Gender Sensitive Parliaments The IPU Self-Assessment methodology for parliaments

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1 EIGE Consultation meeting on gender-sensitive parliaments: indicators and assessment 13 September, 2016, Vilnius Gender Sensitive Parliaments The IPU Self-Assessment methodology for parliaments Zeina Hilal IPU Gender Programme

2 Strategy in 3 axes: Strategy to develop the self-assessment Research to inform policy change: Identify by collecting parliamentary experiences what a gender-sensitive parliament is, what it does and how it is organized Conduct a survey to gather existing challenges, situations and good practice developed and tested Guidelines to trigger change: Set global standards based on data ad information collected: Gender-sensitive parliaments, a global review of good practice (2011) Provide parliaments with guidance on what to do to become gender-sensitive institutions: A Plan of action for gender-sensitive parliaments was adopted by parliaments in 2012 Support parliamentary reform: Develop and make available a self-assessment methodology tested in parliaments a toolkit to be launched in 2016 Provide help to parliaments to craft and implement reforms plans

3 Development of IPU self-assessment methodology for parliaments Draws from IPU s Gender-sensitive parliaments, a global review of good practice (2011), Plan of Action for Gendersensitive parliaments (2012) and Evaluating Parliament: A self-assessment toolkit The methodology developed also benefited from pilot selfassessments conducts in the parliaments of Sweden, Uganda, Chile, Rwanda, Bangladesh and Turkey.

4 The principles of the self-assessment methodology Invitation to parliaments to look within; to examine critically their mode of operation and functioning; to assess, evaluate and engage in reform; and to both progress and lead the way. Encouraging parliaments to design a process suited to their national context in order to initiate and implement gender-sensitive reform. All reform processes must begin with an evaluation a stock take of current practice and a structured discussion about possible improvements. The self-assessment process is not intended to rank parliaments, but rather to help parliaments identify their strengths and weaknesses in order to determine priorities for strengthening the institution. The methodology provides a framework for discussion among members of parliament, decision makers in the parliamentary administration and parliamentary staff. It is also based on evidence, data and information.

5 The principles of the self-assessment methodology The questions have been deliberately phrased to promote discussion, rather than to extract factual, closed responses. It is hoped that in answering the questions, the group carrying out the self-assessment will engage in serious and systematic discussions on these issues, even if those discussions provoke disagreement. The discussion should lead to a shared vision of the priorities for parliamentary development and then to recommendations for action to address these priorities. The effectiveness of the self-assessment should be judged against the outcomes of the discussion, and the subsequent actions taken to ensure that the parliament becomes more gender-sensitive.

6 Support from leadership Preparing for a gender- sensitive assessment political will required commitment from leadership Initiating the exercise initiated and run by a parliamentary Committee (e.g. Gender Equality Committee?); a group of parliamentarians; an individual parliamentarian; or senior parliamentary staff. Whoever initiates the self-assessment, it is vital to have a shared understanding of the purpose and expected outcomes at the beginning of the process. Communicating around the exercise can also be beneficial. Ensuring inclusiveness and ownership For leaders to accept change, a reform process must be supported. In order for proposed changes to be legitimate and gain support, they need to have been considered inclusively. One of the advantages of a self-assessment is that a parliament can take ownership of whatever findings and conclusions emerge from the exercise.

7 What is needed? Participants: A group as diverse as possible: For example, representatives of governing and opposition parties, men and women, parliamentarians and senior parliamentary officials Other actors, such as political parties, gender experts, and the media may also be invited to participate. Structuring the discussion Depending on the number of participants, the self-assessment can either be run as one large group, or as a number of working groups, which would consider different sets of questions. Building on evidence By collecting and disseminating data on how the parliament functions from the viewpoint of gender, so as to prompt constructive debates and ensure they are based on evidence and some degree of common knowledge. Resources Sufficient resources should be allocated to the group so that it can carry out its mission. Facilitators The participation of a gender expert as a facilitator may help but is not necessary

