INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS AND ACTION PLANS ON

GENDER EQUALITY AND WOMEN’S POLITICAL

PARTICIPATION

Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) ........................................................ 1

SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections ............................. 1
GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT.............................................................................. 1
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)......................................... 3
OSCE Commitments Relating to Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination (excerpts) 3
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW) ....................................................................................................................... 4
Fourth World Conference on Women- Beijing Platform for Action ................................. 5
Universal Declaration of Human Rights .......................................................................... 6
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) ..................................................................................... 7
UNIVERSAL DECLARATION ON DEMOCRACY .................................................. 7
PLAN OF ACTION TO CORRECT PRESENT IMBALANCES IN THE
PARTICIPATION OF MEN AND WOMEN IN POLITICAL LIFE ........................... 8
Commonwealth Secretariat ............................................................................................ 11
Council of Europe ......................................................................................................... 12
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms ............. 12
Protocol No. 12 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and
Fundamental Freedoms .............................................................................................. 12
Recommendation Rec (2003) 3 on balanced participation of women and men in
political and public decision-making.......................................................................... 12

Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)

SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections

7. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE MEMBER STATE HOLDING ELECTIONS

7.9 Encourage the participation of women, disabled and youth in all aspects of the
electoral process in accordance with the national laws;
________________________________________________________________________

GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT

A Declaration by Heads of State or Government of the Southern African Development

Community (SADC) http://www.sardc.net/widsaa/wid_genderdec.htm

PREAMBLE

WE the Heads of State or Government of the Southern African Development

Community,

A. NOTING THAT:

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Member States undertook in SADC Treaty and in the Declaration to the Treaty, and in
the Protocol on immunities and privileges SADC not to discriminate against any
person on the grounds of gender, among others;

All SADC member states have signed and ratified or acceded to the UN Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), or are in the
final stages of doing so;

B. CONVINCED THAT:
Gender equality is a fundamental human right; Gender is an area in which
considerable agreement already exists and where there are substantial benefits to be
gained from closer regional co-operation and collective action. The integration and
mainstreaming of gender issues into the SADC Programme of Action and Community
Building Initiative is key to the sustainable development of the SADC region.

C. DEEPLY CONCERNED THAT:

While some SADC member states have made some progress towards gender equality and
gender mainstreaming, disparities between women and men still exist in the areas of
legal rights, power sharing and decision making, access to and control over productive
resources, education and health among others, women constitute the majority of the poor;
Efforts to integrate gender considerations in SADC sectoral programmes and projects
have not sufficiently mainstreamed gender in a coordinated and comprehensive manner.

(…)

WE THEREFORE:

(…)

G. RESOLVE THAT: As leaders, we should spearhead the implementation of these

undertakings and ensure the eradication of all gender inequalities in the region:

AND
H. COMMIT ourselves and our respective countries to, inter alia,
Placing gender firmly on the agenda of the SADC Programme of Action and Community
Building Initiative; Ensuring the equal representation of women and men in the
decision making of member states and SADC structures at all levels, and the
achievement of at least 30 percent target of women in political and decision making
structures by year 2005;

(…)

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, We, the Heads of State or Government of the Southern

African Development Community, HAVE SIGNED THIS DECLARATION.
DONE at Blantyre on this 8th day of September 1997, in two original texts, in English
and Portuguese languages, both texts being equally authentic.
Republic of Angola
Republic of Botswana
Kingdom of Lesotho
Republic of Malawi
Republic of Mauritius
Republic of Mozambique
Republic of Namibia
Republic of South Africa
Kingdom of Swaziland
United Republic Of Tanzania
Republic of Zambia
Republic of Zimbabwe
________________________________________________________________________

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)

OSCE Commitments Relating to Gender Equality and Non-
Discrimination (excerpts)

http://www.osce.org/documents/odihr/2003/05/1760_en.pdf

• Madrid, 1983 (“Questions relating to Security in Europe”, par.16)

[The participating States] stress the importance of ensuring equal rights of men and
women; accordingly, they agree to take all actions necessary to promote equally
effective participation of men and women in political, economic, social and cultural
life.

