Hemispheric Consultation: "Women's Leadership for a Citizens' Democracy"

The last five years have seen a plethora of national and hemispheric-level dialogue on the main  challenges to the construction of a citizens’ democracy, as well as the meaning of democratic systems and their institutions. However, these dialogues have not substantively considered women’s political rights or the issue of parity in political representation, despite the commitments adopted by the member states of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the United Nations (UN) through the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Inter-American Democratic Charter and other agreements.
 
In the interest of placing women’s voices, visions and rights at the centre of political reform, democratization and State modernization processes, the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM) at the OAS, UN Women and the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB) will initiate a continuous dialogue on this topic, with the aim of enhancing understanding of the implications of a citizens’ democracy for the rights and interests of women, in all their diversity. The dialogue will take place through two key forums:

• The First Hemispheric Forum on Women’s Leadership for a Citizens’ Democracy, which will take place in Washington, DC, from April 4th to 6th 2011, and
• A preparatory virtual forum, which will be held through the Summits of the Americas Virtual Community from March 7th to 25th 2011

 
The Virtual Forum aims to ensure that the ongoing discussion of a citizens’ democracy from the perspective of women’s political rights includes the experiences, views and demands of women from different realities.
 
Moderators:
 

1. Sara Lovera López (Principal moderator)
2. Razhy González (Assistant moderator)
3. Lourdes Fuentes Montesinos (Assistant moderator)

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