Report on the 13th Meeting of the Executive Committee
Guatemala City, Guatemala
November 8 and 9, 2005

Introduction

The 13th Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA) took place on November 8 and 9, 2005, in the precinct of the Guatemalan Congress, at the kind invitation of Deputy Gudy Rivera Estrada, the Guatemalan representative on the Executive Committee.

Seven of the ten members of the Executive Committee attended, as can be seen from the list of participants in Appendix 1.

The main objectives for the meeting were to follow up on the recommendations approved at the Fourth Plenary Assembly, principally; the adoption of the Action Plan by the Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas, the launch of the preparations for the Fifth Plenary Assembly, discussion of FIPA’s relations with the Parliamentary Confederation of the Americas (COPA) and consideration of some of FIPA’s regulations.

Call to order and approval of the agenda

Deputy Gudy Rivera Estrada, host of the meeting, welcomed the participants and then turned the floor over to Canadian Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette, Chair of the Executive Committee.

The Chair thanked the Guatemalan Congress for its hospitality, and conveyed apologies from the representatives of Barbados, Mexico and Paraguay, who were unable to attend the 13th Meeting of the Executive Committee.

The agenda was adopted as submitted, on a motion moved by the Colombian representative, seconded by the representative from Grenada.

On a motion by the Chair, the Committee passed the minutes of the 12th Meeting of the Executive Committee, which took place May 18, 2005, in Brasilia, Brazil, the day prior to the opening of FIPA’s Fourth Plenary Assembly.

Report on the activities of the Chair

The Chair presented a report on her recent activities, which included a parliamentary mission to Haiti and a trip to Mar del Plata for the Fourth Summit of the Americas.

Parliamentary mission to Haiti

Senator Hervieux-Payette began with a report on the mission of the Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas to Haiti, in which she took part, from September 11-14, 2005, along with Argentinean Congresswoman Margarita Stolbizer (Chair of the Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas), Grenadian Deputy and Minister of Social Development Yolande Bain-Joseph, and Mexican Senator Silvia Domínguez.

The Chair explained that, over the three days, and with the financial and logistical support of Foreign Affairs Canada, the delegation discussed issues with dozens of women candidates, leaders of political parties, representatives of women's organizations, representatives from the Organization of American States, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), a variety of Haitian media and a number of other individuals who were involved in the electoral process.

Senator Hervieux-Payette noted that she was pleased with the outcome of the mission, whose purpose was to encourage Haitian women to participate in the electoral process, register as voters and stand as candidates in the parliamentary elections.

Although the extent of women’s participation will not be known until the parliamentary elections are over, women account for nearly 50% of registered voters, according to data provided by the Organization of American States in September.

In reply to a question from Grenada, Senator Hervieux-Payette said that FIPA did not have the financial resources to send a delegation of observers, but that other measures had been implemented to continue supporting the democratic process.

She noted that the Chair of FIPA’s Group of Women Parliamentarians had prepared an election strategy plan to be used by the women candidates. The draft action plan of the Group of Women Parliamentarians also includes a mentoring program that would enable the women elected to build relationships with politically experienced women parliamentarians in the Americas.

Moreover, she said that the development of a training program for newly elected Haitian parliamentarians was under discussion, and could be coordinated by the Parliamentary Centre as part of a possible program for strengthening Haitian parliamentary institutions.

The Guatemalan representative congratulated the Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas on their initiative, urging the Group to follow up on its earlier activities and commenting that recent efforts to encourage women's participation in Guatemalan politics were beginning to show results.

Participation in the Mar del Plata Summit

The Chair then reported on her participation in the meeting of Foreign Affairs Ministers of the Americas on November 3, 2005 during the Fourth Summit of the Americas in Mar del Plata.

Attended by eight other parliamentary groups, Senator Hervieux-Payette explained that this meeting enabled her to present a FIPA report describing four years of active inter-parliamentary cooperation, entitled From Quebec City to Mar del Plata: Progress by the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas. The report was well received, giving rise to comments and questions from the ministers, who recognized the work accomplished by the members of FIPA since 2001.

Senator Hervieux-Payette pointed out that, despite the difficulties met in ensuring that FIPA was officially recognized at the Summit, it paved the way for greater recognition of the role of parliamentarians in the Summit process. She urged members of the Executive Committee to table the report prepared for the Summit in their respective parliaments.

