CASE No - Inter-Parliamentary Union

- 37 - CL/183/SR.1
(a)
Coordinating Committee of the meeting of Women Parliamentarians
(CL/183/12(a)-R.1)
Mrs. P. Cayetano (Philippines), Chairperson of the Coordinating Committee of Women
Parliamentarians, introduced the report of the Committee (CL/183/12(a)-R.1) and said that the
Committee had met on 12 October 2008 to follow up to the work of its previous meeting held
in Cape Town, South Africa during the 118 th Assembly of the IPU, and to prepare for its next
meeting due to be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during the 120 th Assembly in April 2009.
Many women had reported on the developments in women’s political participation in their
countries. Information had also been shared on follow-up action at the parliamentary level
with regard to IPU activities, in particular the survey on equality in politics, and had
encouraged parliaments to take the example of Mexico and translate the report on that survey
into their working languages. Follow-up action on Women in the media had been discussed.
The Committee had regretted that the work of the IPU was not known in all parliaments, and
had urged that greater efforts should be made to disseminate the IPU’s resolutions and
research. All parliamentarians should take up the work of the IPU in their national
parliaments, and promote it among their parliamentary peers.
A discussion had been held on the gender dimension of the work of the three Standing
Committee panel discussions. With regard to nuclear non-proliferation, the Committee had
noted the threats posed by dumping of nuclear waste and radiation, particularly the health
risks to women and children, and had stressed that women should be included as decisionmakers
in the international arena. On the second panel discussion on climate change, the
Committee had noted that the adverse effects of climate change directly affected the
livelihoods of communities, often hitting women and children living in poverty the hardest.
With regard to the third panel, the right to information should be universal and without
exception. Often women’s economic disempowerment or cultural and traditional practices
that blocked information from women meant that they did not enjoy that right.
Preparations for the fourteenth meeting of women parliamentarians had been made and
the Committee had agreed to discuss item 5 of the agenda for the 120 th Assembly on Climate
change, sustainable development models and renewable energies. The Committee had agreed
to hold a dialogue session between men and women on the role of women in ensuring
financial stability and contributing to economic development, since the current financial
climate posed a threat to women’s development and the attainment of the MDGs. The
representative of UNICEF had made a presentation and the Committee had proposed that the
panel discussion for 120 th Assembly should consider the question of Adolescent girls: the girls
left behind. The Committee had examined the forthcoming activities of the IPU, including
Countdown 2015, under the aegis of which the Committee members had committed to
following up on action for maternal and child health promotion at the national level, and urged
all other IPU Members to do the same. The members of the Committee had also all signed the
UNIFEM petition on violence against women and encouraged all participants in the present
Assembly to do so. The Committee had also met the two candidates for the IPU presidency.
(c)
Committee on Middle East Questions
(CL/183/12(c)-R.1)
Mrs. A. Clwyd (United Kingdom), Chairperson of the Committee on Middle East
Questions, presented the report of meeting of the Committee (CL/183/12(c)-R.1). She had
presented to the Committee the report on the recent mission to Israel and Palestine, which she
had attended, and which had been led by Mr. J. Carter (New Zealand), accompanied by the
Secretary General of the IPU. The mission had aimed to examine the current status of the