8 Sources of data It is important to ensure that discussions and conclusions are based on evidence. While data is primarily collected from the responses of participants to a set of questions, the following sources of information can be useful in facilitating the discussion: list of men and women members of parliament (currently and in the recent past); list of men and women in positions of parliamentary leadership in the Bureau or Board (currently and in the recent past) list of committee membership, by sex, including positions of leadership (Chairperson, Deputy, other office bearers); list of parliamentary staff, by sex, including positions of leadership; standing orders/internal rules of the parliament; any laws relating to gender equality passed by the parliament in at least the last 5 years; the Constitution or the national electoral law; list of men and women in leadership positions in the major political parties; any Government and opposition parties policies or programmes concerning gender equality; any policies of the parliament that have an impact on gender equality (e.g. code of conduct, anti-discrimination policies, communications strategy); the parliament s Strategic Plan, or other plans of action; and any indication of parliament s involvement in United Nations gender equality mechanisms

9 The self-assessment components The method involves answering questions about the policy frameworks and work of parliament. These questions are grouped under seven areas: 1. presence of women in parliament : number and positions; 2. the legal and policy framework for gender equality; 3. mechanisms to mainstream gender equality throughout the work of parliament; 4. infrastructure and policies to support a gender-sensitive culture; 5. the shared responsibility for gender equality among all parliamentarians; 6. the need for political parties to be champions of gender equality; and 7. the role of parliamentary staff in supporting gender equality outcomes.

10 Example of the questions (area 1) 1.1 What factors have enabled the election or appointment of women to parliament? What are the obstacles that hinder a greater participation of women in parliament? 1.2 Is the current level of representation satisfactory (for members of parliament; for the constituency; according to national and international targets)? What mechanisms are, or could be, in place to ensure a certain numerical representation of women? 1.3 Are women elected or appointed through a temporary special measure (e.g. reserved seats) perceived in the same way as those elected through open competition with men? 1.4 What percentage of leadership positions are held by women? What positions of leadership do women occupy in parliament? How are positions of leadership allocated? 1.5 Are there any measures to guarantee women s access to positions of leadership in the parliament? If yes, what are they? If not, should they be adopted? 1.6 Are men and women represented in all committees? In which committees are women mostly represented? In which committees are women under-represented or absent? How is committee membership decided? Are stereotypes of women s interests reinforced by committee membership? 1.7 How is monitoring conducted of the number of women working in parliament and the leadership positions they hold? If there is a dedicated monitoring body; is that body required to report openly and regularly to parliament?

11 Example of the questions (area 5) 5.1 Is gender understood to also concern men? Have men parliamentarians been involved in initiating or co-sponsoring legislation on gender equality? What factors commonly motivate men to address these issues? 5.2 What gender equality issues do men tend to publicly champion? How regularly do men take the floor during parliamentary debates on gender equality? How often do men parliamentarians raise their constituents concerns on gender equality issues? 5.3 How receptive are women to men s involvement in, and contribution to, gender equality issues? 5.4 Could, and should, men and women MPs share the leadership of parliamentary committees dealing with gender equality? Could, and should, each committee be co-chaired by a man and a woman? 5.5 Are there professional development or training opportunities provided to men and women parliamentarians? Do these include seminars on gender equality issues? 5.6 Are men included on study tours or international delegations dealing with gender equality or gender mainstreaming? 5.7 Can the parliament be considered a role model for gender partnership? If so, why has the partnership succeeded? If not, how could the partnership be strengthened?

12 Thinking ahead: results and action Outcome of the assessment The self-assessment leads to the preparation of a report that: a) looks at the process itself (how it went, participation, lessons learnt etc.); b) includes a summary of the discussions and c) findings and recommendations Follow-up Consider how recommendations would be implemented, and publicised: A plan of action that can be monitored and evaluated?

13 Thank you!