The Executive Committee congratulated the Chair on her presentation and agreed that this precedent should be repeated in future actions in order to improve FIPA’s visibility on the international scene.

Situation in Nicaragua

Finally, the Chair briefly updated members on the situation in Nicaragua, reminding those present that a declaration of support for the democratic process had been adopted by the FIPA Executive Committee in January 2005.

She noted that the situation worsened again in September 2005 but that the parties had finally reached an agreement. She recommended that the Committee continue to monitor the situation closely but considered it unnecessary for FIPA to issue any new statements at this point.

The delegate from Honduras mentioned that the Central American presidents had met in an extraordinary session on September 5, 2005, at which time they adopted a resolution on the political events in Nicaragua.

Finally, the Chair noted that parliamentarians are encouraged to bring issues or situations of regional concern to the attention of the Executive Committee.

Administrative matters

Presentation of FIPA’s annual report

The Chair presented FIPA’s annual report, mentioning that in 2003 FIPA had been incorporated under Canadian law. The annual report provides a description of FIPA’s activities during its fiscal year from October 1, 2004 to September 30, 2005, and it was adopted by the Committee on a motion moved by the Colombian representative, seconded by the delegate from Grenada.

The Chair also mentioned that she would soon be launching a consultation process, through the Virtual Parliament, to obtain Committee approval of FIPA’s audited financial statements, in light of the fact that the review of the financial statements could not be completed before this meeting.

The Secretariat distributed a draft financial report for information purposes and a summary table of contributions paid for 2003-2004 and 2004-2005.

Finally, the Chair informed the Committee that the negotiations with the Canadian International Development Agency that began in 2004 had finally ended in September with the signature of a contribution agreement. The funds paid by CIDA will represent approximately 65% of the Secretariat's operating budget over to a two-year period, while the member parliaments will pay the difference through a system of contributions.

Election of the Board of Directors

The Chair proceeded to the election of FIPA’s Board of Directors, reminding members that Mr. Mateo Barney had stepped down as a Director.

On a motion moved by the Chilean delegate, seconded by the Guatemalan representative, the following were elected to the Board of Directors for a one-year term:

Céline Hervieux-Payette (re-elected)

Don Boudria (re-elected)

Silvia Hernández (re-elected)

Sandra Husbands (re-elected)

Sergio Diaz-Granados (first term)

Renewal of the memorandum of understanding with the Parliamentary Centre

The Chair mentioned that a memorandum of understanding had been signed in August 2004 between FIPA and the Parliamentary Centre, a Canadian not-for-profit organization devoted to improving the effectiveness of legislative assemblies in Canada and around the world. According to the memorandum of understanding, the Parliamentary Centre acts as the Secretariat for FIPA, and as such handles FIPA’s administration, hires Secretariat personnel and oversees the organization's finances.

The Chair explained that the memorandum of understanding will have minor amendments made to it in light of the fact that the Parliament of Canada has recently agreed to provide permanent accommodation for FIPA’s Technical Secretariat.

On a motion moved by Colombia, seconded by Honduras, the Executive Committee resolved to ask the Chair to take the action necessary to renew the memorandum of understanding with the Parliamentary Centre for a one-year period, with the proposed amendments.

Designation of auditors for 2005-2006

On a motion moved by the Canadian delegate, seconded by the Colombian representative, the committee agreed to designate Price Waterhouse & Coopers as FIPA’s auditors for the 2005-2006 fiscal year.

Other administrative matters

The Executive Secretary informed the members that she would send each of the member parliaments an invoice for the amount of its annual contribution for the fiscal year from October 1, 2005 to September 30, 2006, as provided in Resolution FIPA/PA/2004/RES.1 For the Official Inclusion of National Legislatures from the Americas in the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA), passed by the Plenary Assembly in Valparaiso in April 2004.

Implementation of the recommendations from the Fourth Plenary Assembly

The Chair invited the members to read the summary table of the recommendations passed in Brasilia during the Fourth Plenary Assembly, and went on to review the projects underway in each of the working groups, pointing out that each group was responsible for self-financing its activities.

Working Group on Terrorism

The Chair urged the delegates to ensure that the recommendations adopted by the group were followed up by their respective parliaments and that the Inter-American Convention Against Terrorism be ratified. She informed members that the Canadian Parliament (which is already party to the convention) had begun a review of its anti-terrorism legislation.

