Women's Pathways into Power

On 19-20 June 2007, NEIM co-hosted an international seminar on ‘Women’s Pathways into Power: International Experiences of Affirmative Action’ at the Brazilian National Congress, in collaboration with AGENDE (Actions in Gender, Citizenship and Development), Casa da Mulher do Nordeste’s Mulher e Democracia (Women and Democracy) project, the network of women representatives in the National Congress, the Commission on Participatory Legislation (CLP), the Commission on Social Security and the Family (CSSF), the Commission on Human and Minority Rights (CDHM) and the Commission on the Constitution, Justice and Citizenship (CCJ) of the Chamber of Deputies. The seminar, which took place within the Chamber of the National Congress, discussed and analysed experiences of the use of affirmative measures to enhance women’s political participation in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. Speakers included Julie Ballington of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Rwandan MP Juliana Katengwa, IDS researcher Naila Kabeer and Palestinian women’s rights activist, Suha Barghouti. 

This seminar took place at a moment when there is intensive discussion in Brazil on the need for political reform to increase the representation of women in political office.