Report

Introduction

The Canadian Section of the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA) was invited to send a delegation to the Congress: “Towards a Gender-Sensitive Legislative Agenda for Development in the Americas". The Honourable Céline Hervieux-Payette, P.C., Senator, Vice-Chair of the Canadian Section of FIPA and Danielle Labonté, Association Secretary travelled to Bogotá, Colombia from November 19 to 22, 2008.

CONGRESS

The Congress was organized by FIPA’s Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas with Fundación Agenda Colombia and with the support of the United Nations Development Programme. The event brought together men and women parliamentarians from across the Americas to discuss economic, social and environmental issues with a gender perspective. The Senate of the Republic of Colombia welcomed the participants in its Chamber where the sessions were held. The workshop was well attended and fifteen countries sent participants (the list of participants can be found in Appendix 1).

The methodology proposed for the Congress was to encourage discussions among parliamentarians supported by a select group of subject matter experts. To this effect, experts in different areas related to gender gave presentations, after which a parliamentary dialogue took place where participants were invited to make comments and ask questions of the presenters (the program can be found in Appendix 2).

Opening Ceremony

Three guest speakers were invited to open the Congress.

Mr. Bruno Moro, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme in Colombia thanked the participants and talked about the preoccupations and objectives of the United Nations with regard to gender equity and gender representation in legislation and practices.

Mr. Luiz Carlos Hauly, Member of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA) thanked the participants and congratulated the organizers of this successful event. He highlighted the work of Senator Cecilia López, Chair of FIPA’s Group of Women Parliamentarians and the members of the group. He also thanked the Senate of Colombia for the warm welcome to participants. Mr. Hauly reviewed the initiatives in Brazil with regard to gender equity and commented on the importance of discussion and exchange between the countries of the Americas on this important subject.

His Excellency Hernán Andrade, President of the Congress of the Republic of Colombia welcomed the participants in the Senate Chamber and thanked the organizers of this successful event. He referred to the current economic situation, to the role of parliamentarians and to the important contribution of women in Parliament and in all areas of public life. He also described a piece of legislation proposed in the Colombian Senate on the role of women. His Excellency Hernán Andrade ended his presentation on the importance of researching a model for development in the Americas and of including in this model a gender perspective to ensure gender equity.

Presentation of the Congress’ Objectives and Methodology

Mrs. Cecilia López, Senator of Colombia, Chair of FIPA’s Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas welcomed the participants. She explained the framework of the Congress. She also talked about the current economic model and how it does not meet demand as it is too focused on economic matters and does not sufficiently consider social issues. Senator López invited participants to reflect on a new agenda for development and elements including political leadership, social aspects and democracy. She also mentioned the importance of including a gender perspective in legislation, policies and programs. Senator López mentioned that the objective of the Congress is to commence a concrete action plan that can serve as a means to ensure that future policies, programs and legislation promote productive and positive change. She also reiterated the importance of the role of parliamentarians and how they can contribute to policy making.

Session 1: Economic Policies and Gender

The first guest speaker provided an overview of gender standards and of the importance assigned to different masculine and feminine traits and how, over time, these perceptions have led to differences in social relations and resulted in discrimination in various areas. For example, in economic terms, because salary has been considered a reference point, societies have equated success with remunerated work.  Therefore, from an economic standpoint, family work has not been viewed as something fundamental and profitable. The speaker also noted that reforms have not always affected everyone the same way. Thus, it is important to analyze how policies and practices impact certain groups, for example, women. According to the guest speaker, taxation policies are important in terms of promoting equity and improving the economic situation. A budget that focuses on achieving equity would look to understand the differences between groups that use funding differently and to meet the needs of these groups in society. The speaker further noted that a significant percentage of the work done by women is restricted to certain sectors of economic activity where working conditions are unstable, such as the manufacturing, textile and agricultural sectors. The current challenge in Latin America is finding a path to development that will enable countries to put inequities behind them. Economic growth in itself is not enough to achieve sustainable development. It is therefore vital that countries invest in the key components of sustainable development.

