PAST UN ACTIONS
The United Nations has taken various actions to promote gender equality and increase
women's representation in decision-making bodies. One of the notable initiatives is
the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
(CEDAW), which was adopted in 1979 and has been ratified by many countries.
CEDAW encourages states to take measures to ensure women's participation in
political and public life, including through quota systems.
UN entities, such as UN Women, have also advocated for gender quotas to increase
the participation of women in political leadership roles. Additionally, the Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted at the Fourth World Conference on
Women in 1995, called for measures to increase women's participation in all
decision-making processes, including through quotas.
While the UN itself doesn't impose quotas, it has supported and encouraged member
states to adopt such measures to achieve gender balance in political representation.
The progress and specific actions on quota seats for women vary by country, and
many nations have implemented quota systems for women in parliaments and other
decision-making bodies to different degrees. It's important to note that these efforts
have evolved over time, and specific details may vary by region and country.
Considerable UN efforts on the matter includes:
● Resolution 1325 (2000) [S/RES/1325 (2000)] – Affirms the importance of the
participation of women and the inclusion of gender perspectives in peace
negotiations, humanitarian planning, peacekeeping operations, and
post-conflict peacebuilding and governance.
● UN, 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development
a. 2015 UN conference established the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development.
b. This agenda features 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with
169 targets to be achieved by 2030.
c. These goals aim to realise human rights, gender equality, and sustainable
development in economic, social, and environmental dimensions.
d. UN Women assessed progress and found slow and insufficient
advancement towards gender equality.
e. Only one of 18 indicators under SDG 5 is close to target (women's
representation in local government).
f. Significant gaps exist in areas like unpaid care work, sexual and
reproductive health decision-making, and gender equality funding.
g. Progress on other indicators is moderately far from target, but this falls
short of the needed foundation for overall sustainable development by
2030.
● UN Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs): These principles provide
guidance for businesses to empower women in the workplace, marketplace, and
community. They include commitments to promote gender diversity in
leadership and governance.
● Article 7 CEDAW: Countries must eliminate discrimination against women and
girls in political and public life. This includes equal rights to vote, to run for
and hold public office, to participate in political parties and processes, and to
participate in non-governmental organisations and political and public
associations such as trade unions.
● Article 11 CEDAW “Employment”: Countries must eliminate discrimination
against women in employment. This includes ensuring equal opportunities to
choose one's profession and receive equal pay for work of equal value. Women
should have equal access to healthy and safe working conditions and social
security for retirement, unemployment, sickness and old age, and should not be
discriminated against because they are married, pregnant, just had a child or are
looking after children. Women should be provided with maternity leave and
countries should encourage the provision of support to enable parents to
combine work and family responsibilities. Special protection needs to be
provided to women during pregnancy in types of work proved to be harmful to
them.
Efforts of International community on implementing quota seats for women in
politics and corporate workplace
Quotas to promote women's representation in the world's legislatures have spread to
more than one hundred countries. The diffusion of gender quotas poses a puzzle since
they have often been adopted in countries where women have low status. International
influence and inducements best explain quota adoption in developing countries.
Promoting gender equality, including through gender quotas, has become a key part of
international democracy promotion. The international legitimacy of gender quotas
leads them to be adopted through two causal pathways: directly, through postconflict
peace operations, and indirectly, by encouraging countries, especially those that
depend on foreign aid, to signal their commitment to democracy by adopting quotas.
In 2016, Somalia reached a milestone with nearly a quarter of parliamentary seats
occupied by women, the Deputy Secretary-General and speakers in the Security
Council today called for a 30 per cent quota of legislative seats to be held for women
in that country’s upcoming elections.
EUROPEAN UNION
The European Commission has considered a binding minimum quota for
female board members of 30% by 2015 and 40% by 2020, and some EU
countries have implemented similar quotas. The proportion of women on
major corporate boards is currently much lower in many EU countries , so
these quotas, if met, would have a large impact on gender composition.
On 14 March 2022, the Council of the European Union adopted a "general ap-proach"
regarding the Women on Boards directive, thereby paving the way for the next steps in
the legislative process towards its adoption. The directive that was initially proposed
by the European Commission in 2012.
Women on Boards: The EU Commission Recommendation : In the European Union,
the European Commission issued a recommendation in 2012 that encouraged
companies to have a minimum of 40% of non-executive directors from
underrepresented gender (usually women) on their boards by 2020.
Over the last 15 years, Belgium has introduced legislation governing increasingly
ambitious quotas. The pioneering Tobback- Smet Act led to an increase in the
proportion of female members of parliament from 16% previously to 25% in 1999
(Chamber of Representatives). Under this act, political parties were required to fill at
least a third of their electoral lists with members of the under-represented gender
group, in this case, women.
