my view, the best training ground for future parliamentarians," he added. Eleven per cent of India's MPs are women. India had yet to adopt a quota system at national parliament level.

IPU President Abdelwahad Radi told the gathering that he refused to be pessimistic about the levels of women's participation in parliament. He highlighted that the percentage of women speakers – 14 per cent – fared well with the figure for women ministers (16 per cent) and higher than that of women heads of state.

The opening day also saw keynote addresses by IPU Secretary General Anders B. Johnsson and Executive Director of UN Women Michelle Bachelet. Both pressed the need for affirmative action on women's access to parliament.

With democracy fundamentally tied to representation that brought change to all of society, it was not acceptable for half of the world's population to not have an equal voice in the way politics is done and in the political decisions that are taken, Secretary General Johnsson told participants. Parliaments had to respond to the needs and concerns of all of society.

He acknowledged that the Organization was witnessing much change among its 162 members in response to public demand. But women's political representation and making parliaments sensitive to the needs of both men and women was part of a huge challenge. "But it is a challenge that parliaments must take on with verve and commitment," he urged.

Read more at IPU, published 3 October 2012.