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The accession of a greater
number of women to positions of power is not only a necessary condition
for ensuring that women's interests are taken into consideration
by governments and society but also strengthens a democracy that
serves the common good. Yet this goal cannot be reduced to a question
of numbers.
For Socialist International
Women it is essential to:
Change the social,
economic and political structures that prevent women from truly
exercising their rights in a democratic society;
Implement policies
and programmes to reduce the disparities between women and men by
taking proper account of gender issues, and to effectively monitor
such policies and evaluate their impact;
Place particular
emphasis on a gender based analysis to develop policies and programmes
that not only allow women to accede to positions of power but also
confer power upon them in reality and to
Introduce measures
to guarantee the representation of women in decision-making posts
at all levels of government and political parties.
Socialist International
Women thus calls on member parties of the Socialist International
to:
Encourage and
to actively promote alliances between women's organisations,
so that they may co-ordinate their activities and provide support
to women politicians and elected representatives;
Offer firm support
to women charged with strengthening the position of women within
their parties and in society;
Increase women's
capacity for leadership by offering them - especially young women
- programmes enabling them to acquire the skills required in their
official roles. Women elected to office should act on their mandate
by addressing the social, economic and cultural barriers facing
most women. They should make use of their skills in conflict resolution;
Adopt and
implement measures to bring about equality between the sexes
and ensure that women do in fact play a role in parties' decision-making
at every level. Ensure that they are selected as candidates
in winnable seats in every election and
Examine the functioning
of parties and replace the mechanisms and practices obstructing
women's participation with arrangements that engage the interests
of all and take into account the social, economic and cultural context
of women.
Finally, Socialist
International Women calls on governments to:
Ratify the Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
(CEDAW) and to sign and ratify the Optional Protocol
to the Convention, if they have not already done so;
Implement the
Platform for Action adopted by the Fourth UN World Conference on
Women held in Beijing in September 1995 and the Outcome Document
of Beijing +5 adopted in New York in June 2000;
Adopt a gender
perspective in all policies, programmes and budgets. Consistent
budgets should be allocated to the promotion of women's rights and
gender equality, to reflect the commitment of governments and to
Ensure that women
participate in the conception, preparation and implementation of
budgets so as to move on from commitments to their effective implementation
and to help meet the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
and the objectives of the New Partnership for African Development
(NEPAD).
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