5 July Lisbon – The second day of PAM Women Parliamentary Forum opened with a session on “Gender Equality in Euro Mediterranean and Gulf countries: perspectives in a post pandemic era”.
Hon. Pedro Roque, Portugal, PAM Vice-President, and President Emeritus chaired the debate. He recalled the crucial role played by women during the Covid-19 both in hospitals and in education, while the level of domestic abuse had increased as result of the lockdown. In politics, parliaments are still heavily male-dominated and even where women are present, they are rooted in gender stereotypes. He then expressed his confidence that the WPF will bring concrete solutions to the table.
The session benefited from the interventions of H.E. Mrs Danijela Djurović, President of the Parliament of Montenegro; H.E. Aawatrif Hayar, Minister for Solidarity, Social Inclusion and the Family of Morocco; Hon. Isabel Santos, Member of the European Parliament; Mrs. Monica Ferro, Director of the UNPFA Geneva Office; Hon. Dherar Humaid Belhoul Al Falasi, UAE, PAM Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflicts; Mrs Sandra Ribeiro, President of the Commission for Citizenship and Gender of Portugal; Mrs. Susana Pavlou, Director at the Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies; and Mrs. Alice Frade, Director of P&D Factor – Co-operation on Population and Development.
Speakers underlined the need to prioritize policies that support gender equality and to fight those that limit it. Women need to be part of discussions on budgeting to ensure a gender perspective in all policies enacted. The fight against gender-based violence must continue. There is a need to gather more data to highlight the invisible workload faced by women and that was brought to the forefront during the pandemic. Women and girls account for 75% of unpaid domestic work in homes and communities. ILO calculated that, every day, women perform an average of 4 hour and 25 minutes of unpaid care work contributing at least US$11 trillion each year to the global economy. During lockdown, women worked twice as hard to take care of the elderly and children. To balance care and domestic work between men and women, investments in the care economy, as well as development of care services from a life-cycle perspective, are needed.
In his presentation on child marriage, Hon. Dherar Humaid Belhoul Al Falasi shared that in many countries young girls are forced into arranged marriages and consequently exposed to violence and the deprivation from the right to education. In Yemen alone, according to the UN, 72% of girls marry when they are still under-aged. To tackle this issue, a more effective legal framework is needed, monitored by international cooperation to reduce the phenomenon.
During the debate, delegates shared the latest national initiatives aimed at promoting gender equality and for a better integration of women in politics and business after the pandemic. MPs were confident the PAM Women Parliamentary Forum is a good platform to share initiatives, best practices and closely monitor emerging and lasting issues.
Delegates also indicated a series of practical targets and objectives for the forthcoming work of the WPF. These will include studies and recommendations with the goals to advance democracy by promoting women’s rights, foster contacts and coordination among parliamentarians on all topics of common interest to ensure gender mainstreaming in all policy areas of PAM’s mandate and to promote equitable representation at all levels of responsibility within the Organisation. Collaboration with other women parliamentary caucuses around the world will be promoted.
Hon. Joana Lima, WPF President designate, at the closure of the conference, stated “Change is possible if political commitment and adequate legal policy frameworks are in place to provide a level playing field for both women and men”.
The conference was officially closed by H.E Augusto Santos Silva, President of the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal, who reiterated Portugal’s commitment to PAM and to parliamentary diplomacy in the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf region.//