• Vienna, 1989 (“Questions relating to Security in Europe”, par.15)

(15) The participating States confirm their determination to ensure equal rights of and
women. Accordingly, they will take all measures necessary, including legislative
measures, to promote equally effective participation of men and women in political,
economic, social and cultural life. They will consider the possibility of acceding to the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, if they
have not yet done to.

• Moscow, 1991 (Par. 40 to 40.13)

(40.8) – encourage and promote equal opportunity for full participation by women in
all aspects of political and public life, in decision-making process and in international
cooperation in general;

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• Paris, 1990 (“Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law”, par. 3 and 5)
Democracy is the best safeguard of (…) tolerance of all groups of society, and equality of
opportunity for each person. (…) We affirm that, without discrimination, every individual
has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief, freedom of
expression, freedom of association and peaceful assembly, freedom of movement; no one
will be: subject to arbitrary arrest or detention, subject to torture or other cruel, inhuman
or degrading treatment or punishment; everyone also has the right: to know and act
upon his rights, to participate in free and fair elections, to fair and public trial if
charged with an offence to own property alone or in association and to exercise
individual enterprise, to enjoy his economic, social and cultural rights.
________________________________________________________________________

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination

against Women (CEDAW)
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/text/econvention.htm#intro

(Preamble) Noting that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms the principle
of the inadmissibility of discrimination and proclaims that all human beings are born
free and equal in dignity and rights and that everyone is entitled to all the rights and
freedoms set forth therein, without distinction of any kind, including distinction based on
sex.

(…)

PART II

Article 7
States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against
women in the political and public life of the country and, in particular, shall ensure to
women, on equal terms with men, the right:

(a) To vote in all elections and public referenda and to be eligible for election to all
publicly elected bodies;

(b) To participate in the formulation of government policy and the implementation

thereof and to hold public office and perform all public functions at all levels of
government;

(c) To participate in non-governmental organizations and associations concerned

with the public and political life of the country.
________________________________________________________________________

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Fourth World Conference on Women- Beijing Platform for

Action
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/platform/plat1.htm

Mission Statement

The success of the Platform for Action will require a strong commitment on the part of
Governments, international organizations and institutions at all levels. It will also require
adequate mobilization of resources at the national and international levels as well as new
and additional resources to the developing countries from all available funding
mechanisms, including multilateral, bilateral and private sources for the advancement of
women; financial resources to strengthen the capacity of national, subregional, regional
and international institutions; a commitment to equal rights, equal responsibilities and
equal opportunities and to the equal participation of women and men in all national,
regional and international bodies and policy- making processes; and the
establishment or strengthening of mechanisms at all levels for accountability to the
world's women.

Chapter IV
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES AND ACTIONS

G. Women in power and decision-making

183. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to
take part in the Government of his/her country…In this respect, women's equal
participation in political life plays a pivotal role in the general process of the
advancement of women. Women's equal participation in decision-making is not only
a demand for simple justice or democracy but can also be seen as a necessary
condition for women's interests to be taken into account. Without the active
participation of women and the incorporation of women's perspective at all levels of
decision-making, the goals of equality, development and peace cannot be achieved.

184. Although women make up at least half of the electorate in almost all countries and
have attained the right to vote and hold office in almost all States Members of the United
Nations, women continue to be seriously underrepresented as candidates for public
office.

(…)

Strategic objective G.1. Take measures to ensure women's equal access to and full
participation in power structures and decision-making

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Actions to be taken

192. By Governments:

(c) Protect and promote the equal rights of women and men to engage in political
activities and to freedom of association, including membership in political parties and
trade unions;

(…)

Strategic objective H.1. Create or strengthen national machineries and other

governmental bodies

Actions to be taken

205. By Governments:

(a) Ensure that responsibility for the advancement of women is vested in the highest
possible level of government; in many cases, this could be at the level of a Cabinet
minister;
________________________________________________________________________

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html

Adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December

1948

Article 21.

(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or
through freely chosen representatives.

(2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.