The second speaker described FIPA as a forum in which all parliaments of the Americas can openly express their views. Tying her comments to those of the previous speaker, she pointed out that the current challenge was to ensure the participation of women and to assess the impact of related legislation. Thus, a government that makes decisions can influence the ability of women to integrate into the work force. She summarized a report produced in Colombia entitled “More Women, More Policies » that describes the situation of women and the challenges and obstacles they face. A constitutional reform measure, introduced and discussed in Colombia, calls for 30% of the candidates nominated by political parties to run in the next elections to be female candidates.

Next was a presentation by Mexico on a new initiative aimed at improving gender equity. Women parliamentarians, involved in the drafting of the budget, try to influence the decision-making process so that funds can be allocated to women’s issues. Programs of this nature impact the budgets allocated to a number of ministries. Mexico’s budget for 2009 proposes an increase in funds for women’s programs, bringing the total to 8.8 billion pesos. In Mexico, the main goal of the committee on equity and gender is to counter violence, promote better working conditions and ensure that all ministries have programs in place that look to integrate women and promote equity. The presentation also discussed the crucial alliances between women and how they have produced concrete results.  It was also noted that it is necessary to follow up on all programs and ensure their success, integrate reforms into legislation and work on budgets to ensure that equity is a consideration during the drafting process.

Following the presentations, participants were invited to comment. General comments focused on:

the importance of considering the needs of women in general and the needs of minority women, for instance, indigenous women;

the need to find ways of increasing the number of women parliamentarians with a view to achieving a balance, percentage wise, between these numbers and the number of women in society in general;

the important role played by political parties in encouraging participation by women; and,

the vital cooperation between female members of Parliament and female Senators, regardless of their political affiliation.

Session 2: International Crisis, Development and Gender: Implications for the Americas

The first speaker reviewed the recent events that have plunged the Americas into an economic crisis. He also reported on the situation in Brazil and spoke of how the current economic downturn and certain initiatives affected women more deeply. The speaker emphasized the importance of strengthening democracy during times of crisis because at times like this, democracy is sometimes called into question. He also spoke of the importance of communicating with citizens and of how parliaments must resort to using the most popular means of communications to reach out to the public. Lastly, the speaker stressed the importance of education for all members of society, not just as a vehicle for improving the state of the economy, but also as a means of developing the world of knowledge.

The second speaker touched on the social repercussions of the economic crisis, such as unemployment, and acknowledged that women were feeling the impact more than any other group, often because they have unstable employment and their working conditions are far more susceptible to periods of economic downturn. The speaker concluded her remarks by stressing the importance of economic growth in the Americas as a way of enabling more families and individuals to benefit from the goods associated with growth.

The third guest speaker profiled the three recent crises of major proportions that have rocked the Caribbean, namely the energy crisis, food safety and the economy. These crises have had major economic repercussions on the agricultural, tourism and manufacturing sectors of the Caribbean. Social impacts include changes to work requirements and an increase in the crime rate. According to the speaker, children and women are the ones affected the most by rising poverty levels and ministries do not have the budgets to meet their health, housing and education needs. The speaker acknowledged the efforts of some Caribbean countries to organize and integrate their markets, diplomatic missions, certain policies, currencies and organizations. According to the speaker, laws are always impervious to gender-specific needs. Furthermore, the number of women in politics is not significant enough to represent the needs of this gender group, either when laws are adopted or when budgets are approved.

The fourth speaker talked about the economic crisis in general, pointing to certain repercussions such as the increase in the price of goods, a decline in tourism and other once-profitable sectors, and an increase in unemployment and family debt. Many businesses are facing higher costs and lower productivity and are forced to take action, which translates into job cutbacks. According to the speaker, the global economy is undergoing a restructuring and countries are learning that market self-regulation does not work. Therefore, economic policies should meet the needs of the people. Furthermore, countries should take more control of financial institutions, employment and revenues. Reforms have been implemented and funds allocated to offset the crisis and a number of initiatives in particular have been taken to address the special needs of women. Finally, the guest speaker ended by noting that all governments are confronted with this challenge and must work together, which only underscores the importance of interparliamentary dialogue.

