(October 08, 2012) The annual meeting of Women Speakers of Parliament held in the
Indian capital last week resolved to work towards increasing women’s representation
in legislatures and other elected bodies around the world. The two-day meeting of
the world’s female parliamentary speakers in New Delhi, which ended on Thursday, focused
on “Gender Sensitive Parliaments.” Speakers from six African nations were among 12
women presiding officers in the 7th Meeting of Women Speakers of Parliament, which
was also attended by Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women, the United
Nations entity working for the empowerment of women and girls. The resulting “New
Delhi Declaration” adopted pledged to ensure “supportive electoral laws and temporary
special measures” such as reservation initiatives taking place in India to encourage
more participation of women in elected bodies. India is proposing a 33 percent allocation
for women in the national parliament and state legislatures. It has already introduced
quotas on village councils. This and the move towards quotas at national level was
praised by Bachelet in her speech at the opening session. She said village quotas
had brought a sharp increase in local women leaders and that the “world was awaiting”
what will happen at national level. The Women Reservation Bill for parliament and
state legislatures was passed in 2010 by India’s Upper House but has yet to pass through
the Lower House. “Quotas have spurred one of the greatest successes globally in women’s
empowerment and grassroots democracy in India,” Bachelet noted. Globally, there
is only one woman lawmaker for every four men according to the Inter Parliamentary
Union (IPU), one of the chief organizers of the meeting. “There has been a sea change
in the last 15 years both for India and across the globe. However, it is not up to
the mark,” IPU secretary-general Anders B. Johnsson said. Currently, only 37 women
preside over one of the houses of the world’s 190 parliaments.