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Women's caucuses and alliances for sustainable development

A discussion circle on how women's caucuses and alliances can shape national policy agendas

 

Turkey: Women's 77-year struggle for political equality drags on

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Mon, 2011-12-19 08:54

Summary: 

Turkey may have progressively granted women the right to vote in 1934, but 77 years later women still struggle for gender equality in politics.

In fact, activists and female politicians agree the republic's history of women's political rights resembles the volatile track of a rollercoaster -- climbing and falling at various unexpected speeds and at times even coming to a full stop. Zeynep Dağı, a Justice and Development (AK Party) deputy for Ankara, told Sunday's Zaman, “It is not easy to define the status of women's rights in Turkey.”

Women's rights activist Pınar İlkkaracan says “no strides have been made” regarding women's political representation. Vedat Ahsen Coşar, president of the Turkish Bar Association (TBB), echoed İlkkaracan in saying “Turkey is not in a good position regarding women's rights.”

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Read more on Zaman, published 18. Dec


Regional Forum on Equal Participation in Decision-Making

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Sat, 2011-11-05 04:02
2011-11-15
2011-11-17
US/Eastern
Click here
City & Province/State: 
Istanbul
Country: 
Turkey
Venue: 

Dedemand Hotel - Istanbul

Description: 

UNDP is organizing a Regional Forum on Equal Participation in Decision-Making (November 15-17, Istanbul), with co-funding from the UNDP-Japan Women in Development Fund. The Forum will explore opportunities to strengthen the capacities of the institutions represented in eliminating challenges and capitalizing on opportunities related to women’s equal participation in decision-making.

The five institutions represented will be:
• Political parties
• Parliament
• Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs)
• Public administration 
• Civil society

Most importantly, the Forum will identify the platforms where the collaborative efforts of these institutions will lead to greater gender equality results in decision-making processes. It will also explore why quotas can function as a catalyst in these efforts.

For more information please visit. www.undpeuropeandcis.org/gender

REGIONAL FORUM ON “EQUAL PARTICIPATION IN DECISION-MAKING”

Istanbul, November 15-17, 2011

Day 1: Tuesday, November 15, 2011  

Session I:   Prompters: Capitalizing on the opportunities

Session II:   Mobilizing and building alliances for women’s participation in decision-making
 

 
  • Mobilizing for the establishment of national gender equality mechanisms

by Çiğdem Aydın, President, Association for the Support and Training of Women Candidates (KA.DER), Turkey

 

View more presentations from UNDP in Europe and CIS

Session III:   Quotas as tools to enhance women’s participation in decision-making

  • Special temporary measures: Legal obligations under CEDAW by Violeta Neubauer, Coordinator for International Cooperation, Office of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for Equal Opportunities, CEDAW Committee Member
  • Introducing legislated and voluntary party quotas – recent experiences from Montenegro by Snežana Jonica, Member of Parliament, Representative of Montenegro to the Council of Europe
  • Women and quotas in a pre EU accession zone by Teuta Sahatqija, Chair of the Women’s Cross-party Caucus at the Assembly of Kosovo*
View more presentations from UNDP in Europe and CIS

DAY 2, Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Session IV: Working with political parties to enhance women’s political participation

 
 
  • Overview on key challenges and opportunities – following the electoral cycle approach 
    by Julie Ballington,Gender Adviser, UNDP Democratic Governance Group/Gender Team

 

  • Experiences  from  Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey

Gulnara Ibraeva,Independent Expert, Kyrgyzstan

Rusudan Kervalishvili,Vice Speaker of the Parliament, Chair of Gender Advisory Council, Georgia

Güldal Akşit,President, Justice and Development Party (AKP)Women’s Branch, Turkey

Seniye Nazik Işık,Secretary General, Republican People’s Party (CHP) Women’s Branch, Turkey
 

Session V:Integrating gender equality in public administration

 
 

Promoting Innovative Approaches to Gender Equality : experience made from an international perspective by Annie Demirjian, UNDP

View more presentations from UNDP in Europe and CIS

Session VI: An enabling environment for women’s electoral participation:The role of Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs

  • Introduction to the electoral cycle approach
    by Julie Ballington, Gender Adviser, UNDP Democratic Governance Group/Gender Team
  • Enforcing candidate quota rules on party lists for women candidates
    by Irena Hadžiabdić, Member of the Central Election Commission, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Political Finance as a Driver for Women Candidates : Promoting  women’s access to electoral finance 
    by Zurab Kharatishvili, Chair of the Central Election Commission, Georgia                             

Turkey: new government plans to protect women

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Fri, 2011-07-29 06:11

Summary: 

The Turkish State Audit Board (DDK) will conduct an in-depth investigation into domestic violence cases and the efficiency of related legal and administrative services. Additionaly, the head of the newly formed Family and Social Policies Ministry, Fatma Sahin, announced plans for the electronic monitoring of offenders. Women's organisations have responded positively to the new plan as they struggle to prevent the normalisation and the "internalisation" of domestic violence in Turkey.

