60th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women
“Power of Parity – Parity of Power:
Why and how to increase the number of women in political leadership”
Side Event hosted by the Women in Parliaments Global Forum (WIP) and the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations
Monday, 14th March 2016; 6.30 – 7.45 PM,
Conference Room 11, UNHQ Building, New York
The side event will surround the theme of political leadership. According to the UN, currently almost 80% of Parliamentarians are male, there are still 37 States in which men account for more than 90% of Parliamentarians, and as of August 2015, only 11 women serve as Head of State and 10 as Head of Government. This is an issue of vital importance, as there is clear evidence to show that greater diversity and equality create stronger leadership and better governance. WIP is currently running the WIP Leadership Campaign, where male Presidents and Prime Ministers give their personal testimonial by completing the sentence: “We need more women in Parliaments and as political leaders because…”. The campaign has elicited an astounding response, with over 50 world leaders from all continents contributing to date. The side event will refer to the testimonials made, and involve high-level statements of speakers during a panel discussion. It will be conducive to exploring positive areas for debate on why and how we should increase the number of women in political leadership. We look forward to welcoming you to the discussions.
The Speakers of this session will be: Elke Ferner, State Secretary for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth for Germany; Helen Clark, UNDP Administrator, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand; Penny Abeywardena, Commissioner for International Affairs, New York; Linda Lanzillotta, Vice-President of the Italian Senate; Silvana Koch-Mehrin, WIP Founder and Chairperson; Thomas Gass, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs for UNDESA; and Zainab Banura, UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict.
