Friday, 15 January 2021
ONLINE PRESENTATION OF THE FINDINGS FROM THE ANALYSIS OF THE RULES OF PROCEDURES AND THE LAW ON ASSEMBLY IN TERMS OF GENDER AND DIVERSITY
The Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia altogether with the Women’s Parliamentary Club and in cooperation with the OSCE Mission to Skopje, held an online presentation of the findings from the analysis of the Rules of Procedure and the Law on Assembly in terms of gender and diversity, drafted by ODIHR.
This activity is part of the Plan for promotion of gender sensitivity in the Assembly 2020 – 2021, and the findings and recommendations will serve the legislature in order to upgrade these two documents with gender-sensitive provisions.
Introductory addresses and remarks had: Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, Chair, Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, Lolita Ristova, Chair, Women’s Parliamentary Club, and Cvetanka Ivanova, Secretary General of the Assembly.
Also, general remarks of the comments on the Rules of Procedure were given by Nadeeka Rajaratnam Associate Legal Officer in ODIHR, and the key findings and draft-recommendations from parts 4 and 5 contained in the comments on the Rules of Procedure were presented by Alice Thomas and Nedim Hoxhikj.
The analysis aims to support the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia in the efforts for implementation of the reforms in order to strengthen parliamentary democracy and promotion of gender equality.
The participants of the presentation recognized the real commitments and significant achievements in order to provide (by law and in practice) gender equality, however, underlining that the Rules of Procedure and the Law on Assembly can be further improved, particularly because the existing provisions can expand in order to strengthen the legal foundation for promotion of gender equality in the work of the Assembly, in the Assembly as a working place, then in the laws which are adopted by the Assembly and in the support of the MPs in issues related to gender.
New provisions which concern the working environment of the Assembly shall be included in order to provide an efficient prevention of gender based discrimination and harassment, and the working procedures of the Assembly should strengthen and have gender sensitivity and to reflect the legislative process. This would particularly include assessment of impacts by the recommendations for the laws related to gender, improvement of mechanisms for inclusive participation of the public and providing resources in order for the existing bodies to make a gender assessment of the laws and other acts.