Second Hemispheric Forum "Women's full citizenship for democracy"

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From July 18th to 21st 2012, CIM, in collaboration with UN Women and International IDEA, hosted its Second Hemispheric Forum "Women's full citizenship for democracy", with the aim of identifying and discussing the political and state reforms necessary in order to expedite the exercise of women’s full citizenship in Latin America and the Caribbean, stimulating synergy, consensus and joint activities between the government’s executive, legislative and judicial branches, women’s networks and organizations and ombudspersons. The results of the Second Hemispheric Forum included:

  • recommendations on priorities, strategies and opportunities for incidence in the reform and modernization processes of the governmental branches, political parties and electoral institutions;
  • exchanged experiences on strategies, outcomes and lessons learned on political reform and modernization of the state from a gender mainstreaming and women’s rights perspective; and
  • the creation of spaces for pluralistic dialogue, cooperation among states and promoting synergies between governmental branches, ombudsmen, women’s organizations/networks and civil society.

This event was co-sponsored by UN Women, International IDEA and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).

Watch the video of the event online


Agenda

Wednesday July 18th

Opening Session

  • Carlos Morales Troncoso, Minister for External Relations of the Dominican Republic
  • Alejandrina Germán, Minister for Women of the Dominican Republic
  • Irene Sandiford-Garner, Senator of Barbados and Vice-President of the CIM (Speech in Word)
  • Rumbidzai Kandawasvika-Nhundu, Representative of International IDEA
  • Message from the Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza, delivered by Carmen Moreno, Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission of Women of the OAS (Speech in Word, only available in Spanish)
  • Rafael Alburquerque, Vice-President of the Dominican Republic
  • Message from the Honouorable Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, delivered by Senator Marlene Coudray, Minister of Gender, Youth and Child Development (Speech in Word)


Thursday July 19th

Dialogue: State reforms and the agenda for gender equality in electoral processes

  • Otilia Lux de Cotí, Former Deputy, Director of the Movimiento Winaq Party, Guatemala
  • Irene Sandiford-Garner, Senator of Barbados and Vice-President of the CIM
  • Lilian Soto, Candidate to the Presidency of Paraguay
Moderator: Minou Tavarez Mirabal, Deputy from the Dominican Republic

Women’s citizenship and democracy in Canada

  • Jane Jenson, Professor, Department of Political Science of the University of Montreal and Canada Research Chair in Citizenship and Governance (PowerPoint presentation)
Moderator: Irene Sandiford Garner, Senator of Barbados and Vice-President of the CIM

Women’s citizenship and democracy in Latin America

  • Belkys Mones, Virginia Vargas and Lilian Soto, Regional Working Group on Women’s Full Citizenship for Democracy
Moderator: Alejandra Liriano, Vice-Minister for External Relations of the Dominican Republic

Women’s citizenship and democracy in the Caribbean

  • Rawwida Baksh and Linnette Vassell, Regional Working Group on Women’s Full Citizenship for Democracy
Moderator: Wanda K. Jones, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Department of Health and Human Services, USA


Friday July 20th

Democracy, citizenship and society: Transformations in gender relations

  • Gilles Lipovetsky, Philosopher and Professor of the University of Grenoble
Moderator: Virginia Vargas, Expert on women’s rights, Peru

Parity in political representation on Latin America: progress and lessons learned from Costa Rica, Bolivia and Ecuador

  • Isabel Torres, Specialist of the Center for Law Studies, Costa Rica (PowerPoint presentation, only available in Spanish)
  • Marlene Choque Aldana, Specialist on citizenship, Bolivia (PowerPoint presentation, only available in Spanish)
  • Solanda Goyes Quelal, President of Mujeres por la Equidad de Género y la Autonomía and member of Colectivo Nosotras, Ecuador (PowerPoint presentation, only available in Spanish)
Moderator: Niurka Palacio, President of the Forum of Women in Political Parties, Panama

Challenges for Ombudspersons in assuring the fulfillment of women’s rights

  • Pilar Rueda, Ombudsperson in charge of Women, Children and Youth’s Rights of the Public Defender, Colombia (PowerPoint presentation, only available in Spanish)
  • Ana Gladys Olla, Office of the Ombudsperson for Women of the Public Defender of Human Rights, Guatemala (Presentation in Word, only available in Spanish)
  • Alejandra Mora, Director for Women of Office of the Ombudsperson, Costa Rica (PowerPoint presentation, only available in Spanish)
  • Teresa Paniagua, National Commission for Human Rights, Mexico (PowerPoint presentation, only available in Spanish)
Moderator: Otilia Lux de Cotí, Former Deputy, Director of the Movimiento Winaq Party, Guatemala

Status, challenges and strategies of executive-level reforms for gender equality

  • "Status of policy and administrative reforms at the executive level in Latin America and the Caribbean"
    Gregorio Montero, Gregorio Montero, Secretary General of the Latin American Center for Development Administration (CLAD)
  • "State reforms and gender equality"
    Susana Chiarotti, Latin American and Caribbean Committee for the Defense of Women's Rights (CLADEM)
  • "Mainstreaming a gender perspective in the modernization of public management: the case of Chile"
    Marcela Díaz, SERNAM Expert, Chile (PowerPoint presentation, only available in Spanish)
Moderator: Elizabeth Quiroa, State Secretary for Women’s Issues, Guatemala

Status and current perspectives on legislative-level reforms for real equality

  • "Status of the reform of legislative bodies in Latin America and the Caribbean"
    Fátima Anastasia, Professor of legislative issues and researcher of Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, Brasil (PowerPoint presentation, only available in Portuguese)
  • "Pay equity law"
    Danielle Doyer, Member of the National Assembly of Québec, Canada
  • "Law on women’s access to a life free from violence"
    Norma Esparza, Senator of Mexico
  • "Quota laws in Argentina"
    Alicia Gutiérrez, Deputy of Argentina (PowerPoint presentation, only available in Spanish)
  • "Gender mainstreaming in the Parliament of Costa Rica"
    Mireya Zamora, Deputy of Costa Rica (PowerPoint presentation, only available in Spanish)
Moderator: Diva Gastélum, Deputy from Mexico and President of the Network of Women Parliamentarians of the Confederation of Parliaments of the Americas (COPA)

Reform of the judicial system for gender equality and women’s rights

  • "Status of the reform of justice systems in Latin America"
    María Mercedes López Mora, Judge, Supreme Court of Justice, Colombia
  • "Violence against women and the reform of the justice sector in Brazil"
    Aparecida Gonçalves, Secretary for the Confrontation of Violence, Brazil
  • "Reform of the judiciary in Costa Rica"
    Zarela Villanueva, Vice-President of the Supreme Court of Justice, Costa Rica (PowerPoint presentation, only available in Spanish)
  • "Judicial initiatives for gender justice"
    Josefina Durán, Equipo Latinoamericano de Justicia y Género, Argentina
Moderator: Rocío García Gaytán, President of the CIM

Reforms and democratization of political parties: the agenda for gender equality and parity in political representation

  • "Status of equality in Latin American political parties: challenges and good practices"
    Percy Medina, Percy Medina, Specialist, International IDEA (PowerPoint presentation, only available in Spanish)
  • "Inside political parties: equality and ethnicity, two pending issues"
    Blanca Gamez, Former Federal Deputy of the Acción Nacional Party, México
    Otilia Lux de Cotí, Former Deputy, Director of the Movimiento Winaq Party, Guatemala
Moderator: Beatriz Llanos, Specialist in political participation