ON
COMPOSITION OF DELEGATIONS & PANELS
Open for comments until 28 April 2016
The first meeting of the International Geneva Gender Champion’sImpact Group on “Composition of Delegations and Panels”was held at ITU Headquarter in Geneva on 19 April 2016 and gathered more than 30 participants (see list attached).
The objective of the meeting was to start an exchange of information on current practices among membersto support women participation in delegations and on panels and to identify possible joint Geneva Gender Champions (GGC) actions.
- SHARING CURRENT PRACTICES AND PLANNED ACTIONS
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the International Parliamentary Union (IPU), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and theUnited Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)shared their experiences (presentations are available in separate files). Presentationswere followed by lively discussion. The information exchanged during the meeting can be structured around four pillars that were presented as essential to advance gender equality on panels and in delegations: (1) making the case; (2) collecting data and tracking; (3) setting targets; (4) communicating and advocating.
Making the case
As an introduction, the representative of OHCHR reminded participants that gender parity was a fundamental matter of rights and that parity in delegations was a transformative tool towards gender equality. She stressed that visible equality breaks gender stereotypes, and equal representation builds upon law and policies on the experience of the entire population.
The representative of IPU highlighted that, as mentioned in the IPU Strategy 2012-2017,gender equality is a key component for better parliaments and a prerequisite for the achievement of democracy.
The representatives of ITU, WMO and IPU mentioned that their governing bodies had adopted a Gender Mainstreaming Policy/Strategy or specific resolution which made the case for the organization. Through those texts their respective members recognize the benefitsof equal participation of men and women in policy- and decision-making process. These polices lay out the principle of gender equality, set the objectives to promote gender equality, in representation and participation,and enable a process to be put in place.
Collecting data and tracking
Being able to obtain data and tracking data have been essential for the agencies to raise awareness about the issue. The data allows internal and external parties to see what the status is.
Examples of tracking the data included the following:
-Percentage of men and women participation in General Conference/Congress/Council delegations (since 1950WMO, since 2000 ITU, OHCHR, IPU, ILO)
-Proportion of women in national commissions (WMO)
-Percentage of women in Conference/Committee chairmanship positions (ITU)
-Gender balance number of interventions(per committee session) (OHCHR)
-Women interventions – not only participation on behalf of States and NGOs (OHCHR)
-Intervention of women for specific items of the agenda
-Gender balance among dignitaries participating in the Human rights Council (OHCHR)
-Gender balance among panelists (OHCHR)
-Gender balance among panelist on panels on women, gender and children (OHCHR)
-Gender balance among panelists in all other panel discussions (OHCHR)
Setting targets
Setting clear and realistic targets has also been mentioned as instrumental in advancing towards gender equality.
-30% was the target of ILO, one of the first organizationsto start to monitor the participation of women in delegations.
-30% is considered a crucial threshold which, if reached and overtaken, will represent a strong sign ofchange and of freedom for women
-IPU set a Gender-neutral target as well as sanctionsfor participation in the Governing Council. Each parliament may send a 3-member delegation to the Council; the delegation must include at least a man and a woman. If strictly applied, the rule ensures that at least 30% of members be of eachsex. Where this target is not respected, the delegation is reduced by one, thus reducing the delegation's voting rights by 1/3
-IPU set also a Gender-neutral target for participation in the IPU Assembly: Delegations from member parliaments must include men and women and are encouraged to be gender-balanced. Parliaments are entitled to register up to 8 or 10 delegates depending on the country’s population. Voting rights also vary depending on the population of the country. Starting with a minimum of 10 votes, delegations may cast additional votes, ranging from 1 to 13, depending on the size of their country’s population.Sanction:Where delegations attend IPU Assemblies without representatives of both sexes three times in a row, their voting rights are reduced by two and the officially registered number of delegates are reduced by one.
Advocating and communicating
Communicating and advocating on the importance of gender equality in delegations and on panels has been presented as a key factor to progress. The following interesting examples were mentioned:
-Reporting to governing bodies meetings (report to WMO congress, report to ITU Council, gender partnership group report to the IPU executive Committee and the IPU Governing Council)
-Publishing a full list during the governing bodies meetings indicating the names of single sex delegation (IPU)
-Organizing a gender day/side event during the governing body meeting (gender day at WMO Congress; IPU Forum of Women Parliamentarians at IPU Assemblies)
-Producing videos and Infographics (WMO)
-Organizing Capacity building workshop (ITU, WMO, UNITAR, WIPO)
-Dialoguing with delegations with no women (IPU)
-Converting info to capitals by working with permanent missions. Not focusing only on activities in Geneva.
-Balancing incentivizing actions vs. sanctions
- NEXT STEPS AND IDENTIFICATION OF POSSIBLE GGC JOINT ACTIONS
The following proposals were made during the discussions:
-Create a platform to collect good practices and share information (proposed interim webpage
-Develop a common GGC check list for the organization of panels and events that could be promoted by all GGC
-Advocate a common realistic target of 30% of women in delegations
-Involve the Geneva-based missions
-Organize a GGC meeting to present all the data to the Ambassadors
Next actions for members
-Send comments on draft check listfor the organization of panel and event(attached)
-Send information/best practices material that members would like to have published on the platform
-The date of the next meeting will be communicated in due course
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GGC First meeting of the Impact Group on Gender equality in Panels and Delegations