Working group on the external debt

Senator Hervieux-Payette informed the members that, since the Plenary Assembly in Brasilia, the G8 countries had forgiven the debts owed by the 18 most indebted countries in the world, including Bolivia, Honduras and Nicaragua, taking action on one of the group’s discussion points.

Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas

The Chair presented the Action Plan prepared by FIPA’s Technical Secretariat in cooperation with the Chair of the Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas and Member of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies Margarita Stolbizer for the 2005-2007 term, in accordance with the recommendation passed at the last Plenary Assembly.

The Action Plan has four themes for action: to build the capacity of men and women parliamentarians to implement international human rights conventions, with special emphasis given to the question of gender; to facilitate networking between parliamentarians interested in gender equality; to encourage the involvement of women in politics through engagement and education; to include and expand a gender perspective in all FIPA activities so as to make the issue a crosscutting one.

The Chair drew the attention of the members to the proposal involving the integration of the Chair of the Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas into the FIPA Executive Committee, which would require an amendment to FIPA regulations by the Plenary Assembly. (Note: this issue is discussed in greater detail in section 8, dealing with FIPA’s regulations.)

Furthermore, Senator Hervieux-Payette told members that the Chair of the Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas would soon be ending her term as a member of the Argentinean Congress and that a new chair would therefore have to be elected to head the group in 2006.

The Grenadian delegate supported the action plan and felt that it was particularly important to devote efforts to setting up networks between parliamentarians to deal with issues of gender equality and to promoting the participation of women in politics.

The representative from Honduras expressed his concern over the deepening social inequalities in his country, which can be seen in the increasing number of children left on their own and an increase in juvenile delinquency. He also noted that a bill on irresponsible fathers had been tabled in the Honduran Congress, and stressed the importance of tools such as micro-credit for the social reinsertion of offenders. The Canadian representative added that parliamentarians should set an example by adopting policies on work-life balance for those working in Parliament itself.

In light of the concerns expressed by a number of delegates, the Chair suggested that the Committee examine the possibility of discussing the fight against poverty during the next Plenary Assembly.

Lastly, she recommended that the Group of Women Parliamentarians Action Plan be adopted in principle; the Committee did so on a motion moved by Grenada, seconded by Colombia.

(A copy of the Plan by the Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas is included in appendix 2.)

Working group on the Free Trade Area of the Americas

Canadian delegate Don Boudria, Chair of the working group on the FTAA, took the floor to inform the executive members about the activities of his working group.

First he announced that the Trade Knowledge Network project developed in cooperation with the Centre for Trade Policy and Law at Carleton University could not be implemented due to a lack of funding.

He then informed the committee that the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) was interested in cooperating with FIPA on a future training program for parliamentarians – a project put forward by the Argentinean delegate at the 12th meeting of the Executive Committee in Brasilia.

He distributed to the members a draft of the project prepared by the ECLAC Trade and Integration Division, which proposed organizing in cooperation with FIPA a two-day workshop to discuss the role of parliamentarians in the negotiation and implementation of free-trade agreements.

Finally, he mentioned that the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) had shown interest in possible cooperation with FIPA and suggested that discussions be held with the IDB to this end.

A number of participants referred to the importance of strengthening the ability of parliamentarians to play a role in trade agreements, in view of the current negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the bilateral and regional negotiations now underway.

However, members were of the view that parliamentarians required training on more than just trade issues. They endorsed the idea that FIPA should develop a general training program for parliamentarians that could provide both basic training for newly elected officials and seminars on specific issues.

The training program could be funded in part by member parliaments (who would be able to earmark additional funds for training), and donor organizations could also be called upon to assist countries with small economies.

In light of these discussions, the Chair recommended, first, that committee members (including those absent) review the draft of the ECLAC project and send their comments to the FIPA Secretariat, and second, that FIPA negotiate with the IDB on possible training for parliamentarians.

The proposal received the support of the committee, on a motion moved by Colombia, seconded by Honduras.

Virtual Parliament of the Americas

The Executive Secretary gave a brief report on progress in the Virtual Parliament of the Americas project, mentioning that, since the plenary meeting, all the parliamentarians who had asked had been registered for the online working groups (accessible on the www.e-fipa.org Web site).