(3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall
be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal
suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

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______________________________________________________
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
UNIVERSAL DECLARATION ON DEMOCRACY

http://www.ipu.org/cnl-e/161-dem.htm
Declaration adopted without a vote* by the Inter-Parliamentary Council at its 161st
session (Cairo, 16 September 1997)

FIRST PART - THE PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRACY

4. The achievement of democracy presupposes a genuine partnership between men

and women in the conduct of the affairs of society in which they work in equality and
complementarity, drawing mutual enrichment from their differences.

5. A state of democracy ensures that the processes by which power is acceded to, wielded
and alternates allow for free political competition and are the product of open, free and
non-discriminatory participation by the people, exercised in accordance with the rule
of law, in both letter and spirit.

(…)

SECOND PART - THE ELEMENTS AND EXERCISE OF DEMOCRATIC

GOVERNMENT

12. The key element in the exercise of democracy is the holding of free and fair elections
at regular intervals enabling the people's will to be expressed. These elections must be
held on the basis of universal, equal and secret suffrage so that all voters can choose
their representatives in conditions of equality, openness and transparency that
stimulate political competition. To that end, civil and political rights are essential, and
more particularly among them, the rights to vote and to be elected, the rights to
freedom of expression and assembly, access to information and the right to organise
political parties and carry out political activities. Party organisation, activities,
finances, funding and ethics must be properly regulated in an impartial manner in order to
ensure the integrity of the democratic processes.

(…)

16. Individual participation in democratic processes and public life at all levels must
be regulated fairly and impartially and must avoid any discrimination, as well as the
risk of intimidation by State and non-State actors.

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(…)

18. While the existence of an active civil society is an essential element of democracy,
the capacity and willingness of individuals to participate in democratic processes and
make governance choices cannot be taken for granted. It is therefore necessary to develop
conditions conducive to the genuine exercise of participatory rights, while also
eliminating obstacles that prevent, hinder or inhibit this exercise. It is therefore
indispensable to ensure the permanent enhancement of, inter alia, equality,
transparency and education and to remove obstacles such as ignorance, intolerance,
apathy, the lack of genuine choices and alternatives and the absence of measures
designed to redress imbalances or discrimination of a social, cultural, religious and
racial nature, or for reasons of gender.

PLAN OF ACTION TO CORRECT PRESENT IMBALANCES IN THE

PARTICIPATION OF MEN AND WOMEN IN POLITICAL LIFE

http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/planactn.htm

Adopted by the Inter-Parliamentary Council, the plenary policy-making body of the Inter-
Parliamentary Union, at its 154th session (Paris, 26 March 1994)

A. CONDITIONS FOR ACTIVE PARTICIPATION

BY WOMEN IN POLITICAL LIFE
An analysis of the available information on the various national realities highlights the
fact that, in all parts of the world a certain number of conditions favour or on the contrary
hinder women's active involvement in political life. Wider community awareness of
issues associated with women's participation in political life is an important aspect
of correcting the current imbalance.

(…)

C. PARTICIPATION IN POLITICS AT THE

NATIONAL LEVEL
I. ACTION TO PROMOTE POLITICAL AWARENESS
Women's participation in politics and in the exercise of political responsibilities
should be encouraged and facilitated by action to promote awareness, comprising
civic and political education, which helps women to know their rights and to become
conscious of their capacity to have a direct hand in political life. The Government,

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Parliament, political parties and organizations, trade unions, non-governmental

organizations and the media can all contribute to this process.

1. Government
However specific they may be, women's issues are questions that concern society as a
whole. All governments should thus take the necessary steps to ensure that the
interests and specific problems of women are explicitly taken into account and dealt
with, in a permanent and thorough manner and in all areas pertaining to
governmental jurisdiction. It is absolutely essential that the necessary material and
human resources are earmarked for this purpose.

Part of these resources should be devoted to promoting women's participation in civic

life as an integral part of the process of strengthening democracy and the Ministry of
Education should specially see to it that proper civic, political and legal education is
dispensed from early childhood.

Government action in this respect could include educating women to participate in and
manage public affairs (see also the section on non-governmental organizations below).
One of the priorities of the Government should be to inform the public of all the legal
provisions which establish the principle of equality between men and women and to
ensure that these are respected. It should also regularly disseminate figures and other
data on women in public life and in politics.

