Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Jakarta, 15 October 2000
N° 2

Some 140 women parliamentarians from 110 countries took part in the Fourth Meeting of Women Parliamentarians in Jakarta, Indonesia, against the backdrop of the 104th Inter-Parliamentary Conference being held until 20 October at the Jakarta Convention Centre. Women will comprise 24% of the total number of parliamentarians who are expected to participate in the Conference, the highest percentage ever reached at an IPU statutory conference.

The Meeting of Women Parliamentarians, which is part of the official structure of the conference, addressed three core issues: financing for development and a new paradigm of economic and social development to eradicate poverty; the follow-up of the "Beijing +5" Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly and of the IPU-UNDAW Tripartite Consultation on "Democracy through Partnership between Men and Women"; and finally the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

Mrs Viola Furubjelke, President of the Coordinating Committee of Women Parliamentarians, opened the meeting, underlying the fact that “with the increased participation of women in politics and of women parliamentarians in the delegations to the Inter-Parliamentary conferences, it will be possible to ensure a stronger influence in the resolutions of the IPU. This is very important, but it is not enough”.

Mrs Furubjelke, who is also the Chairperson of the Standing committee on Foreign Affairs of the Swedish Parliament, strongly feels that “those women politicians whose human rights are violated should get extra support from the women's meeting”. She recalled that “this year it is ten years since the democratically elected Parliament of Burma was hindered by the military regime to fill their seats. We feel bound to speak out on the case of the woman who has fought for democracy in her country ever since then under very hard conditions: Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi. I would like you to join me in addressing her a solidarity message in favour of her full freedom”. This message of solidarity was later endorsed by acclamation.

The Chairperson of the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians, Mrs Iris Indira Murti, Member of the Indonesian Parliament, informed the participants to the Conference that “preparation to uphold gender partnership in Indonesia has become our national policy, which is continuously endeavoured and developed between the House, the government, both at the central government and the regions, non-governmental organisations and society at large”.

Mrs Murti considered that the IPU-UNDAW Tripartite Consultation meeting held at the Beijing +5 meeting in New York was “a very positive event requiring further implementation on a routine basis”. As far as the follow-up of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women was concerned, she suggested “to have a concrete action coming from all of us assembled here so as to jointly take the initiative to press our respective governments to speedily ratify the Convention. Let us urge the IPU Conference now in session in Jakarta to issue an appeal of an urgent nature pressing the IPU member countries to urge their respective governments to realise the aforementioned issue".

On the subject of the Conference of Presiding Officers convened by the IPU in New York as the parliamentary input to the UN Millennium Summit, Dr Najma Heptulla, President of the IPU Council, said that "148 Presiding Officers from 140 National Parliaments came together to discuss the challenges before global society at the turn of millennium. This Summit meeting of the Heads of Parliaments represented the collective concerns of the larger part of humankind. The [New York] Conference reaffirmed our commitment to ensure equal opportunities for men and women, thereby promoting gender partnership in all spheres of life.

“In my address at the Millennium Summit of Heads of Government, I reported on the outcome of our Conference [of Presiding Officers of National Parliaments]. I made a strong plea for supplementary parliamentary action to make UN initiatives effective. This was reflected in the Declaration adopted by the Millennium Assembly. In paragraph 30 it recognised the need to strengthen the co-operation between UN and IPU as the world organisation of parliaments especially on democracy and gender issues”.

Mrs Heptulla, who is also the Deputy Speaker of the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of India), went on to say that “organised political institutions like parliaments, cabinet or political parties do not adequately reflect the prevalent trend of gender parity in society. Parliaments as the repositories of public consciousness ought to represent the partnership between the two genders that is so vital for the comprehensive development of the society…Though there are comprehensive international instruments and conventions like CEDAW to facilitate greater gender partnership, it appears that except for Nordic countries, in the larger part of the democratic world women have not been able to reach even the "critical percentage" of 33%”.

In her concluding remarks, the President of the IPU Council declared: “We must also focus our attention on the recent developments in the Middle East. Innocent lives have been lost in violence. But it is the women who suffer the most in such violence. They are the greatest victims of brutality. This Conference should strongly urge a just settlement and a lasting peace. It is through mutual understanding and dialogue that a comprehensive solution can be found".

Mr Akbar Tandjung, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia, also addressed the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians. He considered that "without the active participation of women and without unifying women's perspectives at every level of decision making, the objectives of equal rights, development and peace cannot be achieved…I sincerely hope that the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians may bring about ideas and decisions capable of supporting the agenda of the 104th IPU Conference, in particular those items related to the issue of economic and social development funding in the context of poverty eradication. Equal social development that recognises the empowerment of the poor constitutes the foundation that is needed to foster peace and to achieve sustained development", Speaker Tandjung concluded.

The Coordinator of the Gender Partnership Group to the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians, Mr. Mose Tjitendero, who is also the Speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia, stated: “we believe that true equality between the sexes can only be achieved if both women and men pull forces together to break the barriers of age-old belief that women and men have different roles to play and therefore have an unequal stand in society. It is therefore also vital that education in the equality of women and men should start as early as possible in the young child's home environment. It is only then that he or she would grow up without the prejudices that we have to grapple with today”. Mr. Tjitendero concluded his presentation saying that “a man of quality should not fear women who seek equality”.

Women MPs urged that all parliaments commit themselves to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. They asked that a progress report be given at the next IPU Conference on the ratification of the Protocol and that the list of countries that have not ratified be made public.

The IPU, founded in 1889 and based in Geneva, currently has 138 member parliaments affiliated and 5 regional parliamentary organisations associated. It also has a Liaison Office with the UN in New York.