COPPEM Preparatory Meeting on “Euro-Mediterranean Charter for Equality between Women and Men in Local Life”

Istanbul, 18 November 2011

Speech by Vice-President Dubravka Suica, Congress of Local and Regional Authorities Council of Europe

Mr Chairman,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure for me to be here today at a meeting organised by our long-standing partner and observer, the Standing Committee of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership of the Local and Regional Authorities, COPPEM. The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe and COPPEM have a close relationship of co-operation on a wide range of Euro-Mediterranean issues, in particular within the Standing Group for the Euro-Arab Cities Forum.

I am particularly pleased because we welcome the COPPEM initiative to elaborate a Euro-Mediterranean Charter for Equality between Women in Men in Local Life, drawing on their project in partnership with the Council of European Municipalities and Regions. This is a very timely proposal. On the one hand, it deals with the issue of paramount importance to us – the question of equality between women and men. On the other hand, this initiative has been taken at a time of momentous, historical changes in the southern Mediterranean, in North Africa – changes that have a great potential for democratic transformations in that part of the world. The developments in the Arab world today represent tremendous opportunities for democracy-building and integrating democratic principles into the everyday life of Mediterranean societies. 

These are the opportunities for building fair and prosperous societies based on shared human values and the democratic principles of pluralism and equality. These opportunities must not be missed, and we, European politicians, must act as good neighbours and give friendly advice, and share our positive experiences in making these principles work.

I would like to stress that we are all stakeholders in this process – national governments, parliamentarians, local and regional elected representatives, civil society and the private sector. But as Vice-President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, I wish to underline a particular importance of making sure that the principles of democracy, a culture of democracy take root first and foremost in our local communities, in our towns and cities.

The grassroots level is the level where the political, economic and social changes brought about by the Arab Spring are the most tangible, and where our democratic action has the most impact on our citizens. This is indeed the level where the Arab Spring itself has begun – with protests in town squares, with communities united for change, with men – and women – standing together and risking their lives for a better future.

Women were and remain in the forefront of this drive for change, and making full use of their energy and activism is yet another great opportunity presented today for societies on the southern shore. We in the Congress strongly hope that this opportunity, too, will not be missed, and that women will play a much greater role that they had in the past in the new societies being built in those countries.

The position of the Congress with regard to gender equality is clear: it is indeed a fundamental requirement of democracy. A society cannot be free and democratic if the liberty and dignity of half of its members are not guaranteed and upheld, and the role of women in the political, economic and social life of society must be fully recognised, and their participation encouraged. Not doing so is indeed to a great extent an economic and social absurdity. Women represent more than half of any society, and tapping into this vast “reserve”, releasing women’s potential can in fact double the society’s output. What nation, in its right mind, would hold back its economic and creative potential, using it only by half, by less than a half?

In fact, the only reason for the persistent unequal treatment is our mental constructs, stereotypes and prejudice built over centuries of inequality – prejudice that has become part of our culture and our thinking. This is why, despite all our efforts to eradicate inequality and discrimination through legal means, despite our efforts to put together a proper legal framework and adopt policy measures to correct the situation, there is still a gap between our will on paper and the practice in the reality of daily life.

Mentality is indeed the slowest thing to change, but the momentum set in motion by the events in the southern Mediterranean has given a significant boost to the process. We must seize this momentum, and a Euro-Mediterranean Equality Charter for local level will be an excellent step in this direction.

As Vice-President of the Congress, I am convinced that our action to fight inequality and, most importantly, prejudice must be rooted at the level of our communities.

Because for our efforts to succeed, society must be receptive to our political will, and this mentality change must be brought about in our towns, cities and regions. Local and regional authorities must not only back the political effort of national governments – they must contribute to national policy-making and be the first to put agreed measures into practice, leading by example.

The Congress has been working on equality issues for quite some time, and I am pleased to say that we in the Congress practice what we preach. The Congress itself has set the requirement that women must represent at least 30% in each of its 47 national delegations – a requirement with which all countries must comply since 2008.

We have undertaken a number of other initiatives, focusing our work on gender mainstreaming strategies in cities and regions, as well as the balanced participation of women and men in local and regional politics and political decision-making, with a recommendation on this subject adopted in March 2010.

