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Papua New Guinea: IFES Conducts Lobby Training Program, PNG Parliament Poised to Vote on Reserved Seats for Women

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Tue, 2012-01-31 23:28

Summary: 

After many years of advocacy, women’s groups and activists watched as the Parliament of Papua New Guinea (PNG) voted to amend the constitution and create an additional 22 reserved seats for women. The 22 seats will be added to the current seats in parliament, held by 108 men and only one woman. Parliament also needs to pass an organic law on the reserved seats by a super majority of 73 votes. Parliament also needs to pass an organic law on the reserved seats by a super majority of 73 votes in order for it to go into effect.

IFES conducted a lobby training program for 25 activists as part of the U.S. State Department’s Women Advocating for Voices in Government project, working closely with the National Council for Women (NCW). One of the highlights of the training was a presentation by Dr. Eric Kwa, professor at the PNG University Law School, on how a bill becomes a law.  Many participants did not understand the legislative process and few knew that the constitution was the supreme law of the land or that parliament could suspend rules and pass a law in one day.

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To read the complete story visit the IFES website, published 24 January 2012.  For additional information and too view photos from the training visit this link.


Women's caucuses and alliances for sustainable development

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

 

Hungary: Parties differ over creation of quotas for women in parliament

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Tue, 2011-10-25 04:44

Summary: 

Representatives of the ruling coalition parties and opposition radical nationalist Jobbik opposed while the main opposition Socialists and green LMP supported the idea of setting a quota for women MPs in parliament at a debate held about women’s representation in public life on Wednesday.

Opening the event Miklos Soltesz, state secretary for social, family and youth affairs, said the best way to encourage women’s participation in politics, and in welfare and economy is through supporting them in their dual work-family tasks. He said the approach towards a stronger representation of women should be “work and family” instead of “work or family.”

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To read the complete article please visit www.politics.hu.


Entering Politics: Peace-building and Conflict Resolution

A Discussion Circle on how to enter politics with a focus on peace-building and conflict resolution in Somalia

Switzerland: Women's group urges to vote for female candidates

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Wed, 2011-09-14 12:27

Summary: 

A number of Swiss women's organisations have joined forces in an attempt to convince voters to elect more women to the country's heavily male-dominated parliament.

The "Women build the future" group is calling on all voters to opt for more female candidates in October's federal elections.

Switzerland does not have a long history of women in politics and was one of the last countries in the western world to give women the vote in 1971.  

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Read the whole article in the Local, published 14. Sept


Participation in Constitution Making: Making Women Voices Heard

Th e Women and Constitution Building Initiative in Nepal was initiated (June 2008) in the spirit of a newlyformed Constitution Assembly (CA) which saw the election of a high percentage of women.  International IDEA, together with its partners, identifi ed a need for a greater understanding of how a constitution aff ects women's lives and how women can contribute to the process of making a new constitution. Strategies were needed to support the creation of an inclusive political environment in a crucial period of Nepal's history.

Th e discussion paper topics are identifi ed by a national group of experts. Th ese focus on the following topics: agenda setting, rules of procedure and public participation. Expert groups with the ability to draw on international expertise are established at the national level. Th e member represents CA members, political parties, lawyers, civil society and academicians. Th ese groups both draw on and inform International IDEA's gender work.

Electoral System and Quotas in Nepal

The Women and Constitution Building Initiative in Nepal was initiated (June 2008) in the spirit of a newly formed Constitution Assembly (CA) which saw the election of a high percentage of women. International IDEA, together with its partners, identified a need for a greater understanding of how a constitution affects women’s lives and how women can contribute to the process of making a new constitution. Strategies were needed to support the creation of an inclusive political environment in a crucial period of Nepal’s history.

The discussion paper topics are identified by a national group of experts. These focus on the following topics: agenda setting, rules of procedure, electoral quotas and participation. Expert groups with the ability to draw on international expertise are established at the national level.
The member represents CA members, political parties, lawyers, civil society and academicians.  These groups both draw on and inform International IDEA’s gender work.

Georgia: Insufficient women's representation in National Parliament

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Tue, 2011-07-12 05:26

Summary: 

In Tbilisi was held a two-day conference on “Funding the political parties" and “Women's participation in political processes". During the conference the Vice - Speaker of the Parliament of the Gender Equality Council, Rusudan Kervalishvili welcomed the participants and talked about the activities and problems in terms of gender equality in Georgia in recent years. She pointed out that regardless of steps taken to identify the main directions of state policy regarding gender equality issues at the legislative level, it is still difficult for women to participate in politics. 

 

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To read the complete article please visit www.ginsc.net


Sri Lanka: A Case for Empowering Women and Youth

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Tue, 2011-07-12 02:18

Summary: 

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa has made the very pertinent point that more women and youth need to be represented in the legislatures of this region and his statement should be a talking point in knowledgeable circles if we are serious about enhancing democratization and ushering in more people’s empowerment. The Speaker was addressing the 5th Conference of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians in New Delhi; a most appropriate forum for raising an issue of this kind.

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To read the full text, please visit The Daily News.


Jamaica: Women groups propose ways to improve gender equality in region

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Tue, 2011-07-12 02:10

Summary: 

Caribbean women are calling for adequate maternity and paternity leave for parliamentarians and increases in women's representation in cabinets, parliaments and local governments to a minimum of 30 per cent.

These are among some 17 recommendations to regional and global governments in a document from regional women leaders which also asks that political parties include a minimum of 40 per cent of either sex on their lists of candidates for parliamentary and local government elections and senatorial appointments.

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To read the article, please visit The Jamaica Observer.