More than 160 women legislators from 114 countries attended the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians that was held today during the 116th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Nusa Dua, Bali.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives of Indonesia, Mr. Agung Laksono, opened the session together with the President of the IPU, Mr. Pier Ferdinando Casini, and the newly elected President of the Meeting, Ms. Aisyah Hamid Baidlowi, member of the Indonesian Parliament. Ms. Farida Hatta Swasono, Minister of Women's Empowerment of Indonesia, delivered the keynote speech.
Mr. Laksono said that women parliamentarians would be fully involved in the IPU discussion on job creation and employment security in the era of globalization. He added that equality between men and women was a basic right and prerequisite for sustainable development.
The IPU President commended the great number of women participating in the Meeting. He stressed that the IPU had led the way for women's participation by organizing a forum for women to contribute their views to the Assembly.
"It is essential to enhance and promote the contribution of women and guarantee their fair and equal participation," Mr. Casini said. "Women comprise 50 per cent of the economic and development potential of each country, but this was untapped even in developed countries such as Italy."
The IPU President explained that, earlier this month, he had visited Darfur and met refugees from Chad, Sudan and Darfur. In that region, he had witnessed the exceptional role of women: it was thanks to them that children survived and families preserved their identities, despite the fact that women were victims of violence.
Ms. Hatta Swasono gave an overview of the situation of women in Indonesia. Speaking about globalization, she said that women were development assets. Education and health, including maternal mortality, were important areas where Indonesia was trying to improve women's condition. She explained that the participation of men in family planning had also been actively encouraged. In the political field, significant progress had been made towards obtaining 30 per cent of women in Parliament.
Ms. Hatta Swasono explained that migration was a complex issue with regard to women's rights as most migrants, who were driven away from home by poverty, were women. As migrants benefited both their countries of origin and their host countries, she stressed that it was advisable to give better protection to female migrant workers and safeguard their human rights.
In the afternoon, the meeting tackled the subject of political parties and women's political participation. Introduced by Ms. Antonia Martinez, Member of the Spanish Parliament, and Ms. Nthabiseng Khunou, Member of the South African Parliament, the discussion highlighted the need for political parties to develop measures to promote women's political participation.
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