Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
New Delhi, 13 February 1997
N° 1

Members of parliament and experts from all over the world are meeting in New Delhi from 14 to 18 February 1997 to trade ideas on how to achieve a more balanced representation of men and women in politics and thereby try to solve the problem of the democratic deficit resulting from the low representation of women in nearly all of the world's parliaments and governments as well as in decision-making positions in political parties.

The discussions will take place during a specialized Conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) - the world organization of parliaments - on the theme: "Towards partnership between men and women in politics". It is being held at the invitation of the Indian Parliament and some 250 MPs from 75 countries are expected to attend along with experts from international and non-governmental organizations.

"At the Conference, the IPU will be advocating a new social contract for democracy based on parity and partnership between men and women in politics", according to the IPU Secretary General, Pierre Cornillon. "The IPU believes that democracy will only assume true significance when political policies and legislation are decided upon jointly by men and women in the interests of both halves of the population, in other words a partnership for democracy."

According to just-released IPU statistics, on 1 January 1997, only 11.7 % on average of parliamentary seats in the world are occupied by women, down from the 1988 all-time high of 14.6%, and way short of 50% - the proportion of women in the world's population. Moreover, only 7.1% of all parliamentary assemblies are presided over by a women; 11% of political party heads and less than one-third of party board members are women, despite the large number of female party activists. The statistics are contained in the IPU survey Men and Women in Politics: Democracy Still in the Making, which was undertaken especially with the Conference in mind, and published on the eve of the Conference.

The Conference will be the first high-level political meeting on women since the IVth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995), and the first assessment of the follow-up to its recommendations on the participation of women in political life.

It will be opened by the President of India, Dr Shanker Dayal Sharma, during an inaugural ceremony in the Central Hall of Parliament starting at 5 p.m. on 14 February. Other speakers at the ceremony will be: the Vice President of India and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Indian Parliament), Shri K.R. Narayanan; the Speaker of the Lok Sabha (Lower House), Shri P. A. Sangma; the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Council (IPU governing body) and of the Egyptian People's Assembly, Dr Ahmed Fathy Sorour; and the representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, Mrs Angela King, Assistant Secretary General and Special Adviser on Gender Issues. The Prime Minister of India, Shri H.D. Deve Gowda, will address the closing session of the Conference.

The working sessions of the Conference will take place in the Vigyan Bhawan International Conference Center, starting on 15 February. The debates will be launched by the President of Namibia, Mr Sam Nujoma; the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Mrs Sheikh Hasina Wajed; the former President of Iceland, Mrs Vigdis Finnbogadottir; and the UN Secretary-General's representative.

A round-table discussion on "The Image of Women Politicians in the Media" will take place on 15 February, starting at 3.30 p.m., bringing together four well-known journalists and an equal number of senior political figures. The Speaker of the Swedish Parliament, Mrs Birgitta Dahl, will be the moderator.

Thematic discussions on Women's political and electoral training and Financing women's electoral campaigns will take place on 16 February, and six regional workshops on 17 February will look at practical experiences and the obstacles to the practice of partnership in different world regions.

The proposals and ideas on ways and means of achieving partnership between men and women in politics coming out of the various workshops and discussions will be reflected in a Final Declaration by the Conference Chairman, read out at the closing plenary session on 18 February.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and currently brings together 135 member-parliaments.

At the Conference, the IPU has decided to involve the world of art in the exercise of reflection it will carry out on partnership between men and women. At the official reception following the inauguration of the Conference, a Swiss musician and composer, Dominique Barthassat, will give a concert in the Gardens of the Indian Parliament. On the basis of an Indian evening Raga, he will play the keyboard synthesizer in an improvisation with three traditional Indian instrumentalists, one of whom is a young prodigy playing sarod, the son of the world renowned sarod player, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. During the following days, Mr Barthassat will present the world premiere of an acoustic Mandala - an environment blending music and scents - in this meeting of East and West in New Delhi. The acoustic Mandala will operate constantly in the reception hall of the Vigyan Bhawan conference centre.