Members of Parliament in Türkiye enhance their knowledge on strengthening women's political participation

UN Women organized an Information Sharing Meeting on Strengthening Women's Political Participation and Decision Making in cooperation with the Committee on Equality Opportunities for Women and Men (EOC) of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA).

The two-day meeting focused on critical issues such as gender equality and women's participation in politics. The meeting was enriched with presentations and reports covering a wide range of topics, from analyzing the 2018 and 2023 General Elections in Türkiye to gender responsive settlements. This meeting aimed to create a roadmap for taking strategic steps towards women's equal rights and more effective participation in politics and contributed to strengthening efforts in this field.

The meeting, which took place in Sapanca on November 10-11, was attended by UN Women Türkiye Country Director Asya Varbanova, Swedish Ambassador to Ankara Malena Mård, Chairperson of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Commission on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men Çiğdem Erdoğan Atabek and 16 members of the commission that are all MPs. During the meeting, different topics on the country's agenda were discussed. Sessions on "Analysis of the 2023 General Elections and Suggestions to Increase Women's Political Participation", "Gender Responsive Settlement Model", " Violence against Women in Politics in Türkiye" and "Digital Violence against Women Politicians and Suggestions to Improve Digital Security" were held.

In her opening speech, UN Women Türkiye Country Director Asya Varbanova said: "We are actively engaged in activities to strengthen women's political participation in Türkiye. We are pleased to continue our ongoing partnership and joint work with KEFEK. Despite the progress made following the recent general elections, challenges remain in ensuring women's equal participation in politics and decision-making. We believe that the implementation of the temporary special measures envisaged in the 12th National Development Plan to increase women's participation is an important step forward in this regard."

In her opening speech, Swedish Ambassador to Ankara Malena Mård emphasized the importance of a political atmosphere free from the risk of harassment and violence for everyone, including young people.

Çiğdem Erdoğan Atabek, Chairperson of the TGNA Commission on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, said in her opening speech: "As the Commission on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, our goal is to make the highest contribution we can in the 28th Legislative Period, in the field of equal opportunities for women and men. Ensuring equal opportunities for women and men will bring prosperity and improvement not only for women but also for the society as a whole and therefore for men. We, as the TGNA Commission on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, have been and will continue to work for equal opportunities for both women and men in all areas with all our means."

The meeting continued with the online session "Analysis of the 2023 General Elections and Recommendations to Increase Women's Participation in Politics" by UN Women Türkiye Consultant Prof. Dr. Ahu Sumbas. This analysis is important to understand the obstacles women face in politics by comparatively analyzing the finalized candidate and MP lists for the 2018 and 2023 General Elections in Türkiye. The 2018 and 2023 General Elections' finalized candidates and MPs' political party, demographic characteristics, political experience, and women's association/movement relations were examined in detail, and the data obtained were analyzed using statistical software. This comprehensive analysis reveals gender-based inequalities and challenges to women's political participation in general election processes in Türkiye.

To contribute to UN Women Türkiye's efforts to support gender-responsive governance and local community leadership at the local level, Prof. Dr. Melis Oğuz Çevik presented the "Gender Responsive Settlement Model". This model serves as a guide to consider the differentiated needs and priorities of women and girls when establishing new temporary and permanent settlements during the resumption of basic services in disaster and crisis-affected areas.

On the second day of the meeting, as part of the “Advancing Gender Equality and Women's Leadership in Political and Business Life Project” a presentation was made on the “Violence against Women in Politics in Türkiye”. This study, prepared by Prof. Dr. İknur Yüksel Kaptanoğlu, Project Coordinator at the Terra Development Cooperative, and her research team, was showcased. In the research, the problem of violence against women in politics in Türkiye is addressed on a large scale, international legislation and norms and examples of good practices from around the world are examined, local legislation and policies are evaluated. Within the scope of this research, which is the first of its kind on violence against women in politics at the national level, qualitative research is used to identify the violence women are exposed to in politics.

Organized by UN Women Türkiye Consultant Pınar İlkiz Demir, the session "Digital Violence against Women Politicians and Recommendations to Improve Digital Safety" aimed to provide solution-oriented approaches to the challenges faced by women politicians in the digital world. The session provided participants with practical suggestions for preventing digital violence and enhancing digital security.

The meeting was organized within the scope of the "Advancing Gender Equality and Women's Leadership in Political and Business Life Project" financed by Sweden through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).