Geneva, Switzerland, 22 June 2023 – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) contributed to event "Parliaments and women's rights: implementing Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)”, giving substance to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR).
Hon. Joana Lima, President of the PAM Women Parliamentary Forum (PAM/WPF), represented PAM on this occasion. The parliamentary roundtable was organized jointly with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and IPU, on the occasion of the Human Rights 75 Initiative, leading up to the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the UDHR.
The event mainly focused on the role of parliament in advancing women’s rights to political participation, decent work and education on an equal basis with men. Speakers from several parliaments addressed the meeting. At the closing session, a Handbook for Parliamentarians on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women was launched.
In her address, Hon. Lima stated how crucial it is to promote women's political participation and to remove obstacles to that aim. In the PAM region, there are currently 8 women Speakers of Parliament (Albania, Cyprus, France, Monaco, Montenegro, Romania, San Marino, Slovenia) and 23% women parliamentarians. This is considered as too low a percentage, below the 30% objective set by the United Nations.
A report recently presented by the World Economic Forum indicates that it might take 131 years to close gender gap at the current pace.
Hon. Lima also explained that education is a crucial pillar in promoting women's rights, eliminating gender stereotypes and promoting equality. Empowering women through education leads to equal opportunity and to women fulfilling their full potential.
PAM is committed to working with partners to create a future where women can live free from discrimination and violence, fully exercising their rights and contributing to society development.\\