She then showed the new members how to access the Executive Committee Intranet and gave each person an access code a and a user's guide.

Preparations for the Fifth Plenary Assembly

Following a well-received presentation by Colombian representative Sergio Diaz Granados, participants discussed the initial preparations for FIPA’s Fifth Plenary Assembly, to be held in Bogotá in 2006, in the precinct of the Colombian Congress.

(A copy of Colombia's PowerPoint presentation is available on the Executive Committee’s Intranet Web site.)

Date

The organizing committee, coordinated by representatives Nancy Patricia Gutiérrez and Sergio Diaz Granados, proposed that the event be held from June 14-17, 2005, taking the 2005-2006 electoral schedule in the Americas into account, as well as the Colombian parliamentary calendar.

This time frame was tentatively agreed to by the committee members present, but they agreed to consult those who were absent before setting a definitive date.

Themes of the working groups

The delegates agreed that, as in previous years, the first working group would look into trade and globalization. They gave a number of suggestions for how to orient the discussions, such as focussing on the issue of agricultural subsidies, the insertion difficulties of small economies and/or the environmental crisis.

There was also general agreement on the idea that the second group should look into social problems, including issues such as strategies and tools for fighting poverty and achieving the millennium goals, with particular emphasis on the status of single-parent families and children, as well as the relationship between poverty and delinquency among young people.

It was proposed that the third working group deal with terrorism from a new angle by discussing, for instance, issues of drug trafficking and trafficking in people. The Chair suggested that a final decision not be made about the third theme just yet, but to take time to consult with the absent members.

She then proposed that the committee should work in small groups (according to each member's interests) to determine the orientation of each working group more clearly and to identify experts in the field before the next meeting of the Executive Committee.

Special guests

The delegates unanimously decided to invite the new Secretary General of the OAS José Miguel Insulza to the opening or closing ceremony, as well as the new IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno. The Chilean and Colombian delegates agreed to provide assistance to FIPA in this regard.

Other matters relating to the Fifth Plenary Assembly

The Chair reminded committee members that her second term would be ending in 2006 and that the new chair would therefore have to be elected at the Fifth Plenary Assembly. She took the opportunity to say that the regulations had been amended to provide that the chair could only be re-elected once so as to ensure change in the executive.

As set out in the corporation by-law, FIPA’s head office and its Technical Secretariat will remain in Ottawa, where it benefits from the support of the Canadian Parliament (which provides accommodation) and the Parliamentary Centre (which provides administrative support).

Discussion on FIPA’s strategic orientations

Review of COPA’s proposal

The Chair asked the members to examine the Declaration of Foz do Iguaçu, adopted by the 6 th General Assembly of the Parliamentary Confederation of the Americas (COPA) in May 2005. The Declaration recommended ”that hemispheric inter-parliamentary dialogue take place at a single organization, and as such bring the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA) and the Parliamentary Confederation of the Americas (COPA) closer, and direct the Executive Committee to consider all appropriate means of achieving this objective”.

The Chair told the delegates about her recent contacts with members of COPA’s Executive Committee, who were interested in holding a joint executive meeting. She mentioned that a meeting with the COPA delegates would be held in the near future and that she would then be able to provide further details to the members of the committee.

Implementation of the public relations strategy

The Chair invited participants to examine the public relations strategy adopted at the 10th Meeting of the Executive Committee in February 2005, which encouraged executive members to take strategic actions to promote FIPA in their respective parliaments and with key partners.

Senator Hervieux-Payette called on members to identify a contact person in their respective parliaments and in the regional parliaments that they represent to provide liaison with FIPA and to update parliamentarians on FIPA’s activities.

She also mentioned that a part-time communications and public relations officer would soon be hired by the FIPA Secretariat, which would make it possible to implement the public relations strategy proactively.

The Canadian delegate offered to send information to the participants about the model adopted by the Canadian Parliament, where a national branch of FIPA has been established. The Grenadian representative agreed to identify liaison officers in each of the Caribbean parliaments and coordinate efforts with the representative of Barbados.

Discussion of FIPA’s regulations

The Chair asked the members to review FIPA’s regulations, saying that some of the provisions were no longer up to date while others needed clarification. Amended regulations could be drafted before the next meeting of the Executive Committee on the basis of the members’ suggestions, for submission at the Plenary Assembly.

