Draft Resolution sponsored by the Lao People's Democratic Republic

THE SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ASIA PACIFIC PARLIAMENTARY FORUM

Reaffirming that integrated policies for the promotion of gender equality in the development process and in the electoral reform activities constitute a guarantee for the significant and genuine participation of women;

Acknowledging that creating conditions for an increase in the number of women parliamentarians and for the improvement of women’s competencies in parliament is a commitment of all countries in the world;

Recalling that countries in the region have adopted programs and measures in order to realize the advancement of women and to ensure their equal partnership with men as defined in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women;

Concerned that in some countries in the region, gender equality in parliament is not strongly promoted and that this is shown in the fact that candidates in general, as well as elected women, are not sufficiently promoted;

Noting that the Beijing + 10 Action Plan and the third goal of the MDG is to promote gender equality and to empower women by considering the proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments

Resolves to:

1.            Urge governments and AP parliaments to participate in promoting gender equality in their respective national assemblies as stipulated in their respective national laws and international conventions;

2.            Emphasize the government’s engagement in providing facilities in order to increase the number of seats held by women and to improve the competence of women in accordance with the commitment of AP member countries;

3.            Urge the parliaments and governments of each country to mobilize more women to exercise their rights in electing their representatives;

4.            Encourage the parliaments of each country to establish female deputy groups to represent women in their activities of monitoring, overseeing the implementation of the socio-economic development plan, poverty reduction, environmental issues, laws and regulations related to women and children, and exchanging mutual experiences;

5.            Enhance cooperation among AP member countries in providing technical and financial assistance and/or information and knowledge for the promotion of the capacity building of women;

6.            Develop strategies and action plans, where these do not yet exist among AP parliaments, with clear guidelines on the practical implementation of gender mainstreaming in policies and programmes under the roles and functions of the National Assembly.