Office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives
For release 3 May 2016
New Zealand takes part in global women leaders’ forum in Jordan

New Zealand Member of Parliament, Poto Williams, will be joining around four hundred women parliamentarians and leaders from around the world at the Women in Parliaments Global Forum Annual Summit, being held at the Jordanian Parliament, Amman, Jordan.

This year’s summit is co-hosted by the Jordanian Parliament and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, with the theme of “Women in Politics: Fast Forward”. It presents a unique opportunity for today’s women decision-makers to discuss pressing global issues, along with providing a significant platform for the exchange of experience, insights and innovations on how best to navigate the complex international political arena.

Ms Williams will represent New Zealand as the spokesperson on the “Political Violence Against Women” working group. The group is being tasked with making recommendations on the role Parliamentarians can play in protecting women against political violence, which threatens the integrity of the electoral process and prevents Parliaments from accurately representing society.

The Speaker of the House, Rt Hon David Carter is pleased that New Zealand is able to participate in this Summit, the first of its kind to be held in a Middle Eastern country, a region which is seeing increased female participation in political decision making. “New Zealand’s participation is built on our strong reputation for gender equality, which we need to promote to the world. Parliamentarians from around the world, both women and men, need to work together to tackle global problems, such as the refugee crisis and the potential for conflict resolution in Syria and other locations. This is especially critical for women and girls as they are often the most disadvantaged in times of conflict and migration.”

Participants in the summit will focus on enhancing women’s political participation in Parliaments and the policy-making process. Discussions will centre on the unique role female political leaders can provide in economically empowering and enhancing the health of their communities, and conflict prevention and resolution.

The summit will be held from 4 May to 6 May 2016.

ENDS

© Scoop Media