(…)

II. RESPECT FOR THE PRINCIPLE OF EQUALITY WITHIN POLITICAL

PARTIES
1. Basic texts
It is proposed that the basic texts, for example, those which define the party's basic
policy, its hierarchy and the rules of procedure, should be reviewed in order to eliminate
any provision which explicitly condones or could justify discrimination against women.

2. Political parties' programmes

It is suggested that, when drawing up their programmes, parties should pay special
attention to the principle of equality between men and women. The programmes
should focus on the advantages of active partnership between men and women based on
recognition of their difference and complementarity. In this spirit, it is also recommended
that parties should aim to eliminate from their programmes any terms or wording which
could directly or indirectly imply the notion of superiority of men over women.

3. Decision-making bodies

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It is proposed that measures be taken to give equally qualified men and women equal
opportunities to belong to decision-making bodies at all levels in the party's
structure: local, provincial and national.

(…)

III. PARTICIPATION IN ELECTIONS

1. Recognition of women's right to vote and be elected
The rare countries where women do not yet have the right to vote and be elected should
take measures to rectify the situation as rapidly as possible. It is recommended that the
right to vote and the right to be elected should be given to women at the same time.
It is also recommended that, respecting the principle of equality between men and
women, the right of women to vote and be elected should not be subject to any
restrictions or conditions other than those which may also apply to men. In some
countries, the level of education is one of the criteria for inclusion on the electoral roll. In
countries where a sizable proportion of the population is illiterate, especially women, it
might be advisable to remove this condition while at the same time making an effort to
educate the population on the exercise of electoral rights (see section C I and III 2).

2. Exercise of the right to vote

(i) Registration on the electoral roll
Information campaigns should be undertaken by the government, political parties
and non-governmental organizations to encourage voters to register on the electoral
roll. These campaigns should focus on women because, more frequently than men, they
do not know that voting requires prior registration on the electoral roll or, due to lack of
information, they are reluctant to take this step. Special action should be undertaken in
rural or deprived areas, by the government, political parties and non-governmental
organizations. The campaigns should be given widespread publicity by the media.
A clear presentation of the election issues can act as a determinant in deciding voters to
register on the electoral roll and to vote.

(…)

(iii) Voting by proxy

Voting by proxy is not to be encouraged. Where the electoral law allows for voting by
proxy, it is recommended that it should include provisions which ensure that the voter's
choice is not ignored through the practice of the proxy. Accordingly, it is recommended
that the electoral law should:

(…)

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IV. SHARING OF POLITICAL RESPONSIBILITY

1. In Government - at the local, provincial and national levels
The participation of a proportion of women in government should be established as
one of the rules of democracy. All governments should thus include a proportion of
women. Men and women alike are fitted to hold government office in any sector
whatever. Accordingly, posts allocated to women should not be confined to particular
sectors but should be in any area (social affairs, foreign affairs, finance, interior, defence,
etc.).

2. In Parliament - at the local, provincial and national levels

(i) Legislative action
The creation of a parliamentary committee whose specific terms of reference would
be to deal with issues relating to the status of women can make an important
contribution towards ensuring that special and permanent attention is paid to
implementation of the principle of equality in all national legislation. In conformity with
the principle of equality and based on the concept of partnership, such a committee
should always be composed of both men and women.

(ii) Measures to ensure equitable distribution of responsibilities in Parliament

The governing body of the Parliament and parliamentary groups should be made
aware of the need to ensure an equitable proportional distribution of posts in
Parliament between men and women.

(iii) Trans-party women's groups

As a transitional measure until such time as a better balance between men and
women in parliament is reached, the creation of an informal trans-party group of
women parliamentarians can help to ensure that women legislators' views are taken
into account when defining priorities, drafting legislation and allocating posts to be
filled.

