Beirut, Lebanon
I am very pleased to speak at this important event on the issue of women’s participation in the political processes of Lebanon.
I am particularly happy to be involved in today’s meeting which is geared at tangible measures to promote representation of women in elections.
Tuesday 1st December 2015
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,I am very pleased to speak at this important event on the issue of women’s participation in the political processes of Lebanon.
I am particularly happy to be involved in today’s meeting which is geared at tangible measures to promote representation of women in elections.
Women in Lebanon, Women Globally
It has been more than 60 years since women in Lebanon acquired the right to vote and stand for public office. In that 60 years, the women of Lebanon have become some of the most sophisticated and well-educated in the Middle East, and throughout the world. The women I have met here are brilliant, dynamic, highly capable professionals with incredibly successful careers in their own right.
Yet, since 1953, only 10 women have been elected to Parliament in Lebanon. Today, women’s representation in Parliament is by far the worst in the Middle East and North Africa: Lebanon has only three per cent representation in Parliament, while countries like Algeria have over 31 per cent and Iraq has more than 26 per cent.
This is a global problem. There are 37 countries where women account for less than 10 per cent of parliament and six where there is no woman at all. Of more than 190 countries in the world, only 11 have female heads of state. Yet many countries have begun to make a transition. Forty-one countries have now reached at least 30 per cent representation by women, 34 of which used quotas to reach this important goal. The message is clear: for countries like Lebanon at the bottom of the list, proactive steps are needed to set the course in the right direction.
Lebanon’s path to parity
This will not be easy, and there are some in Lebanon who argue against concrete steps to ensure women’s participation. Some point to the sectarian political system as already too complex to allow for additional quotas for women. Others note that Lebanon’s enormous political challenges on a day-to-day basis leave little time to identify ways to encourage and guarantee women’s participation. Regardless of the cause, the fact is that an overwhelming majority of Lebanese citizens have never voted for a women in their lives. Many of them have never seen a women on their ballot.
Overwhelmingly, this is an issue of equality and access to national decision-making. But there is also concrete evidence that having greater women’s representation in the political sphere increases effectiveness as well. A recent study in the US found that districts with women representatives receive on average 49 million dollars more per year. Female parliamentarians and congresswomen tend to sponsor more legislation and have a better track record garnering co-sponsorships than men.
Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland, attributes the effectiveness of women politicians to the fact that women tend to be more collaborative than men, pointing to collaboration and collective problem-solving as key to modern politics. Looking at Lebanon today, the need for collaborative problem solving could not be more evident.
Putting Lebanon on course: a quota for the next election
Our goal here today should not be to reach Libya’s level of representation – 16 per cent – or even the global average of 22 per cent. Our goal is to begin the path towards full gender parity in politics: 50 per cent of Lebanon’s political system should be represented by women. This goal is in line with the UN Platform for Action and with Lebanon’s commitments under the Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women.
It is clear that we cannot get on this path without several transitions, transitions in the way Lebanese citizens think about women’s participation in politics, and transitions in the opportunities women are given for such participation.
Today we are here to discuss one of the most critical of these transitions: a women’s quota for any new electoral law for Parliament. Guaranteeing a minimum number of women in Parliament is a first and necessary step towards the broader cultural transition towards gender parity in Lebanese politics. The path is clear for Lebanon: quotas are necessary. I urge Parliament to make a strong commitment to include such a provision in any new electoral law.
More generally, it is important to provide an encouraging atmosphere for women to become more engaged in political life in Lebanon. More opportunities such as this should be created to allow women to enter into the political discussions guiding the country. And political parties should be encouraged to place women on their ballots,at the municipal and the parliamentary levels. It is this combination of legal requirement and cultural shift that will eventually place Lebanon on the path to gender parity.
The United Nations stands ready to provide whatever support is needed for Lebanon to achieve these goals. Already the UN supports civil society and non-governmental projects geared at increasing women’s participation in politics at all levels. We are ready to do more. I am grateful for this opportunity today to discuss what we can do collectively to reach the goals of fairness and political inclusion at the heart of all democracies.
Thank you.