Following the presentations, some general views were expressed, notably:

the need to review neoliberal policies that have created major social problems in the area of health, poverty and the environment;

the reality that there still exists a male-dominated culture that does not acknowledge the role of women in a productive society;

initiatives in certain countries like Bolivia that are proposing constitutional reforms to promote equity for women, to increase the representation of women in politics and to recognize the important role played by families;

a number of conditions must exist in order to encourage women to participate to a greater degree in politics;

with respect to young people, education is critical to making future generations aware of the role of women and of equity issues;

despite the crisis, a number of countries, notably Cuba, continue to invest in education, to distribute food, to maintain steady prices for goods in spite of rising oil prices;

the need to bring pressure to bear on governments so that newly created status of women ministries produce results;

the need to bring in mechanisms to spur the legislative branch of government to guarantee “minimum rights” for all in the fields of education, health and housing; and,

the need to ensure better working conditions for women working in the agricultural and informal trade sectors.

Session 3: Social Policies, Gender and Development

According to the first speaker, social policies could better address needs if they were developed with an eye to social rights and in accordance with gender-based analysis principles. Focusing on social rights during the policy development stage is an approach that is centered on human rights. According to him, policies must also include accountability principles to assess their impacts on gender. When policies take into account human rights, they are successful, from a legal standpoint. In conclusion, the speaker noted the existence of new theoretical approaches that are more mindful of human rights. However, it is important to adopt these approaches in the legislative field.

The next speaker drew a positive picture of women’s representation, noting an increase in the number of public policies that are favourable to women. She noted that more women are now serving in parliaments, a situation that has resulted in more laws and practices that favour women. On average, 21% of the seats in the various parliaments in the Americas are filled by women. However, the speaker pointed out that all groups of women are not seeing this same increase in representation. For example, compared to their demographic numbers, indigenous women are under-represented. Ethnic origin and social class must also be taken into consideration when analyzing women’s representation in government. The speaker reviewed the various programs implemented by different countries to address the needs of women. She noted that 13 countries in Latin America had adopted a quota system. This extremely positive development has resulted in a 19% increase in women’s representation. However, she acknowledged that results differed from one country to the next, with some countries more successful than others in meeting the quotas established under the system. In the end, she noted that new laws have been adopted to meet the needs of women in a number of countries. Factors that seem to promote the inclusion of equity provisions in legislation include: organizations and programs in place that promote equity and a favourable public opinion of the inclusion and participation of women.

The third speaker talked about programs geared to indigenous peoples. She presented a project where the various indigenous laws in place in 20 countries have been compiled. She also noted that some countries have many very specific laws in place, while others have opted for more general legislative provisions. Some countries have passed legislation, while others have entrenched provisions in their constitutions to further solidify the status of indigenous peoples. The speaker also talked about a data bank created to evaluate legislation and its impact on indigenous peoples from a political, economic, social and cultural standpoint.

 

The general comments that followed the presentations included:

the need not only to adopt legislation, but to implement it and back it up with concrete measures;

how partnerships must be promoted between women as well as between men and women; and,

how social policies for women must be tied to economic policies.

Session 4: Environmental Sustainability and Gender

Those in attendance were invited to take part in an open discussion of this theme. The discussion centered on the need for new paradigms to achieve sustainable development, on how environmental issues impact men and women differently and on the need to consider gender when taking action on the environment. The discussion wrapped up with an acknowledgement of the importance of taking into consideration the linkages between environmental policies and economic policies.