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To read the complete article please visit www.setimes.com


Turkey: Only one woman minister in new cabinet

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Wed, 2011-07-20 04:54

Summary: 

Fatma Sahin has a unique position in Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's new cabinet: she is the only woman minister. That represents a drop from the previous cabinet, which included two.

Sahin, who is also the first female MP from Gaziantep, will head the Ministry of Family and Social Policy. The new name of her ministry – formerly known as the Ministry of Women, Family and Social Policies.

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To read the complete article please visit www.setimes.com


Turkey: Overview of women's "appear" in Turkey's Parliament

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Wed, 2011-07-20 04:27

Summary: 

Turkey’s political stalemate following the recent elections has overshadowed a key development; the near doubling of women deputies in the Ankara Parliament (Meclis): 14 percent of the Meclis members are now women.

This sudden visibility – women’s “appearance” in the Meclis – is part of a decade-long trend. In 2002, the number of women deputies was 4.4 percent. The 2007 elections saw this figure double to 9.1 percent. Now, the 78 women in parliament make up 14 percent of the 550 deputies.

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To read the complete article please visit www.hurriyetdailynews.com


Turkey: Women demand more voice in politics

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Tue, 2011-07-12 14:34

Summary: 

Turkey’s prominent women NGO’s together published an ad in the country’s major dailies on Thursday, demanding more opportunities for women in vice-ministry positions and in bureaucry. A recent report by U.N. Women also shows how the rule of law in many countries still excludes women.

In the wake of a United Nations report highlighting gender inequality in politics, prominent Turkish women’s organizations are expressing their concerns about a lack of female representation in Parliament and the Cabinet.

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Read the whole article in Hurriyet Daily News


Turkey: Bitter-sweet poll victory for women

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Tue, 2011-06-14 09:17

Summary: 

The increase in the number of female members of Parliament following Sunday’s election is good news, but not sufficient to ensure strong political representation for women, according to women’s rights activists.

“The number of female deputies has increased, but it is not enough. [Female representation] has not even approached 25 percent of the total number of deputies,” Canan Güllü, the chairwoman of the Turkish Women’s Associations Federation. 

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To read the complete article please visit www.hurriyetdailynews.com. 


Turkey: More Turkish women are elected to the Parliament

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Mon, 2011-06-13 10:13

Summary: 

The results of the 12 June general elections, are very successful, with the historical score for women's representatives -14,18 percent of seats of Parliament (the rate raised by 6 percent since 2007). 

 

Parliament's seats won by women candidates by party:

 

  • The leading government party, Justice and Development Party (AKP): 45 (13.8%)  of elected candidates are women out of 326 elected candidates.
  • The main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP): 19 (14.07%) of elected candidates are women out of 135 elected candidates  
  • The national action party (MHP) Only 3 (5.6%) women candidates were elected out of 53 elected candidates. 
  • Other small independent political parties have 11 (30.5%) elected women candidates out of the 35 elected candidates. 
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To consult the election results please visit www.hurriyetdailynews.com. 

For more information in Turkish regadring the women's candidates scores please visit www.ka-der.org.tr


Turkey: replacement of the Ministry of Women and Family Affairs

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Mon, 2011-06-13 09:44

Summary: 

The decision of the replacement of the Ministry of Women and Family Affairs by the newly established Ministry of Family and Social Policies, came espite massive protest of women organizations and a signature campaign with 3,000 participants submitted to the prime ministry on 6 June. 

The decision is seen as a breach of international agreements signed by Turkey. Critics put forward that this application opposes international agreements signed by Turkey and also the legal acquis of the European Union (EU). This view was advanced by Hülya Gülbahar from the Platform for Equality Mechanisms, Dr Selma Acuner from the Ankara University Research Centre for Women's Issues (KASAUM) and Çiğdem Aydın, Board President of the Association for Support and Education for Women Candidates (KA.DER).

"By removing the Ministry of Women and Family Affairs and including the KSGM into the structure of the Ministry of Family and Social Policies, the mechanism for ensuring gender equality is being eliminated. It means that women are not being positioned as individuals but as an element of the family instead".

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To read the complete article please visit  www.bianet.org