The following proposed amendments were discussed:

Inclusion of the Chair of the Group of Women Parliamentarians on the Executive Committee

In accordance with the recommendation in the Group of Women Parliamentarians Action Plan, the Chair proposed an amendment to section 2.3 of the regulations allowing the Chair of the Group of Women Parliamentarians to sit on the Executive Committee. The purpose of the amendment would be to enable this person to report directly to the Executive Committee.

The proposal was supported by the Canadian delegate, who stated that it was FIPA’s responsibility to take a stand on the under-representation of women in parliaments. While not opposing the proposal, one delegate pointed out that it was important for this person to be elected just as the other members of the committee are, while another member was reluctant to broaden the committee in response to the interests of particular groups, as ultimately this might render the committee ineffective.

The Chair recommended that a new paragraph state that it would be up to the Group of Women Parliamentarians to elect its Chair during its annual meeting held in conjunction with the Plenary Assembly.

Selection of representatives on the Executive Committee

In reply to some confusion expressed by a member parliamentarian, the Chair then proposed to clarify section 2.3h) of the regulations dealing with the selection by each country elected to the Executive Committee of the parliamentarian to serve as its member on the committee.

The proposed amendment would state that the parliamentarian selected may not hold a position on the Executive of his country while he is sitting on the FIPA Executive Committee. It would also specify that any member appointed to a position in the Executive of his country should resign from the FIPA Executive Committee and would be replaced, if appropriate, by a parliamentarian from the same country for the remainder of the term.

Senator Hervieux-Payette pointed out that the Organization of American States is the inter-American body representing the governments in the region, while FIPA had been established in order to give a voice to those in the legislative branch (whether they be members of the government or the opposition party) that they would not have otherwise. The amendment would only apply to members elected to the committee as of 2006.

Technical Secretariat

Finally, the Chair proposed to amend section 2.4b) of the regulations in light of the fact that the Unit for the Promotion of Democracy of the Organization of American States (which was renamed the Office for the Promotion of Democracy in 2004) no longer served as the Secretariat for FIPA, and that the coordinator of the Plenary Assembly is not in actual fact a member of the Technical Secretariat.

Following the discussion of these three points the Chair agreed to draft proposed regulations covering the amendments discussed before the next meeting of the Executive Committee, and asked the members to send her any other proposed amendments they deemed necessary.

Other matters

UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity

Highlighting the richness of cultural heritage in the Americas, the Chair urged her Executive Committee colleagues to promote the ratification by their respective parliaments of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, adopted at the 33 rd General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) held in Paris in October 2005, so that the convention takes effect as quickly as possible.

The delegates supported this initiative, while specifying that, in the majority of Latin American political systems, a treaty must be presented to Parliament by the Executive Branch before becoming a bill.

Dispute settlement mechanism

The Chilean delegate expressed concern about the worsening conflict between Chile and Peru and asked the Committee to look into the possibility of issuing a statement on the situation.

The Chair agreed that FIPA could articulate its opinions in order to make a constructive contribution to the settlement of hemispheric conflicts, while noting that opinions expressed by FIPA must be impartial and grounded in international law. The Chair recommended that the Executive Committee at its next meeting examine the possibility of developing a broad mechanism that could be used in this type of situation.

Conclusion

The committee agreed that its next meeting, which would be a preparatory meeting for the Fifth Plenary Assembly, would be held late in March 2006. Absent members will be consulted before the exact date and location of the meeting are determined.

As no other questions were raised, the Chair declared the meeting adjourned.

Appendices

Appendix 1: List of participants

Members of the executive committee

President of FIPA
Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette ( CANADA)

Central America
Deputy Gudy Rivera Estrada (GUATEMALA - host)
Deputy Jack Arévalo ( HONDURAS)

North America
Don Boudria, Member of Parliament ( CANADA)

South America
Deputy Iván Moreira ( CHILE)

Caribbean
Senator Brenda Hood ( GRENADA)

Host country for the Plenary Assembly
Representative Sergio Diaz Granados (COLOMBIA - alternate for Representative Nancy Patricia Gutiérrez)

FIPA technical Secretariat
Emmanuelle Pelletier (Executive Secretary)
Sabra Ripley (Assistant Executive Secretary)

