Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
New Delhi, 14 February 1997
N° 2

The President of India, Dr Shanker Dayal Sharma, inaugurated today in the Central Hall of the Indian Parliament the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Conference on "Towards partnership between men and women in politics", calling women’s representation in national parliaments around the world 'grossly inadequate' .

'Clearly we have to do more to promote gender, as a central issue in our political advancement', the President told over 250 delegates from 80 countries. 'We must root-out the prejudice against women and the negative attitude towards their participation in politics' , he said.

'The concept of ‘partnership’ between men and women envolves a powerful message of mutual trust, equality and common endeavour towards shared objectives' , the President said. 'Women and men who collectively comprise human society, can only progress together in partnership' .

He expressed the hope that the Conference, which is being held at the invitation of the Indian Parliament, would help focus public attention on this issue. Moreover, he said, national groups for women’s emancipation could draw guidance and inspiration from the international movement .

In his address to the opening ceremony, the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Council, Dr Ahmed Fathy Sorour, said the world community 'is in a better position than ever before to join efforts to achieve common goals, and notably the political enabling of women and the enhancement of their role in the decision-making process' .

He said the New Delhi Conference was the first of its kind since the Beijing World Conference on Women in September 1995, and that 'this initiative demonstrates the political will of the IPU to support and complement the work of the United Nations in all possible fields.' Sorour recalled that the IPU had been working for a long time to promote the status of women in politics and had already adopted a Plan of Action to correct imbalances in the participation of men and women in political life.

He said the Conference would be 'result-oriented' . It was not aimed at disadvantaging men but rather establishing a balance between men and women -- a 'new social compact' to secure the 'common good of men, women and society as a whole' .

'The ultimate objective is democracy itself,' Sorour said. Democracy is enriched by differences. It is even based on differences. Therefore, when we try to enhance women’s contribution to political life, we have to bear in mind that some differences between men and women are useful . 'In other words, equality does not mean similarity, and the essence of partnership is to find a formula based on harmonious equilibrium.'

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Mr P.A. Sangma, said that society would be much better managed if there were more women in politics. 'Women are natural managers' , he said, and 'society is but an aggregate of families' . Women should not be confined to the family but should be inducted into politics so that society and governance are managed better, without leaving politics to be the hunting ground for men. Sangma also said that political participation, whether of men or women, is 'a natural human activity and a basic human right' .

A message from the new UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, was read to the inaugural ceremony by Mrs Angela King, Assistant Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Gender Issues. In it, Mr Annan said that 'international co-operation and good-faith dialogue were the key to achieving breakthroughts in women’s participation.'

'Without more gender-balanced and participatory governance, without more sharing of power and resources, neither sustainable development nor lasting peace can be achieved.' He said the principle of equality between men and women in public life was enshrined in the UN Charter, 'but in practice, power for women remains elusive, despite the widespread movement toward democratization in the past decade and despite progress in women’s higher education.' He pledged to do his utmost to attain equal representation in the UN Secretariat staff, particularly at the higher levels.

The Vice-President of India and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Mr K.R. Narayanan, said the fact that the Conference was taking place was indicative of the maturing of the women’s movement '.

'Economic, social and cultural rights of women are secured and sustained by political power,' he said. 'Hence the need for a decisive role for women in politics ensuring their social and economic rights and empowering them in every field of life.'

The Vice-Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Mrs Najma Heptulla, said the challenge for the Conference was to restore the 'true spirit of democracy '. 'Even though democracy and the parliamentary system is based on the principles of equality of political rights for all, it is paradoxical that the women’s representation in the elected bodies is far from equal,' she said. (According to the IPU, only 11.7% on average of parliamentary seats in the world are occupied by women.)

Mrs Heptulla noted that India was resolved to remove gender-based discrimination and that a Constitution Amendment Bill had been moved in Parliament to reserve one-third of the seats for women. She expressed the hope that the IPU Conference would 'move humanity a step closer to translate the need for parity into a social reality.'

The working session of the Conference will begin on 15 February in the Plenary Hall of the Vigyan Bhawan Conference Centre at 9.30 a.m. The debate 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; the President of the IPU Co-ordinating Committee of Women Parliamentarians and member of the Chamber of Deputies of Tunisia, Mrs Faiza Kefi; and the UN Secretary-General's Representative.

At 3.30 p.m., also in the Plenary Hall, a round-table discussion on "The Image of Women Politicians in the Media" will take place. The panelists will be Mrs Anita Pratap, CNN, Mr Ken Cooper, Washington Post, Mrs Mrinal Pande, India Women’s Media Association, Mrs Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, President of the Women’s Campaign Fund and Director of the US Delegation to the Beijing World Conference of Women, Mr V. Kumar, MP from India, Mr Miguel Angel Martinez, MP from Spain and former President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mrs Kadiatou Koubourath Osseni, former MP from Benin and President of the National Women’s Association. The Speaker of the Swedish Parliament, Mrs Birgitta Dahl, will moderate the debate.