ODIHR Director Link calls on OSCE states to protect advocates of women’s rights

WARSAW, 6 March 2015 ─ Ahead of International Women’s Day, on 8 March, Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), called on participating States to take decisive action to protect and support those working for women’s rights.

“On Women’s Day, we should celebrate achievements, but also reflect upon remaining challenges in the field of women’s rights,” Link said. “In particular, we have to ensure that the views of more women, and particularly human rights defenders and civil society representatives, are considered, and that more women are involved in decision-making processes.”

Link noted that many human rights defenders throughout the OSCE are working for greater equality – to “Make It Happen”, which is the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day campaign.

“I urge OSCE participating States to take this opportunity to reaffirm their commitment to making gender equality an integral part of their policies and to continue creating an environment in which the voices of women, whether human rights advocates, politicians or civil society activists, are not only heard but also encouraged,” the ODIHR Director said.

Given that this year also marks the 20th anniversary of the UN Beijing Platform for Action, which set the agenda for realizing women’s rights and a target of 30 per cent women in decision-making roles, Link pointed out that, currently, only 25.3 per cent of parliamentarians in the OSCE are women.

“Such under-representation poses significant obstacles to the realization of women's rights to effective political participation and undermines the likelihood of making equality happen,” he said.