ODIHR supports dialogue on promoting women’s political participation in Hungary

Advancing women’s role in Hungarian politics ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections was the focus of a conference co-organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Budapest on 15 November 2013.

The conference, organized in partnership with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the Central European University’s School of Public Policy, brought together representatives from political parties, members of parliament (MPs), policymakers and academics, as well as representatives from civil society and the media. International experts, including MPs from the Netherlands and Sweden, also shared their experiences.

“Women’s representation in the Hungarian parliament today stands at only 8.8 per cent,” said Mónika Rónaszékiné Keresztes, an MP from the FIDESZ party. “As parliamentary deputies and representatives of political parties, we need to acknowledge this problem and put strategies in place so that enable more women to enter parliament.” 

“There are many ways political parties can work to increase women’s political participation, such as advocating for specific legislative measures, introducing voluntary gender quotas for party candidate lists, implementing gender action plans and establishing funds to support the campaigns of women,” said Nathalie Tagwerker, Deputy Head of ODIHR’s Democratization Department. “Most importantly, political parties must recognize their role and responsibility in adopting and implementing such policies.”

The conference was organized as part of ODIHR’s work on advancing women’s political participation in the OSCE region, as prescribed in the 2004 OSCE Action Plan for promoting gender equality.