Study and information programme
Details
This year, in partnership with the Taipei Representative Office in Singapore; Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan); Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and Awakening Foundation, the Asian Women Parliamentarian Conference - Post-2015 Women, Development and Politics took place in Taipei, R.O.C.(Taiwan) with 20 female Members of Parliaments from all over Asia – namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Taiwan and Timor Leste.
Along with other invited delegates from local women's rights NGOs and institutions, delegates discussed the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals Agenda, women's rights issues such as gender based violence and policy implementation best practices especially in gender responsive budgeting. Expert resource persons also shared on international frameworks and practical implementations with country experiences.
The discussions were supplemented with visits to important government agencies to learn more about Taiwan's progressive policies towards engendering women's political participation and gender mainstreaming as well as interactions with key government representatives. Conference delegates had the privilege of meeting and interacting with H.E. President Ma Ying-jeou of R.O.C. Taiwan at the historic Presidential Office Building in Taipei. Delegates also met and interacted with H.E. Hung Hsiu-chu, Vice President of the Legislative Yuan (Parliament) as well as H.E. David Y.L. Lin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan.
ABOUT KAS INITIATIVE TO BOLSTER FEMALE POLITICAL LEADERSHIP IN THE REGION:
In the context of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS)’s international conference activities and in lieu of promoting female empowerment in political leadership, the Political Dialogue Asia (PDA) regional programme office based in Singapore has been organising activities for women in politics since 2011.
The main aim of this initiative has been to bridge the gap of women in political decision-making. Research shows that more women in parliament generally contribute to greater attention to women's issues and gender-sensitive governance reforms. Additionally it promotes greater inclusivity and women's direct engagement in public decision making, providing better accountability to women.
