Recommitting to advance gender equality in politics, in focus of ODIHR event

Recommitting to advance gender equality in politics was the topic of discussion at the annual Women’s Power Breakfast organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) at the margins of the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference this week. ODIHR also presented the latest gender-responsive governance toolkit.

“We urgently need men’s involvement to advance women’s political participation,” said ODIHR Director’s Alternate, Tea Jaliashvili. “They play a fundamental role in creating an environment where women are listened to and empowered to bring change, and so are the political parties – gatekeepers of democracy.”

The event was joined by representatives of OSCE governments, European umbrella NGOs and international experts, who agreed that equal political participation of women and men is a precondition for further developing democratic institutions and gender-responsive governance.

“Today, many people see the presence of 60 per cent of young women among university students as ‘female dominance’, while 60 per cent of men among members of parliament are seen as gender equality obtained. This leads me to the conclusion that, for many, male-dominated institutions are still seen as ‘natural’,” said Drude Dahlerup, professor at Stockholm University.

ODIHR has been active in promoting the political participation of women across the OSCE region over the last thirty years. The Office has developed numerous tools to assist political parties, parliaments, governments and civil society in advancing gender equality.