________________________________________________________________________

Commonwealth Secretariat
http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=36768
The Victoria Falls Declaration of Principles for the Promotion of the Human Rights of
Women, 1994

The participants reaffirmed the principles stated in Bangalore, amplified in Harare,

affirmed in Banjul, confirmed in Abuja, reaffirmed at Balliol, Oxford and reinforced at
Bloemfontein. These principles reflect the universality of human rights - inherent in
men and women - and the vital duties of an independent judiciary in interpreting
and applying national constitutions and laws in the light of those principles. These

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general principles are applicable in all countries, but the means by which they become
applicable may differ.

(…)

4. The participants recognised that many of the existing international and regional human
rights standards were formulated within a primarily male perspective and with
insufficient gender sensitivity and sometimes fail to provide protection for the gender
specific interests of women. The participants emphasised the urgent need for the
formulation of further specific rights for women, particularly in the economic and social
field. The participants stressed the vital need for women to be centrally involved in
decision making at all levels.
________________________________________________________________________

Council of Europe
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

http://www.echr.coe.int/NR/rdonlyres/D5CC24A7-DC13-4318-B457-
5C9014916D7A/0/EnglishAnglais.pdf

Rome, 4.XI.1950
The governments signatory hereto, being members of the Council of Europe,

Protocol No. 12 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and
Fundamental Freedoms

Rome, 4.XI.2000

Article 1. General prohibition of discrimination

1 The enjoyment of any right set forth by law shall be secured without discrimination
on any ground such as sex, race, colour, language, religion, political or other opinion,
national or social origin, association with a national minority, property, birth or other
status.

2 No one shall be discriminated against by any public authority on any ground such
as those mentioned in paragraph 1.

Recommendation Rec (2003) 3 on balanced participation of women and men in

political and public decision-making

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http://www.coe.int/T/E/Human_Rights/Equality/03._Women_and_decision-
making/001_Rec%282003%293.asp#TopOfPage

(adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 12 March 2003,

at the 831st meeting of the Ministers' Deputies)

The Committee of Ministers, under the terms of Article 15.b of the Statute of the Council
of Europe, Bearing in mind that women make up more than half of the population and
the electorate in its member states, but continue to be seriously underrepresented in
political and public decision making in a large part of its member states;

Bearing in mind that, in spite of the existence of de jure equality, the distribution of
power, responsibilities and access to economic, social and cultural resources
between women and men is still very unequal due to the persistence of prevailing
traditional gender roles;

Mindful that the functioning of electoral systems and political institutions, including
political parties, may hamper women’s participation in political and public life;

Considering that balanced participation of women and men in political and public
decision-making is a matter of the full enjoyment of human rights, of social justice
and a necessary condition for the better functioning of a democratic society;

Considering that the realisation of balanced participation of women and men in

political and public decision making would lead to better and more efficient policy
making through the redefinition of political priorities and the placing of new issues on
the political agenda as well as to the improvement of quality of life for all;

Considering that balanced participation of women and men in political and public
decision making is needed for the development and construction of a Europe based
on equality, social cohesion, solidarity and respect for human rights;

Recalling the declaration adopted at the 2nd Summit of the Council of Europe
(October 1997) at which the heads of state and government of the Council of Europe
stressed .the importance of a more balanced representation of men and women in all
sectors of society, including political life, and called for continued progress with a view
to achieving effective equality of opportunities between women and men.;

Bearing in mind the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and
Fundamental Freedoms (1950) and its Protocols;

Bearing in mind the European Social Charter (1961), the revised European
Social Charter (1996) and the Additional Protocol to the European Social Charter
providing for a System of Collective Complaints (1995);

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Bearing in mind the texts adopted at the European Ministerial Conference on

Human Rights held in Rome in 2000;

Bearing in mind the following recommendations of the Committee of

Ministers to member states of the Council of Europe: Recommendation
No. R (85) 2 on legal protection against sex discrimination; Recommendation
No. R (96) 5 on reconciling work and family life and Recommendation
No. R (98) 14 on gender mainstreaming;

Bearing in mind the following texts adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly:

Recommendation 1229 (1994) on equality of rights between women and men;
Recommendation 1269 (1995) on achieving real progress in women’s rights as from
1995 and Recommendation 1413 (1999) on equal representation in political life;

Bearing in mind the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;

Recalling the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of

Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW, 1979), especially its Articles 7 and 8;