Following the implementation of stricter legislation governing quotas, the Chamber of
Representatives saw the percentage of women rise to 38% by 2007. This new
legislation dictated that the difference between the number of candidates from each
gender on every electoral list a party submits should not exceed one. Furthermore, the
first two candidates on the list should be of the opposite sex. Since then, the
percentage of female representatives has risen further, and in 2014 women made up
41% of the Chamber of Representatives, 44% of the Flemish parliament and 50% of
the senate.
For comparison, the equivalent figure is 43.6% in Sweden, 42.5% in Finland, 14.4%
in Turkey and 9.5% in Japan.
Many countries have implemented policies to promote gender diversity in corporate
boards, such as quotas or recommendations. For example, in Norway, there is a legal
requirement for a minimum of 40% of board members to be women in certain types of
companies. In the European Union, there have been efforts to increase female
representation on boards through proposed directives, but these are not binding
international laws.
Since 2011, quotas have applied to corporate companies in Belgium. By law,
executive boards of the corporate companies (depending on their size and other
particularities) must consist of a minimum of a third and a maximum of two-thirds of
members of one or other gender by 2017 or 2019. In the run-up to the statutory
deadline, Belgian companies are stepping up their efforts to adopt gender equality
policies. The majority go the extra mile not to waste women’s talents and are
examining why women all too often fail to climb the career ladder.
SOUTH ASAIN COMMUNITY:
INDIA: India’s legislature passed a landmark bill requiring the lower house of
parliament (known as the Lok Sabha), the Delhi Legislative Assembly, and
state legislative assemblies across the country to set aside one-third of their
seats for women. The reform represents a significant change in a country that
currently ranks 141 out of 185 countries globally with respect to women’s
political representation, opening the door for many more women to enter
national politics. Once it is implemented, the reservation will ensure a
significant increase in women’s political representation. As of 2023, women
hold only 15.2 percent of seats in the Lok Sabha and 13.9 percent in the upper
house, known as the Rajya Sabha—though the latter is not covered by the new
law.
Quotas are not new to Pakistan. Popularly known as “reservations”, the 1956, 1962,
1970, 1973 and 1985 constitutions all provided for reserved seats for women at both
the Provincial and National Assemblies. This allotment however was quite small, only
being from five to ten percent, and only through indirect elections by the members of
the assemblies themselves. Reservations lapsed in 1988 after three general elections
(in 1977, 1985 and 1988) as provided for in the 1985 Constitution. In the last general
elections of 1997, women’s representation hovered between 0.4 percent in the
Provincial Assemblies (2 seats out of 460) to 2 percent in the Senate (2 seats out of
87) and 4 percent in the National Assembly (7 seats out of 217).1 At the local level,
where between 5 and 12 percent of the seats were reserved for women through
indirect elections by council members, the total number of women legislators was
only 10 percent of the membership in 1993 (8,246 out of 75,556).
Local Level Quotas in Pakistan
As part of the democratisation process, the Musharraf government adopted a
Devolution of Power Plan in March 2000 based on five fundamentals: devolution of
political power, decentralisation of administrative authority, de-concentration of
management function, diffusion of the power-authority nexus, and distribution of
resources at the district level.' The new system provides a three-tier local government
structure where there is only one line of authority in the district and the district
bureaucracy is responsible to the elected representatives. More operational autonomy
is ensured to the district level offices. Administrative and financial powers have been,
by and large, delegated to officials at the district level.
“One important feature of the Devolution of Power Plan is the provision of a 33
percent quota for women in district, tehsil and union councils”
PROPOSED SOLUTIONS
Examining the implementation of reserved seats for women in government
and corporate sectors requires a multifaceted approach. Here are some
possible solutions:
1. Impact Assessment: Conduct a comprehensive impact assessment to
evaluate the effectiveness of existing reserved seat policies. This can involve
analyzing data on the representation of women in these sectors, their
decision-making roles, and the impact on gender equality.
2. Transparency and Reporting: Implement stringent reporting requirements
for both government and corporate sectors to ensure transparency in the
allocation of reserved seats. Publicly available data can help monitor progress.
3. Quota Compliance: Enforce strict compliance with quota regulations by
introducing penalties for non-compliance and incentives for organizations that
exceed the quotas.
4. Education and Awareness: Develop awareness campaigns to promote the
benefits of gender diversity and inclusion in leadership roles, fostering a
supportive culture for women in these sectors.
5. Mentorship and Training: Offer mentorship programs, leadership training,
and skills development initiatives to empower women to excel in government
and corporate roles.
