ODIHR supports dialogue on women’s political participation in Tunisia

Good practices in advancing gender equality and women’s participation in politics was the focus of a training session for Tunisian women politicians in Tunis on 2 and 3 June 2013, for which the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) provided expertise.

Ways to enhance women’s electoral performance were discussed and examined by more than 30 representatives from all of Tunisia’s major political parties.

The training session was supported by ODIHR and organized by the Tunisian School of Politics, the Center of Arab Women for Training and Research, and the National Democratic Institute in Tunisia.

The event followed consultations on 29 May 2013 with representatives of the Tunisian authorities, including the Ministry of Human Rights and Transitional Justice. During the consultations, at a meeting organized by the National Constituent Assembly, ODIHR highlighted good practices for advancing women’s role in legislatures and presented a draft of its forthcoming Comparative Study on Structures for Women MPs in the OSCE Region.

In their opening statements, both Mustapha Ben Jaafar, the President of the National Constituent Assembly, and Meherzia Labidi, the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, stressed the importance of gender equality for Tunisia’s democratic development.

Ajla Van Heel, ODIHR Gender Officer, said that “by providing women members of parliament with a platform to advocate for greater gender equality, women’s parliamentary structures can strengthen the role and influence of women in parliaments and in society.”

The event is part of ODIHR’s programme on ‘Increasing Understanding of the OSCE Human Dimension’, which is designed to enhance the Office’s engagement with OSCE Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation in line with its mandate, through the sharing of expertise and good practice.