ASEAN Parliament Must Give Women The Opportunity To Participate In Development

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Puan Maharani (Dok DPR Photo)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives as well as President of the 44th ASEAN Inter Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), Puan Maharani encourages the progress of women leaders. He invited women leaders in ASEAN to build gender-responsive policies.

This was conveyed in a meeting of Members of the Women's Parliament AIPA (WAIPA) which was held at the 44th AIPA General Session at the Fairmont Hotel, Jakarta, Monday, August 7. The meeting, chaired by Member of the Indonesian House of Representatives Irine Yusiana Roba Putri, presented members of the women's parliament AIPA, although there were countries that also sent male delegates. As the host of the 44th AIPA General Assembly, Puan warmly welcomed the members of parliament and delegates who attended. She views that meeting of AIPA women's parliament is important, especially to discuss the theme of 'Promoting Women's Participation and Promoting Women's Leadership'.

The topical is very relevant to the current global situation. As we all know, the number of women is almost half of the ASEAN population, representing a large pool of potentials that have not been utilized," said Puan.

"It is very important for us to recognize the important role that women can play in encouraging economic development and improving social welfare in our respective countries," continued the first woman to serve as Chair of the DPR RI.

Apart from the progress made in recent years, according to Puan, there are still many challenges facing the world in achieving true gender equality. She assessed that women are still not well represented in various aspects of life, including in political positions.

Therefore, Puan considers the importance of AIPA in overcoming challenges that hinder women's full participation in political, social and economic activities.

"I am pleased to convey that this WAIPA meeting highlighted the importance of advancing the agenda of gender equality in ASEAN, with a special focus on women's participation in all aspects of life, including economic, social and political," said Puan.

The former Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture asked WAIPA members to try to create an inclusive and representative political environment. Puan said this could guarantee equal participation and decision-making power for women.

"Through the implementation of gender-based quotas or affirmative measures, we can provide a decent opportunity for women to contribute to the development and government of our country," he said.

Puan assessed that there is an urgent need to abolish gender-based discrimination by promoting access to quality health education and services. In addition, by providing support for employers and female workers.

"For the political aspect, we need to further increase our involvement with political parties to support and support women through their political careers," said Puan.

"We must encourage political parties to facilitate political education, provide financial support during candidacy, and open wider access to political networks," he continued.

Puan also stated that empowering women through education, training, and increasing access to information will be a priority in AIPA. This is done to foster women's leadership in Parliament. Puan also invited all stakeholders in ASEAN to encourage policies to increase women's participation in parliament.

"The evidence shows that people with larger women's political representations and leadership tend to show better governance, greater focus on social issues, and better policy results that deal with gender-based inequality," he explained.

Puan reminded that the role of women is very important to find lasting peace and development solutions. For this reason, he asked the international community to increase the involvement of women at all stages.

Starting from participation in prevention, protection, settlement, and recovery. Women can also play an important role in peace development, peacekeeping, or conflict and crisis responses," said Puan.

Puan then invited WAIPA members to get involved in meaningful dialogue. Including by exchanging the best practices, and exploring innovative solutions to overcome the challenges faced by women in ASEAN.

"Together, we can create an environment where women are empowered, their voices are heard, and their contribution is appreciated," said Puan.

On this special occasion, Puan also expressed her sincere appreciation to all participants, organizers, and supporters of the WAIPA meeting.

Your dedication and commitment to promoting gender equality and women's empowerment are truly commendable. I hope that all of you can present useful deliberations and meetings are successful," he explained.

"I believe the results of this meeting will pave the way for a brighter and more inclusive future for all women in Southeast Asia," added Puan.