Recalling also the commitments in the Beijing Platform for Action as well as in the
Agreed Conclusions of the Special Session of the UN General Assembly in
2000 (Beijing +5);

Considering that democracy can no longer afford to ignore the competence, skills and
creativity of women but must become gender sensitive and include women with
different backgrounds and of different age groups in political and public decision
making at all levels;

Mindful of the high priority the Council of Europe gives to the promotion of democracy
and human rights,

Recommends that the governments of member states:

I. Commit themselves to promote balanced representation of women and men by

recognising publicly that the equal sharing of decision-making power between
women and men of different back ground and ages strengthens and enriches
democracy;

II. Protect and promote the equal civil and political rights of women and men,
including running for office and freedom of association;

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III. Ensure that women and men can exercise their individual voting rights and, to
this end, take all the necessary measures to eliminate the practice of family voting;

IV. Review their legislation and practice, with the aim of ensuring that the strategies and
measures described in this recommendation are applied and implemented;

V. Promote and encourage special measures to stimulate and support women’s will to
participate in political and public decision-making;

VI. Consider setting targets linked to a time scale with a view to reaching balanced
participation of women and men in political and public decision-making;

VII. Ensure that this recommendation is brought to the attention of all relevant political
institutions and to public and private bodies, in particular national parliaments, local and
regional authorities, political parties, civil service, public and semi-public organisations,
enterprises, trade unions, employers, organisations and non-governmental organisations;

VIII. Monitor and evaluate progress in achieving balanced participation of women and
men in political and public life, and report regularly to the Committee of Ministers on the
measures taken and progress made in this field.

Appendix to Recommendation Rec (2003) 3

For the purpose of this recommendation, balanced participation of women and men is
taken to mean that the representation of either women or men in any decision-
making body in political or public life should not fall below 40%.

On this basis, the governments of member states are invited to consider the following
measures:

A. Legislative and administrative measures

Member states should:

1. Consider possible constitutional and/or legislative changes, including positive

action measures, which would facilitate a more balanced participation of women
and men in political and public decision-making;

2. Adopt administrative measures so that official language reflects a balanced sharing

of power between women and men;

(…)

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5. Where electoral systems are shown to have a negative impact on the political
representation of women in elected bodies, adjust or reform those systems to promote
gender-balanced representation;

(…)

9. Consider adopting appropriate legislative and/or administrative measures to ensure

that there is gender-balanced representation in all appointments made by a minister
or government to public committees;

10. Ensure that there is a gender-balanced representation in posts or functions whose

holders are nominated by government and other public authorities;

11. Ensure that the selection, recruitment and appointment processes for leading
positions in public decision-making are gender sensitive and transparent;

(…)

17. Encourage parliaments at all levels to set up parliamentary committees or

delegations for women’s rights and equal opportunities and to implement gender
mainstreaming in all their work;

B. Supportive measures

Member states should:

18. Support, by all appropriate measures, programmes aimed at stimulating a gender

balance in political life and public decision-making initiated by women’s organisations
and all organisations working for gender equality;

19. Consider the setting up of a data bank of women willing to serve in political and
public decision-making positions;

20. Support and develop women’s political action by providing the opportunity for
women elected representatives to network at the local, regional, national and
international levels;

21. Develop and support mentoring/work-shadowing programmes, confidence

building, leadership and media training for women considering entering political and
public decision-making;

22. Encourage training for women candidates and elected representatives in the use
of information and communication technologies;

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(…)

24. Promote the participation of young people, especially young women, in

associations to enable them to acquire experience, knowledge and capacities which are
transferable to the field of institutional, and especially political, participation;

(…)

26. Encourage greater involvement of ethnic and cultural minorities, and especially
women from these minorities, in decision-making at all levels;

27. Inform political parties of the different strategies used in the various countries to
promote the balanced participation of women and men in elected assemblies; encourage
them to implement one or more of these strategies and to promote balanced
participation of women and men in positions of decision-making within the party
structures;

(…)

30. Promote campaigns aimed at the general public in order to raise its awareness of
the importance of gender-balanced representation in political and public decision-
making as a prerequisite for genuine democracy;

(…)

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