Democracy and Gender Equality Roundtable

Update:

The event was webcast on iKNOW Politics and we will be posting shortly the recordings of the webcast and follow up reports from the meeting. Please feel free to leave a comment below.

About the event:

[By Invitation Only.]

UN Women is hosting a Democracy and Gender Equality Roundtable on Wednesday 4 May 2011 at UN Headquarters to serve as a forum to gather key stakeholders and discuss the relationship between gender equality and democracy. Part of this discussion will look at the UN’s performance (successes, lessons learned, obstacles and challenges) in implementing gender responsive democracy building and to formulate joint inputs on the topic for advocacy use within UN policy making structures.

Full Agenda

8:45 Breakfast

9:00 Registration

9:30 Welcome

Moderator: UN Assistant Secretary-General Mr. Oscar Fernandez-Taranco

UN Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon

9:45 Opening remarks

UN Under Secretary General Madame Helen Clark

UN Under Secretary General Madame Michelle Bachelet

International IDEA Secretary General Mr. Vidar Helgesen

10:15 Background

Dr. Mala Htun on Gender and Democracy, Critical issues

10:40 Coffee Break

11:00–12:30 Panel 1: Political Participation, Representation and Gender Equality
This session will examine the gender responsiveness of political parties; the impact of quotas and other temporary special measures for increasing the representation of women in democracy; issues of access to campaign finances; and the gender responsiveness of electoral management bodies and processes.

Facilitator:

Ms. Winnie Byanyima, Director, UNDP Gender Team

Panelists:

Dr. Drude Dahlerup, Professor Political Science, Sweden

Ms. Shari Bryan, Vice President, National Democratic Institute, United States of America

Dr. Joy Ezeilo, Director, Women Aid Collective, Nigeria

12:30–13:30 Lunch Break (lunch provided)
Viewing of Gender Links movie on media stereotypes of women in politics in Conference Room A

13:30 – 15:00 Panel 2: Impact of Traditional and New Social Media on Women’s Engagement with Democratic Processes
This session will examine how the treatment of women in media impacts women’s entry, acceptance and performance in participatory democratic governance. How can the media influence gender-sensitive political agenda setting and framing of issues?

Facilitator:

Dr. Massimo Tommasoli, Permanent Representative of International IDEA to UN

Panelists:

Ms. Pat Mitchell, The Paley Centre for Media, Unites States of America

Ms. Emily Jacobi, Digital Democracy, United States of America

Ms. Colleen Lowe-Morna, Gender Links, South Africa

Ms. Shiulie Ghosh, Senior News Anchor, Al Jazeera, Qatar

15:00 Coffee Break

15:15–16:45 Panel 3: Gender-Responsive Accountability Systems and Democracy
This session will examine the ways in which accountability systems can better reflect women’s concerns, both through reforms in formal accountability systems (judicial and other national oversight mechanisms, constitutional right to information) and mechanisms generated from civil society (citizen report cards, public audits). The connection between democratic deepening and efforts to ensure that these systems advance women’s rights will be explored.

Facilitator:

Anne Marie Goetz, Chief Advisor Peace and Security Cluster UN Women

Panelists:

Dr. Soukeina Bouraoui, Director, Center for Arab Women’s Training and Research, Tunisia

Ms. Yasmin Sooka, Director, Foundation for Human Rights, South Africa

Ms. Betty Murungi, Kenya

Mr. Vincent Warren, Director, Center for Constitutional Rights, United States of America

16:45–17:30 Summary and Closing

Ms. Winnie Byanyima, UNDP

Mr. Massimo Tommasoli, International IDEA

Dr. Anne Marie Goetz, UN Women

UN Assistant Secretary-General Mr. Oscar Fernandez-Taranco

For more information, contact Ana Lukatela, Peace and Security Cluster, UN Women, ana.lukatela[at]unwomen.org