Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Berlin, 10 October 1999
N° 4

Women parliamentarians held their IInd Meeting today in connection with the 102^nd Conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), due to go on until 16 October at the Berlin International Conference Centre (ICC). Chaired by Mrs Rita Sussmüth, Member and former President of the Bundestag (from 1988 to 1998), the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians aims to make women's voices heard in order to ensure that their concerns are reflected in the resolutions adopted by the IPU.

In opening the Meeting, Mrs Sussmüth stated that "the IPU provides a good example of the change towards more democratic institutions: cooperation between women of different persuasions and backgrounds is one of the real plusses of this organisation of world parliaments. ... May I recall once again that the Brussels Conference proved that this form of institutionalisation in the IPU's Statutes is beneficial for us all - men and women alike."

"... Yet there is still a major split between men and women. In 1997, only 12% of the members of our parliaments were women. Much remains to be done in the years to come. With your permission, I would like to give a good example, that of my country: in the German Parliament, women now account for almost one-third of the total membership, almost twice as much as during 1987-1990. The commitment to promoting women's cause and enhancing their status has paid off...."

Mrs Sussmüth added that "several international studies provide a clear description of the change due to globalisation. It is true that women exercise many more professions than previously, but a close look at these studies shows much less favourable terms for women. Globalisation represents an opportunity but also entails considerable risks as far as the role of women in political and social life is concerned. The majority of citizens are tending more and more to view this polarisation between men and women as outdated. ..."

The German Minister for Youth, Women and the Family, Mrs Christine Bergmann, stated that "in recent years, women have made progress with regard to their status in society, but much remains to be done. The fact that women are no longer at a legal disadvantage in relation to men is not enough because they do not yet participate on an equal footing in institutions, in political and scientific life and in other major fields. Intervention is still necessary, even by the State, when it comes to equal opportunities for both sexes. In Europe, the Treaty of Amsterdam represents the first positive statement of a European policy of equality and provides overall tools for implementing this essential equality."

Minister Bergmann stressed that in her view, four steps were necessary: equal employment and educational opportunities, more women in leadership positions in the political and economic fields and in social life, ways for women to reconcile career and family commitments, and an exhaustive list of all forms of discrimination which target women."

Addressing the some 150 women MPs present in Berlin (out of a total of 716 men and women MPs from 121 countries), the President of the Bundestag, Mr Wolfgang Thierse, said that "a parliament with few or no women means losing the representativeness of half of the population. Such a situation is incompatible with our concept of democracy."

The women MPs primarily discussed women's contribution to the "need to revise the current global financial and economic model". They came up with some suggestions such as a new world financial model, underscoring that negotiations in this field absolutely must take into consideration the needs of women and be conducted with input from women. They examined the IPU study entitled "Beijing Plus Five: 1995-2000. An Initial Assessment" (see press release N° 2). The women MPs in attendance in Berlin expressed their unanimous support for the candidature of Mrs. Najma Heptulla, Deputy Speaker of the Rajya Sabha, in the elections to the post of President of the Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, due to take place on Saturday, 16 October, stressing that, 110 years after the founding of the IPU, it was time for a woman finally to hold the highest office within the Organisation.

Among the women MPs present in Berlin, the representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mrs. Fatemeh Karroubi, a Member of the Iranian Consultative Assembly, asserted that "Iranian women consider it their legitimate right to enjoy the advantages arising from economic growth." She added that "to ensure the contribution of women to the creation of this new financial model, they should have active and effective representation in the meeting to be held for its reformulation. Furthermore, it is essential to allocate additional financial resources for solving women's remaining problems and to increase assistance from financial institutions for the implementation of the poverty eradication and empowerment policies and programmes for the advancement of women."

The Iranian delegate also recalled that "while the employment of women is of vital importance, their responsibilities in running the affairs of their families have not decreased. Unequal sharing of responsibilities for the family and lack of supportive services have inflicted psychological pressures on employed women which eventually would lead to the disintegration of the family system and a decline in willingness to form families. Therefore, along with using women's economic potential, we should adopt effective policies for their constructive involvement in family responsibilities."

Contact: Mrs. Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer in Geneva. Tel.: (41.22) 919.41.16 or 919 41 27, fax: (41.22) 733 31 41 or 919 41 60, e-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org or cd@mail.ipu.org, (in Berlin from 6 to 16 October): tel. (49.30) 3038 6203/04 or (0049) 0172 326 77 01, fax: (49.30) 3038 6067.

The IPU also has a Liaison Office with the UN in New York. Tel.: (1 212) 5575880, fax: (1 212) 5573954, e-mail: ny-office@mail.ipu.org