ABSENT
Senator Sandra Husbands ( Barbados)
Senator Silvia Hernández ( Mexico)
Senator Alejandro Velázquez Ugarte (PARAGUAY)

Appendix 2: 2005-2007 Action Plan – Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas

Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas -
DRAFT ACTION PLAN – 2005

This action plan, formulated by the FIPA Technical Secretariat in collaboration with the Chair of the Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas, follows on the recommendations made during the 4 th FIPA Plenary Assembly, held in Brasilia, Brazil, May 2005, during which participating parliamentarians agreed to:

“3. Request that the technical secretariat of FIPA present to the Executive Committee, in co-operation with the Chair of the Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas, and based on the recommendations made in Barbados, Argentina and Brazil, a concrete plan of action for the group for the years 2005-2007.”

The goals expressed in the recommendations and discussions of recent Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas events have been grouped into four main categories and proposed actions have been developed according to those four themes. The themes are:

1) Build the capacity of men and women parliamentarians to implement international human rights conventions, with special emphasis given to the question of gender;

2) Facilitate networking between parliamentarians interested in gender equality;

3) Encourage the involvement of women in politics through engagement and education;

4) Include and expand a gender perspective in all FIPA activities so as to make the issue a crosscutting one.

Goal	Action
Build the capacity of men and women parliamentarians to implement international human rights conventions, with special emphasis given to the question of gender	Strengthen ties with other inter-parliamentary associations or organizations specialized in parliamentary development to share information and tools for gender-equity specifically designed for parliamentarians.
	Collaborate with other organizations to organize workshops at the regional or sub-regional levels, on topics to be determined by the Chair of FIPA’s Group of Women Parliamentarians, in consultation with the Executive Committee.
	Through the Virtual Parliament share examples of legislation related to women and gender, including legislation in areas such as violence against women, labour, children’s issues, access to political power, access to land, poverty reduction, etc.
	Through the Virtual Parliament, link to the websites of organizations following discussions related to women’s rights and gender and monitoring the ratification and implementation of international and inter-American conventions.
Facilitate networking between parliamentarians interested in gender equality	Hold at least one yearly meeting of the Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas, i.e.: Meetings held parallel to the Plenary Assembly.
	Create a list of women parliamentarians interested in acting as mentors for women new to, or interested in, parliament and make it available through the Virtual Parliament.
	As a follow up to the FIPA Women’s Group Mission to Haiti, create a targeted mentorship project connecting women parliamentarians from the region with women elected to parliament in Haiti, in order to assist them in fulfilling their new roles following the upcoming elections.
	Activate the online working group of women parliamentarians.
	Create a space on the VP to post suggestions and recommendations by women parliamentarians re: how to survive and thrive as a “woman in politics.”
	Make use of the Virtual Parliament and the FIPA Newsletter to disseminate information about issues, training opportunities and events of interest to women parliamentarians.
	Through the Virtual Parliament, create an inter-parliamentary network to promote the right to a life free from violence against women. The network would coordinate the activities of women parliamentarians related to this issue and facilitating the exchange of information on national policies.
	Encourage the involvement of men in activities and projects of the Women’s Group.
Encourage the involvement of women in politics through engagement and education	In concert with international women’s week, the first week in March, the FIPA Secretariat will work with women parliamentarians of the Americas to coordinate activities to encourage the involvement of women in politics through engagement and education. Possible examples could include: Recommend that women parliamentarians open their offices, commissions, sessions and parliaments for a day in order to raise the profile of women in parliament and encourage women to enter politics. Provide support including a communication strategy, promotional material and information to be distributed to participants. Recommend that women parliamentarians visit schools, community groups, women’s organizations, etc. to speak to other women about their experiences as women in parliament and how to become involved in politics.
Include and expand a gender perspective in all FIPA activities so as to make the issue a crosscutting one	Include a gender perspective in all FIPA activities.
	Promote a gender balance at all FIPA events, in all FIPA workgroups and on the FIPA Executive Committee.
	Seek funding for women parliamentarians interested in participating in FIPA activities.
	Provide gender sensitive training for at least one member of the FIPA Secretariat.
	Consider the possibility of including the Chair of the Group of Women Parliamentarians in FIPA’s Executive Committee.



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