Gender mainstreaming in Europe & CIS

Roundtable “An Overall Look at Women’s Empowerment Initiatives: Lessons Learned, Opportunities, Challenges” 9. September 2008, ANKARA, Turkey

Round table in Ankara was the first one in the row of round tables that are part of regional project Regional Report on Women and Governance. This project addresses challenges of transition in the region and developing processes that have been occurring in the region without the full participation of women and at the same time weakening women's position in political and socio-economic life. The project aims to identify reasons for women's low participation and mobilize stakeholders and partners to support this effort.

  

1. Mr. Mahmood A. Ayub, Resident Representative, UN Turkey who gave opening speech.
2. Ms. Ulrika Richardson-Golinski, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP Turkey Women’s empowerment initiatives in UNDP: lessons learned, opportunities, challenges, and
3. Ms. Anita Gradin, former EU Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs, former Swedish Government Minister on Equality affairs, European Affairs, Foreign Trade. “Faced challenges and lessons learned to enhance women’s participation in politics”

 (from left) DRR, Ulrika Richardson-Golinski and RR Mr. Mahmood A. Ayub

Ms. Anita Gradin, former EU Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs, shared Swedish and her own lessons learned in political arena. She noted that untill half of the population is reflected in decision making mechanisms, we can not say we are living in society where women and men have equal opportunities and equal rights. From Sweden politics arena lessons learning she shared the major challange and opportunity: In her perspective it is neeeded to form strong organizations both within and outside of the political parties, in order to enable increase of women’s participation in politics and she sees three forward functions of women’s organizations in this respect: 1) to enable acquiring female members to parties, and acquring votes from them, women; 2) to advocate for active and supportive policies for women; and last but not least 3) to support women who have made it into political positions in sharing experience because the males norms and male working methods are still prevailing in political arena

Participants reaffirmed the common responsibility of both men and women in increasing the number of women in local politics, taking as the basis the current low ratio of women in local politics. They agreed that important challenges still remain for women in Turkey at this level of politics. High emphasis was made on the responsibility of media as the key opinion maker and where the participants would like to see media representatives as “Goodwill Ambassadors” of the cause of women’s equal participation in politics.

Ms. Anita Gradin, former EU Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs, former Swedish Government Minister on Equality affairs, European Affairs, Foreign Trade. “Faced challenges and lessons learned to enhance women’s participation in politics”

Mahmood Ayub's, UNDP Turkey Resident Representative, opening speech