Parliamentary News Release
075/2001
Thursday 27 September, 2001
CONFERENCE OF WOMEN PARLIAMENTARIANS: MEDIA BRIEFING
(Thursday - 12.30pm) Room 5.14c PHQ
Seventy women politicians from Parliaments and Assemblies across the UK and Ireland are to attend a major conference hosted by The Scottish Parliament later this week.
The conference - on Friday and Saturday - is the first chance Scottish women MSPs have had to come together with other female legislators to discuss important issues affecting women politicians in the modern age.
Due
to the atrocities in America, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton will now
be delivering her address by video, and the conference, chaired by Scottish
Parliament Deputy Presiding Officer Patricia Ferguson, will be closed
on Saturday by Irish Deputy Prime Minister Mary Harney.
To outline the aims and agenda for the Conference of Women Parliamentarians, Patricia Ferguson MSP will host a media briefing at 12.30pm on Thursday, September 27, in Room 5.14c, Parliament Headquarters Building, Edinburgh.
Reporters, both accredited and non-accredited, are invited to attend (non-accredited should call 0131 348 5605 in advance). Conference details are contained in the Background Notes.
Leadership, and barriers to leadership, are prominent on the agenda, as are the links that women politicians can develop between the Parliaments and Assemblies in Edinburgh, London, Cardiff, Belfast and Dublin. In particular, the conference will enable delegates to build on the work being done by the British-Irish Inter Parliamentarian Body.
This conference will also bring into focus some of the positive work already undertaken by the Scottish Parliament on gender issues.
Deputy Presiding Officer, Patricia Ferguson said:
"Without
question, much of the Scottish Parliament's culture has been shaped by
its high percentage of women MSPs. This is evident when we look at all
the issues of concern to women which have been addressed in the first
two years of the Parliament. These include: the fight against domestic
violence; breast cancer awareness; the relocation of maternity units;
progress in equal pay; and rape issues in the legal system. But it is
also evident in the way in which the Parliament conducts is business.
"This major conference will examine how the legislative process can further women's issues building on progress to date. It will also be an important forum for women Parliamentarians to consider how best to connect with constituents and voters.
"I hope visiting delegates will see how women in Scotland are prominent in the leadership of public life. Whether it be as Scottish Executive Ministers, committee conveners or active backbenchers.
"This conference offers an excellent opportunity to learn and share from a specific women's point of view".
Speaking ahead of the conference, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, said:
"This conference will enable women legislators to be more effective in their critical work, and to demonstrate the importance of the enhanced political participation of women.
"As women, we enrich the political debate by bringing our perspectives and priorities to the table. And we know that democracies grow stronger when all citizens have a voice. I believe that with more women in leadership positions, we will make increased strides in working to promote democracy and civil society to build strong economies and peace."
An Tánaiste Mary Harney TD added: "I am delighted to be attending
this important Conference which 
reflects
the progress made in improving women's participation in politics in these
islands and is examining the opportunities and challenges which lie ahead.
"This conference is greatly enhanced by the presence of many women colleagues quite recently elected to serve in the new political institutions in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. This has indeed been immensely beneficial to the promotion of women in politics.
"This conference provides us all with an opportunity to take stock and move on to further progress the role of women in politics in the future."
BACKGROUND NOTES
Patricia Ferguson along with the joint-organisers of the conference, Cathy Westley of NDI and Melanne Verveer of VVGP, will be available to for one-to-one interviews at the end of the media briefing on Thursday. Given the lunchtime scheduling of the briefing, sandwiches and light refreshments will be provided for media.
Conference Details
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The joint-organisers of the conference, Washington-based National Democratic Institute (NDI) and Vital Voices Global Partnership (VVGP) approached the Scottish Parliament to host the conference for two reasons - its strong record in electing women to office and its neutrality in terms of Northern Ireland.
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The goals of the conference are to bring together women parliamentarians to strengthen their skills and knowledge through the sharing of experience, the generation of ideas and to help build relationships across parliaments and party lines.
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A number of plenary sessions and workshops will be held covering a wide range of topics such as Leadership Development, building consensus, developing political and policy expertise and reaching out to citizens.
Public and Media Access
The plenary sessions on Friday and Saturday will be open to the public and members of the media (see agenda on website http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/nmCentre/news/news-01/agendase.pdf (51KB pdf) for details) and be broadcast live on the web (address below).
Public tickets can be booked in advance by calling the Parliament's Visitor Centre (0131 348 5411), although seats should be available on the day.
Photo Call
The conference proceedings will open on Friday at 9.00am with a formal photocall of all 70 delegates gathered in the Parliament's main chamber. details
Accreditation
Media accredited to the Parliament will automatically be able to attend any of this week's plenary sessions. Non-accredited media should contact the Parliament's Media Office in advance to arrange a day access pass. Call 0131 348 5604 or 5389.
The Conference Agenda (51Kb pdf) is available on the Parliament's website, along with NDI news release (25KB pdf) by the organisers.
Watch the live webcast of plenary sessions at: www.holyrood.tv
The National Democratic Institute (NDI) is a non-governmental organisation that conducts non-partisan international programmes to help promote, maintain and strengthen democratic institutions around the world.
Vital Voices Global Partnership (VVGP) is a new, non-profit organisation devoted to supporting and accelerating the economic, social and political progress of women globally.
For media enquiries on NDI and VVGP contact:
Mary Cummins:
Tel (from outside Rep Ireland) 00 353 86 6014966
For further information, the media contact is:
Eric MacLeod: 0131 348 5605
email: eric.macleod@scottish.parliament.uk
For public information enquiries, contact: 0131 34 85000
For general enquiries, contact: 0845 278 1999 (local
call rate)
email: sp.info@scottish.parliament.uk
Visit our website at: www.scottish.parliament.uk