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National Assembly Speaker, Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is leading a high-level delegation of Parliament to the 68th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) to be held at the UN headquarters in New York, USA from today until 22 March.
 
The South African delegation will tomorrow (12 March) participate in the parliamentary event organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), under the theme, “Gender-sensitive parliaments: Advancing gender equality to end poverty”.
 
The 68th Session (CSW68) provides an important platform for bringing a parliamentary perspective into its discussions on women. This includes discussions about the role of parliaments in formulating legislation and policies that specifically address poverty and ensuring public financing advances the empowerment of women and girls.
 
The IPU parliamentary meeting tomorrow is expected to start at 10:00 Eastern Daylight Time (16:00 in South Africa). IPU President, Dr Tulia Ackson will make some opening remarks at the session that will, among others, “explore how parliaments can drive change and reinvigorate policymaking to address the needs of women and girls living in poverty”. Parliaments can be pivotal to ending poverty through legislation, oversight, and public participation.
 
Members of parliaments from around the world will share observations and practices on poverty alleviation through gender-responsive budgeting and taxation, access to credit and resources for women, and targeted interventions that enable caring and green economies. Other issues up for discussion are the imperative of having gender-sensitive parliaments and sharing good practices in fostering law-making environments that proactively address and rectify gender disparities.
 
The first part of the session will also include a moderated debate where participants can discuss, among others, what the good practices are for reversing discriminatory laws and addressing gender inequalities that lead to poverty, what legislation and policies should parliaments prioritise to reduce poverty, and how can parliamentary committees or groups support these efforts?
 
The second part of the session themed "Gender-Sensitive Institutions Breaking the Poverty Cycle” will explore how parliaments can address women’s poverty by placing gender equality at the centre of their composition and organisational and functional structures. The session will also identify ways to ensure inclusive decision-making as a key to prioritising the needs and interests of everyone, leaving no one behind.
 
Members of Parliament that are part of the high-level delegation to the CSW68 are Ms Sylvia Lucas, Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), Ms Doris Dlakude, Member of the National Assembly, and Ms Martha Bartlett, Delegate to the NCOP.

Issued by Parliament of South Africa