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Momodou
Denmark
11737 Posts |
 Posted - 08 Mar 2007 : 14:44:12
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GENDER, NATION BUILDING AND ROLE OF PARLIAMENTS LEARN FROM RWANDA
Rwanda has just hosted a huge international conference to mark the 10th anniversary of the Rwanda Women Parliamentary Forum, and the theme of the conference is "Gender, National Building and Role of Parliaments"
The objective of this conference is for the Rwanda parliament to share what they called good practices with other parliaments in the world and learn about what they have alone to achieve the objectives stated in international instruments and declarations such as the Beijing + 10 Declaration and the resolutions of the Inter-Parliamentary Union's Assemblies.
The Rwandan Parliament would also like to see strategic partnerships and capacities of parliaments reinforced in their traditional missions of legislating, overseeing government action and advocating for the consideration of gender dimension in the parliament mission the conference also had specific objectives such as,
1. To understand and draw lessons from different experiences of success stories of best practices in gender and nation building;
2. To strengthen the networks and partnerships between parliaments and development partners in order to consolidate gains and to build a stronger network in gender and nation building.
3. Develop new insights and commitments for institutionalizing gender as a vehicle for achieving nation building; and
4. Highlight the critical challenges on the road towards gender equality and national development and map out the strategies for addressing them in order to move forward.
Four hundred (400) delegates were invited to this conference. (200) tow hundred were expected from outside or Rwanda, and the other (200) were to come from Rwanda itself. Halifa Sallah was invited in his personal capacity to give speeches and play the role of rappateur. Women constitute 48.8 percent of parliament and is leading world ranking of women in parliament, constituting all the seven political parties in Rwanda.
A. The Chamber of Deputies
The Lower Chamber of Deputies plays the role of legislating, representing the people of Rwanda and overseeing Government action. The lower Chamber of Deputies is composed of eight members elected for a five-year term and representing all sectors of the population. Fifty-three members were elected from by a proportional representation system. Of the remaining seats, twenty-four were elected by women from the provinces and Kigali City, two by the National Youth Council, and one by the Federation of the Associations of the Disabled. Women hold a total of 48.8%, the largest representation in the world.
B. The Senate
The Senate is composed of twenty-six members representing all Rwandans. They are elected or appointed to serve for a term of eight years. Twelve represent the provinces and the City Kigali; eight are appointed by the President of the Republic; four are appointed by the Forum of Political Organisations and two represent Universities and Higher Learning Institutions (public and private). Former heads if state can also be members of the Senate if they make a request to that effect and have honorably completed their terms or have voluntarily resigned.
In the current Senate, nine Senators are women, an average of 34,6% women representation in the 'Upper Chamber' of the Parliament of Rwanda. This chamber's main missions include legislating, representation of the people of Rwanda, oversight of government action, electing and approving high public officials and supervision of the application of the fundamental principles of the State of Rwanda referred to in articles 9 and 54 of the Constitution.
Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 027/2007, 7- 8 March, 2007
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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