From 13-17 March, BGIPU sent a parliamentary delegation to the 61st Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations in New York. “Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work” was the 2017 priority theme of this year’s Commission, with parliamentarians from over 150 countries convening to debate the issue.
The number of women in executive government and in parliament worldwide has stagnated, with only marginal improvements since 2015, according to the data contained in the Women in Politics 2017 Map launched today by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women. The Map, which presents global rankings for women in the executive and parliamentary branches of government as of 1 January 2017, shows slow progress towards gender equality in these areas at regional and national levels.
More ambitious measures and stronger political commitment are needed to enhance women’s representation in parliament and keep apace with the significant progress achieved worldwide over the last decade, says the IPU. “Women in Parliament in 2016: The year in review” released ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March calls for renewed momentum to ensure women’s voices everywhere are included in decision-making processes underscoring that women’s political empowerment cannot be taken for granted.
The 2017 Annual Parliamentary Hearing at the United Nations held 13-14 February at UN HQ in New York provided parliamentary input into the UN Ocean Conference scheduled 5-9 June 2017. This conference will conclude with a Call for Action which the IPU hopes will reflect many of the recommendations from the outcome document of the parliamentary hearing and recognise the role parliaments play as key actors in the implementation of all commitments on the ocean. UK participants followed up the hearing through action in the UK Parliament.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has again expressed concern about continued human rights violations against MPs worldwide and the lack of respect for their parliamentary immunity. During its January 2017 session, IPU’s Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians adopted decisions on the cases of 227 MPs from 16 countries. Over 100 MPs are from just three countries, Malaysia, Nicaragua and Turkey. The Committee has elected a new President in the person of Ms. Fawzia Koofi (Afghanistan).
The 2017 Parliamentary Hearing at the United Nations on 13-14 February 2017 will focus on SDG 14 of the new Sustainable Development Goals: the conservation and sustainable use of oceans. A World of Blue: Preserving the oceans, safeguarding the planet, ensuring human well-being in the context of the 2030 Agenda will bring together parliamentarians, experts and UN officials and will make recommendations to restore the oceans to health.
Women Speakers of Parliament from across the globe agreed to rapidly develop parliamentary objectives and action plans that put at the core the integrity of our planet and peace and prosperity. At the conclusion of the two-day Global Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament, women Speakers unanimously adopted the Abu Dhabi Declaration that defines concrete steps to tackle geopolitical, socioeconomic, environmental and technological challenges to ensure a more gender sensitive and inclusive world and a better quality of life for generations to come.
This year has seen a sharp increase in the number of parliamentarians who have suffered or who have alleged violations of their fundamental rights. In an overview of cases being examined by the IPU’s Committee on Human Rights of Parliamentarians, 459 parliamentarians from 42 countries were investigated in 2016 in comparison to 320 parliamentarians in 2015 and 311 parliamentarians in 2014. This outcome underscores the dangers MPs face across the world in exercising their mandate and their right to freedom of expression.
BGIPU was represented at the 2nd High level Meeting of the GPEDC in Nairobi, including the IPU/AWEPA hosted Parliamentary Forum, by Lord Chidgey, of Hamble-le-Rice. In recent years, international discussions on aid and development have shifted their focus away from the delivery of aid to the effectiveness of development cooperation as a whole, known as the development effectiveness agenda with parliamentarians playing key roles in such deliberations.
Marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, IPU is launching an innovative self-assessment toolkit which assists parliaments in reviewing their functioning and working methods, and how these contribute to gender equality. This is a follow-up to the IPU’s landmark study on sexism against women MPs as part of the IPU’s commitment to advance gender-sensitive reforms in parliaments. BGIPU has been active in promoting the IPU’s work and sees the launch as a vitally important contribution to such efforts.
