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 and building alliances – The role of Civil Society in Gender Equality 
by Cécile Gréboval,Secretary General, European Women’s Lobby (EWL)



 


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

 

Social media as tool for enhancing women’s participation in decision-making:Bloggers’ Experiences on Women’s Participation in decision making by Silvia Cambié, Communication expert




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International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics (iKNOW Politics): How virtual networking is being used to foster women’s political participation by Piyoo Kochar, Project Manager, iKNOW Politics, and Barbora Galvankova, Knowledge Management Associate, UNDP 






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

 Quotas as Tools to Enhance Women’s Participation 
by Julie Ballington, Gender Adviser, UNDP Democratic Governance Group/Gender Team






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*

Putting Gender Quotas on the Political Agenda : The case of Romania
by Andreea Vass, Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister, Romania



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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

 

 

Gender Equality in the Public Administration (GEPA)  UNDP interim research findings on gender balance in the region by Soma Chakrabarti Fezzardi






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

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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