European Parliamentarians, Georgian Political Parties discuss gender balance in Georgian politics

Leaders of nine Georgian political parties met with high-ranking politicians from the EU member states to discuss the representation of women on party lists.

Mr. Jose Mendes Bota (Portugal), Mr. Pieter Van Geel (The Netherlands) and Mr. Ryszard Kalisz (Poland), shared their experience with the intra-party rules and mechanisms for promoting the increased participation of women in political life.

The three European politicians represent the parliaments of their respective countries. Mr. Jose Mendes Botais is also the General Rapporteur on Violence Against Women of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

The meeting was attended by ruling party representatives, as well as opposition leaders.

The two-day visit of the European parliamentarians is organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with funds from the UNDP Global Programme for Electoral Cycle Support (GPECS) and in cooperation with the Central Electoral Commission of Georgia and the Gender Equality Council of the Georgian Parliament. The visit is part of the joint UN initiative to enhance gender equality in Georgia.