Importance of women's political empowerement - Gurmai Zita

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Summary of major activities of the CEE Network (1994-2011)
- Support to international foundations within the European Forum in the coordination of
their work on gender.
- Sharing information with other non-governmental partners.
To this end the CEE Network developed a network of focal points in socialist and socialdemocratic
parties and organized strategy setting workshops on women in political decisionmaking
and elections; economic and social challenges of transition and their implications to
gender equality; minority women and their triple discrimination; women in media and family in
transition. Two publications on the above issues and numerous articles have been published by
the CEE Network members to inform the discussion and contribute to priority setting.
In 1996 the Network organized, in collaboration with the women’s organization of the Socialdemocratic
Party of the Czech Republic, a major international conference in Prague to discuss
progress made in promoting gender equality since the beginning of transition. The conference
gathered more than 100 participants from CEE and Western European socialist and socialdemocratic
parties and interested non-governmental organizations.
The Network was strengthened in 1998 by the establishment of an Office in Budapest.
Currently the Network has Offices in Ljubljana (South Eastern Europe); Budapest (Central
Europe); Tallin (the Baltic). It also worked on the analysis of gender equality issues in the EU
enlargement process.
Apart from a number of papers, the Network organized the first of its kind annual discussions
among SD women members of the Parliament from EU accession countries, taking place in
Budapest and Vienna.
Activities
The CEE Network continues to strengthen its support to women’s organizations, women MPs,
and party leaders from socialist-democratic parties in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe
through a thematic and sub-regional approach.
Thematic:
a) Support to the development of strategies and substantive capacity for the promotion
of women in political decision making within parties (including the implementation of
the quota system) and in electoral processes;
b) Support to the inclusion of gender concerns in the EU enlargement process through
advocacy, policy formulation, strategy setting and partnership with the PES.
Sub-Regional:
a) The development of support to women’s organizations, women MPs, and party
leaders from socialist and social-democratic parties through its sub regional offices in