Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Moscow, 6 September 1998
N° 2

Women's human rights are "an urgent issue", said Mrs Tatiana Yariguina, President of the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians in her statement to the Meeting on the eve of the 100th Inter-Parliamentary Conference.

A member of the State Duma (Yabloko, an opposition party) and Vice-President of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee, Mrs Tatiana Yarigina is attending the 100th Conference as Vice-President of the Group of the Russian Federation, and member of the Council and Executive Committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

The 142 women parliamentarians from 95 countries who attended the Meeting -- and who account for 20.17% of the 704 parliamentarians registered at the 100th Inter-Parliamentary Conference -- set about exploring together ways of improving protection and promotion of women's human rights in their own countries. Another of their objectives was to ensure that specific measures are included in the resolution that the 100th Conference will adopt next Friday on strengthening implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 50 years after its adoption.

Opening the Meeting, Mrs Svetlana Goriatcheva, Deputy Chairperson of the State Duma, commended the long-standing endeavours of the international organisations, particularly the IPU, to promote partnership between men and women. In her view, the efforts of the Russian parliamentary institutions to achieve parity were in line with the "Declaration of New Delhi" for partnership between men and women in politics, produced by the IPU meeting in India in February 1997.

"Gender parity is one of the priorities of my presidency", said Mr Miguel A. Martínez, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Council. "It is shameful for democracy and the Inter-Parliamentary Union that such parity does not exist in all political decision-making bodies. However, in the last six months we have seen considerable progress as regards setting objectives. The issue of gender parity in politics was at the top of the agenda in the most recent meetings of Speakers and Deputy Speakers of Parliaments throughout the world", he added.

"The issue of water, which will be discussed by the Conference itself, also requires our full attention. It is essential that the voices of the women in cities and villages who are confronted with the problem daily should be heard in our debates", said Mrs Faiza Kéfi member of the Democratic Constitutional Rally of the Tunisian Chamber of Deputies, member of the Inter-Parliamentary Council and President of the Co-ordinating Committee of the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians. "Everyone must realise that women's rights are an integral part of human rights", she added.

The IPU has just initiated a survey in the form of interviews of women politicians from all over the world, on their experience in politics and what they consider to be their contribution to the process of democracy in their countries. The women parliamentarians meeting in Moscow discussed the results expected from the survey. In their view, it will help to identify the basic principles for democracy in the third millenium, founded on equal participation by men and women in politics.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact in Moscow:

• IPU Press Officer: Yves Bellégo, tel. (70 95) 910 18 19/910 19 21/910 19 94 fax (70 95) 910 14 68/910 19 22
• Russian Press Officer: Guennadi Dyakonov, Deputy Director, Information Service of the Parliament, Moscow, tel. (70 95) 292 33 66; fax (70 95) 292 94 64