Session 5: Democracy, Political-Electoral Reforms and Gender

The first guest speaker on this subject mentioned that the process of democratization has moved forward in Latin America. He also mentioned that there are various definitions of democracy and that electoral democracy is critical and it is associated to rights and freedom. The guest speaker suggested using human development as a variable to measure success.  Human development is defined as the accomplishment of one’s goals and ideas therefore implies freedom and democratic values. According to the guest speaker, human development is different for everyone and varies among groups, therefore, democracy has to be looked at within a context and will differ depending on the context. The guest speaker’s final remarks noted that women are the group most set aside and therefore are not always successful on the human development scale.

The second guest speaker introduced International IDEA as an organization with an objective to support democratic programs and processes. She mentioned that there are currently 18.4% of women in parliaments and that a goal of 30% had been set. The guest speaker reviewed the different electoral systems (majority, proportional representation system, mixed) and the impacts of each on the participation of women. Since 1970, with the proportional systems, the participation of women increased. She then talked about gender quotas and how they could be constitutional, legislative or voluntary set by political parties. Currently 95 countries have quota systems around the world. The components of an electoral system, such as the district size, structure of the ballot and the number of representatives in each riding, also has an impact on the representation of women in parliament. Other factors which impact include cultural factors, voters’ preferences, visibility of women during campaigns, political parties that select women, how women find funds for campaign and the role of media in taking women seriously.

The third guest speaker acknowledged the linkages between FIPA and the OAS. He referred to a report by the UNDP on democracy where there is an analysis of the percentage of democratic countries and percentage of countries that approved economic reforms. The report also presents data on the increase of inequality and poverty. The concepts of inequality and poverty are often linked to non-democratic countries but the data shows that they have increased at the same time as democratic processes. The guest speaker recognized that women must also deal with additional constraints compared to men. He also mentioned that funds have to be specifically attributed by countries in order to increase the participation of women in parliament.

During the general interventions that followed, it was mentioned that international conventions that are approved, for example at the United Nations, are not always implemented and reinforced back in the member countries and it was asked that Colombia, Canada and the United States adopt the United Nations convention asserting the rights for indigenous populations.  In addition, the participants discussed the following:

how corruption, organized crime, drug trafficking and control on means of communication are obstacles to the participation of women;

how international organizations and agencies already involved in these issues could create partnerships and should further consider gender issues in their interventions;

the need for more emphasize on funding the campaigns of women as well as to look at citizenship candidacy and parity of seats in parliaments to reflect representation of groups in society;

initiatives in certain countries, like Costa Rica, proposing 50% representation of women; and,

the need for women themselves to be convinced that they have a role to play in politics and the conviction that they can fill this role.

Closing Session and Final Remarks

Senator Hervieux-Payette closed the session by reviewing the key points discussed during the Congress. She also thanked the organizers and the guest speakers as well as the participants. Her final remarks mentioned the importance of a continued conscious efforts by all parliaments to increase the representation of women. She also mentioned that a forum for discussion and exchange, such as the one offered in Colombia, is critical to continued success.

The participants were invited to approve a list of recommendations that were noted throughout the two-day Congress. A report of fifteen recommendations was produced (the final recommendations can be found in Appendix 3). The participants were invited to present the report in their respective parliaments. They were also encouraged to use this list as an action plan and follow-up strategy in their parliaments to measure the progress on the inclusion of gender-based initiatives.

CONCLUSION

In the deliberations following the visit in Colombia, the Canadian participant concluded that participation in the Congress had been a productive experience. This visit provided an excellent opportunity for the Canadian Section of FIPA to actively participate, with counterparts of many countries of the Americas, in discussions on gender equity in legislation, a subject of common interest. The Canadian Section also felt that the activity allowed the participant to make contact with her counterparts in the Parliaments of several countries to exchange ideas and perspectives on other issues.

Finally, the Canadian delegation would like to thank the Technical Secretariat of the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas and the Senate of the Republic of Colombia for their tremendous work in ensuring the success of the event.

Respectfully submitted,