GEM Report recommendations presented in Pakistan
Media Release
October 7, 2013
Gender Concerns presents GEM Report recommendations in Pakistan
A multi-stakeholder conference offers a forum to voice the need for changes in the inclusion of women in electoral processes
On October 3rd, Director Sabra Bano of Gender Concerns International presented the recommendations from the Gender Election Monitoring (GEM) mission of the May 2013 National Assembly elections in Pakistan. As Head of the GEM mission, Ms. Bano urged the need for follow-up on the recommendations that have been compiled by the team of international and domestic observers that covered 555 polling stations around the country.
Participants of the multi-stakeholder conference in Islamabad included Khawar Mumtaz, Chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women - Pakistan (NCSW) who called for the release of gender-disaggregated data from the May elections. And to further establish the inclusion of women in democracy, Gender Concerns is working with the NCSW as a leader in the promotion of a 33 percent quota of reserved seats for women in future elections.
Recommendations in the final GEM report addressed political parties, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), voter education, media and election observers. As a result of the GEM report, the ECP has invited Gender Concerns to work closely with them in voter education programmes aimed at further raising women’s electoral participation in Pakistan. Through such a common platform, implementations of Gender Concerns’ recommendations can begin to take place through increased awareness and education of gender-inclusive electoral process.
Click for the Gender Election Monitoring Mission Report, Pakistan 2013
For further details please contact:
Matt Luna, Communication Advisor
Gender Concerns International Raamweg 21-22 2596 HL, The Hague, the Netherlands
E: info@genderconcerns.org P: +31 (0) 74445082 W: www.genderconcerns.org