Conference on “Women as agents of change in the South of the Mediterranean”

Rome, 24-25 October 2011

Session on “Women as agents of political change”

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

Mr Chairman,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is with great pride that I address you today on the subject of paramount importance to all of us, especially now as we are witnessing tremendous changes in North Africa, which offer great opportunities for democratic transformations in the countries of the southern Mediterranean.

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 political systems being built in those countries.

I would like therefore to thank our long-standing partner, the North-South Centre, for inviting me today to speak about the role of women in political change, and more broadly about gender equality as one the most basic democratic principles that we would like our neighbours in the southern Mediterranean to take on board and give life to in their societies, starting from the grassroots.

The position of the Congress in this regard is clear: gender equality 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 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.

Why is the role of women in politics so important? 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.

The events in North Africa this year are in themselves a great tribute to the role that women play as agents of political 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.

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. This opportunity must be seized, and 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.

For Italy, the host country of our conference, these figures are even below the average. Women account for only 21 % in the Chamber of Deputies and 18 % in the Senate, 10 % in regional parliaments and just above 2 % of municipal councillors.    They represent 10 % of heads and 17 % of members of regional governments, and 10 % of mayors.

This situation has compelled the Congress to elaborate a number of proposals for boosting women’s participation in local politics, which we adopted in March 2010. 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.

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.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

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 political 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 political life cannot be limited to a one-time revolt but must remain constant, on a par with men, in a society based on equality and equal treatment. Let’s make sure that transformations in the southern Mediterranean will turn this vision into a reality.

Thank you.

FOR INFORMATION – OTHER STATISTICS FROM THE COUNCIL OR EUROPE REPORT

The report shows, for example, that the average number of women ministers grew to almost 29 % in 2008 from 20 % in 2005 and that two countries – Finland and Spain – exceed 50 % participation of women in the composition of their national governments.

It tells us that some 28 % of judges in supreme courts and 20 % in constitutional courts are women, that 24 % of municipal councillors and 21 % of members of regional parliaments are women, and that six countries have reached or are close to reaching the 40 % benchmark of women in their national parliament. (These are Sweden with 46%, Finland and the Netherlands with 41%, Denmark and Norway with 38% and Belgium with 37%.)