A SIGNIFICANT LANDMARK ON THE PATH TO WOMEN’S EQUALITY


panel and workshop sessions providing an invaluable insight into development within international and national and


“The Forum focused on three main


areas: women in leadership and entrepreneurship; women, media and technological development (including media and ICT); and women in social development covering education and health.”


local institutions. In many ways the Forum provided a ‘master’ class in recent global and local developments in the movement for the equality of women. The Forum focused on three main areas: women in leadership and entrepreneurship; women, media and technological development (including media and ICT); and women in social development covering education and health.


These themes were addressed through presentations from lead speakers and moderated panels of speakers who were experienced within their areas of expertise. While time is always constrained in such sessions in the workshop sessions on the following day there was an opportunity for all participants to share their experiences. I moderated the workshop on Women’s


Political Empowerment and was impressed with the range of experience and expertise expressed by the participants who included Members of Parliaments, local government representatives, international agencies, NGOs and


academics. The discussion was distinguished by the generous sharing of experience and offers of assistance. It was apparent from the three hours discussion that similar issues arose in different contexts. The need for responses to common barriers and constraints to women to be culturally appropriate was apparent from the various contributions. What works in one country may not be successful in another. In all societies however women experience discrimination and there continues to be a reluctance to redress the inequality of women in a way to results in real change.


Although my focus at the Forum was on political empowerment, I attended on the first day all the sessions on the other two themes of women, the media and technological development and women in social development. These sessions reinforced the reality that for women to have political decision-making it was essential to ensure the media understand and contributed to the goal. The influence of technology on the media was an emphasis that reflected the changing nature of how ideas are formed and communicated. It is essential to participate in the digital revolution that is slowly but surely changing the nature of how we communicate within our communities. Although education and health have always been recognised as the pre-conditions for women’s equality, the changing nature


The Parliamentarian | 2016: Issue One | 41


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