OSCE/ODIHR promotes measures to increase women’s political participation in Kyrgyzstan
More should be done to enhance the role of women in political parties in Kyrgyzstan, said participants at a roundtable discussion organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Centre in Bishkek on 17 April 2013.
In a video message, Roza Otunbayeva, the former President of Kyrgyzstan, addressed participants of a OSCE/ODIHR roundtable discussion in Bishkek on increasing the role of women in political parties in Kyrgyzstan.
Parliamentarians, election administration and government officials, as well as representatives of political parties, civil society, international organizations and academia came together in Bishkek to exchange good practices political parties can introduce to increase the share of women in decision-making positions within parties and in elected office at the local, regional and national levels.
“Greater awareness in society of the benefits of women’s political participation can encourage women to enter political life,” said Roza Otunbayeva, the former President of Kyrgyzstan, who addressed participants in a video message. “We should seek to constantly learn from good practices introduced around the world.”
Ambassador Sergey Kapinos, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, noted that “Kyrgyzstan has made progress with the introduction of gender quotas in party lists and the promotion of women to senior public positions,” adding that further steps can be taken to raise the participation of women in political institutions, especially at the decision-making level.
During the discussion, ODIHR presented its baseline study Gender Equality in Elected Office: A Six-Step Action Plan, which highlights different strategies for enhancing women’s political participation. These include developing transparent procedures for promoting members to decision-making positions, for selecting candidates and for allocating party resources, to ensure they provide an equal playing field for both women and men.
The discussion is to be followed by a two-and-a-half day training seminar for 40 women participants from various political parties in Kyrgyzstan, with the aim of enhancing their political skills.
Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
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