6. Legal Reforms: Review and revise legal frameworks to address any gender
biases or obstacles that hinder the effective implementation of reserved seats.
7. Support Systems: Establish support networks and resources for women in
these roles to help them overcome potential challenges and succeed in their
positions.
8. Research and Evaluation: Continuously fund research and evaluation
studies to understand the evolving dynamics and challenges of women in
leadership roles.
9. Cross-Sector Collaboration: Encourage collaboration between government
and corporate sectors to share best practices and learn from each other's
experiences in implementing reserved seats.
10. Long-term Commitment: Ensure a long-term commitment to the cause of
gender equality, as meaningful change may take time to materialize.
11. Public and Stakeholder Engagement: Engage the public, civil society
organizations, and stakeholders to create a broad consensus on the
importance of gender diversity in leadership positions.
12. Flexibility in Policies: Review and adapt policies as needed to address
changing demographics, societal expectations, and evolving corporate
structures.
13. Benchmarking: Compare progress with international standards and best
practices to identify areas for improvement.
14. Encourage Women's Participation: Encourage more women to participate
in politics, education, and business, as increased representation at lower levels
can lead to more candidates for reserved seats.
15. Inclusive Decision-Making: Promote inclusive decision-making processes
that involve women in policy formulation and implementation.
16. Data Collection and Analysis: Regularly collect and analyze data related to
gender diversity and reserved seats to inform evidence-based
decision-making.
These solutions can be adapted and combined as needed to address the
specific challenges and context of each region or country, and they can help
facilitate a more comprehensive examination of the implementation of
reserved seats for women in government and corporate sectors.
Bloc positions
-Reserved seats are imperative for equal representation of women in
government and corporate
-Merit seats is the fair way for representation in government and corporate
Question the resolution must answer:
Why is it imperative for women to have reserved seats in the government and
corporate sector?
How can a country ensure that reserved seats are actually given to women
fairly?
What steps should be taken to make sure women coming on reserved seats are
educated and worthy of that position?
How to ensure that the representation women are given on reserved seats is
impactful and not just honorary.
FURTHER READINGS:
Quota seats for women play a crucial role in addressing historical gender disparities
in political representation. One significant advantage is the promotion of gender
equality, ensuring women have a rightful place in decision-making processes. This
empowers women, fostering inclusivity and diverse perspectives in policymaking.
However, critics argue that such quotas may lead to tokenism, undermining
merit-based selection. Striking a balance between representation and competence is
essential to harness the true potential of women in politics.
In many countries gender diversity is encouraged but not required. Gender diversity
sometimes has the status of "soft law," featuring in the guidelines on good corporate
governance, for example. Since such guidelines are not always followed, the effect is
weaker than with mandatory regulation with sanctions for non-compliers.
In the sometimes heated debate on affirmative action and gender quotas, claims are
often made that gender diversity has a positive effect on the bottom line. Studies
showing this positive result have had a large impact in the media . However, a
number of these studies have shortcomings. They point to correlations between the
proportion of women on the board and firm performance but do not prove causation
and they typically ignore even the most obvious background characteristics.
The results of empirical research on the economic efficiency impact of gender
diversity on corporate boards are also unclear. Some studies show a large positive
effect, whereas others find negative outcomes. The reasons suggested for this
ambiguous picture include:
• Variations between countries and between types of firms could mean that having
more women on the board is advantageous in some circumstances but not in others.
For instance, institutional differences between companies can affect the role of the
board. Some studies have focused on large publicly listed companies, while others
have included small and medium-size companies, which are often family owned.
References:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/23016105
https://www.international.gc.ca/trade-commerce/gender_equality-egalite_ge
nres/lois_can_gen_eq_laws.aspx?lang=eng
https://europeanwomenonboards.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Overvie
w-Gender-balance-quota-and-targets-in-Europe-April-2022.pdf
https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/cedaw/gener
al-discussion/2023/gr40-un-women.pdf
https://www.af.org.pk/Reports/Civil%20Society%20Alternative%20Report%
20on%20CEDAW%20Pakistan%202020.pdf
https://www.ohchr.org/en/treaty-bodies/cedaw
https://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/
https://na.gov.pk/en/mna_list_w.php?list=wome
https://fafen.org/whom-do-the-women-legislators-on-reserved-seats-represe
nt/
https://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/cedaw20/china.htm
https://www.cato.org/blog/gender-board-quotas-still-unhelpful-working-wo
men
https://iknowpolitics.org/sites/default/files/cs_pakistan_reynes.pdf
https://wps.unwomen.org/resources/r-fact-sheets/GS-FactSheet-ArabStates-
NorthAfricaRegion.pdf
https://press.un.org/en/2021/sc14648.doc.htm