In this recommendation, the Congress has put forward a number of proposals for boosting women’s participation in local politics. Among other things, the Congress encouraged women to run as candidates and stand for elections, called for the appropriate training of elected representatives and their staff, and proposed a new approach to political parties, including in selecting candidates. Political parties in particular must give priority to the ability of its members to represent the concerns and experiences of the communities rather than long past experience as elected representatives, as a form of positive action in order to increase the number of women candidates. The Congress also encouraged the setting up of women’s networks, which is of crucial importance for multiplying political efforts of women.

In its other texts, the Congress has also addressed the issues of equal access to local and regional elections, the situation of women migrants and access to social rights, and combating violence against women in our communities – but also related questions relevant to action for equality, such as diversity in local employment, policies to reconcile family and professional life, and measures to build family-oriented and child-friendly communities.

There is a wide range of areas pertinent to gender equality, but there are certain principles that are clear. Our action must be mainstreamed as an integral part of all policy sectors. It must be affirmative and involve set indicators, to right the wrongs of the past. It must be multi-level and multi-sector, engaging all tiers of governance as well as civil society and the private sector. And it must seek to bring about a change in attitudes and behaviour.

I trust that these principles will be fully included in the Euro-Mediterranean Equality Charter.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow me to share with you some personal observations on the political role of women in society and the events in the southern Mediterranean. These events are in themselves a great tribute to the role that women play as agents of change and the driving force behind democratic transformations. It is crucially important, then, that this engagement and commitment of women continue and be recognised, leading to their further role in decision-making bodies that will be put in place. It is important because it is decision-making bodies that set policies and adopt laws and regulations that create the framework for democratic action. It is important because, on a personal note, I am convinced that politics cannot simply be a clash of individual ambitions, but must focus on responding to the citizens’ demands. I believe that women contribute a different outlook on these issues, which is also the advantage of involving more women in politics.

It is clear that politicians, who must represent the interests of the citizens, must intricately know and understand the citizens’ needs and concerns. Women can claim to be able to do it for more than half of the population. They also can and do bring their own angle of vision to the situations, problems and challenges facing us, offering often a different opinion from their own unique experience.

We are convinced that the grassroots level especially offers better chances for women to become mayors or presidents of regions, or members of municipal or regional councils. I strongly hope that the change in the southern Mediterranean will bring about the political advancement of women on a large scale, that will begin locally.

I am not saying that the issue of women’s participation in political life has been resolved in Europe itself. Far from it. While certain countries show a considerable success in this area – especially Nordic countries – other parts of the continent still have a way to go.

A report published by the Council of Europe two years ago analysed the statistics from 42 European countries on the representation of women in national and regional parliaments, national, regional and local governments, supreme and constitutional courts, the diplomatic service and the Council of Europe’s bodies. This analysis shows that while there has been a significant progress since the previous report in 2005, figures are still far from the 40% minimum in public decision-making bodies for both men and women, recommended by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in 2003 – let alone 50 per cent. The average representation of women in national parliaments has been stagnating at some 22%, and at the local level, only 10 % of mayors, 24 % of municipal councillors and 21 % of members of regional parliaments are women.

Against this background, we hope that a Euro-Mediterranean Equality Charter will also serve as a catalyst for further action on the European side of the Mediterranean Sea.

I would like to sum up by stressing that these ideas, proposals and efforts are equally applicable to the southern Mediterranean as they are in Europe. The fact that the situation in European countries still falls behind our own established objectives means that this is a common challenge with our counterparts on the southern shore, one area where our forces can be joined, synergies made and partnerships built.

The events in North Africa have shown a great role and engagement of women in bringing about change. What is important now is to make sure that women are fully included in the future political, economic and social systems of these countries, to recognise and ensure their role thereafter. The participation of women in the life of society cannot be limited to a one-time revolt but must remain constant, on a par with men, based on equality and equal treatment, beginning at the grassroots. The Euro-Mediterranean Charter for Equality between Women in Men in Local Life should be a stepping stone on this path.

Thank you.