To empower every woman and girl to fulfill their potential, to thrive in their societies and be active participants in their countries' development.
To end discrimination and inequalities and promote universality of reproductive health and rights.
To build communities where women and men have equal value, where all forms of discrimination including violence are prohibited and punished, and where gender does not determine a superior or inferior place in society.
Programme Objectives
The Gender Equality and Population Programme works on the following objectives:
Women, Peace and Security – Advocate for full national implementation of Security Council Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security (SCRs 1325, 1880, 1889, 1960) and prevention of Violence Against Women.
CEDAW - Advocate for ratification (for countries that have not ratified like the US) and, for the majority of countries that have ratified, full National implementation of CEDAW, including equal opportunities for such issues as political participation, education, inheritance and property rights.
ICPD Beyond 2014 Review Process – Advocacy and engagement of MPs in the review process of the ICPD Beyond 2014 to ensure its goals are included in the development framework post 2015. Continue to improve access for reproductive health and explore new work areas on protection of the girl child, including raising the legal age of marriage and preventing female genital mutilation and cutting.
Aware of the influential and crucial role that parliamentarians play in their countries, PGA brings together parliamentarians with key stakeholders, including civil society and international organizations, across sectors; equips legislators with relevant knowledge and expertise; and achieves immediate impact and longer-term national implementation on programs and initiatives in support of Gender Equality. GEP activities provide a space for parliamentarians to:
Share best practices toward improving gender equality.
Discuss challenges to women’s empowerment and advance harmonization with the international legal framework in societies with deeply-rooted cultural gender stereotypes.
Raise awareness and improve education and access to information on gender equality, reproductive health and rights, gender and disarmament, and human trafficking;
Deliver concrete results through the adoption of Plans of Action with ongoing monitoring and reporting procedures.
Key Achievments
PGA members are currently working in their home parliaments to implement the Tunis Plan of Action adopted in March 2012 at PGA’s Parliamentary Workshop on Advancing Maternal and Reproductive Health and Gender Equality in Member Countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). As a result of the Tunis event:
In Morocco, during an audience with the Minister of Health, an MP presented the results from Tunis and demanded that he address the actions taken to meet the shortfall in skilled-birth attendants in hospitals and health centers. She provided examples of women who died giving birth in front of hospitals due to inadequate human resources in hospitals during the weekends. She also asked the Minister for an account of actions he is taking to reduce maternal and child mortality that continue rising in Morocco. The questions posed can be seen at the following video: (in Arabic)
Also in Morocco, another MP organized follow up workshops for the Advisory Council on Family and Childhood and participated in the elaboration of a memorandum regarding gender equality and fight against discrimination against women. Her parliamentary group met with NGOs working toward more gender responsive budgeting, and plan to make a study on Gender Budgeting, which will be addressed in 2013. Her parliamentary group has also invited the Minister of Health to discuss various issues on maternal and child health, which she suggested along with the organization of a day to study reproductive health.
In Mauritania, MPs are implementing the Tunis Plan of Action by holding workshops in the National Assembly on the results from Tunis and next steps for the Mauritanian Parliament. They have organized a Day of Awareness in the National Assembly on Reproductive Health and Sexually Transmitted Diseases; and convened a session in the National Assembly to draft a law banning Female Genital Mutilation by coordinating recommendations from different stakeholders, including the Ministry of Social Affairs, Children and Families (MASEF), the Department of Justice, Parliamentarians, and the Steering Committee for the Preparation of a Draft Law on FGM.
In Sierra Leone, an MP sought to implement the Tunis Plan by calling for Parliament to execute its oversight function more effectively by monitoring funds for tracking and evaluating results to reduce maternal and newborn mortality http://allafrica.com/stories/201204060338.html
Through PGA’s three-year Population Program in West Africa (1997– 1999), parliamentary committees in Senegal and Ghana made great strides in population and development issues: in Senegal, the population network supported abolishing the practice of female genital mutilation; in Ghana, the parliamentary caucus on population was formally recognized as a full committee of the parliament and advocated for a minimum age of marriage.
In 1993, PGA presented two documents to the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Secretariat suggesting specific language for inclusion in the Draft Programme of Action. More than 80% of the language offered by PGA members in their submissions was reflected in the final document.
PGA members played a pivotal role in achieving consensus on a global agreement on controversial family planning issues, including abortion, at the International Conference on Population and Development, in Cairo, 1994. According to Steven Sinding, President, International Planned Parenthood Federation, then in charge of population programs at the Rockefeller Foundation, “PGA mobilized quite a lot of support for the Cairo program among its own members, who became leaders on the issue in their own parliaments.”
PGA legislators have raised awareness and worked with the pro-Taliban government in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province on challenges posed by HIV/AIDS.
