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Message from the President of the Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas Adopting the Forum's action plan as a base, I pledge to keep encouraging those policies geared towards promoting the involvement of women in public life. Standing out among them is the project to promote politics in all of its fields through education, with special emphasis on gender issues. Likewise, the mentoring program is worth highlighting – a program in which seasoned women parliamentarians volunteer to act as mentors for newly elected congresswomen and for women leaders interested in starting a career in politics. Yet I have to stress that, in my opinion, this should not be a process that leaves men out as protagonists of this change. As expressed by the action plan, I am willing to promote and strengthen the involvement of men in the Group of Women's activities and projects. So, what are the main goals of this group under my administration? The main drivers of our work will be to narrow the gap, to create a space for participation and to offer opportunities to denounce the violations of our rights, amid this global war against women. Because if there is one thing we can be certain about, it is that the world is fighting an undercover war against women. Let us not fall for the fact that our peoples are the exception in a war that, under moralistic tenets and traditional practices, justifies the violation of our rights and leaves us in inferior conditions. We need to put an end to such abuse in our homes. As President of the Group of Women Parliamentarians I will work to directly support those countries which are willing to promote policies geared towards protecting women and helping them stand on an equal footing with men. As a woman with a long-standing career in the Colombian public sector, constantly involved in the international political debate, I offer to contribute my perspective to enrich the debate on the position of women. This perspective, built through years of traveling the world and talking to experts from the five continents, has led me to the conviction that taking into account gender is of utmost importance in the implementation of any macroeconomic policy. This will be a fresh and complex debate, and a fight worth fighting. But first we must adopt a stance and show the leaders the world over why equity and the protection of our rights are so important, and as the new President of the Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas, I propose to work for just that. I invite you to join me in the path towards that goal, and to take power with our own hands. Cecilia López Montaño |
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Important
Notice © 2003 FIPA - Inter- Parliamentary
Forum of the Americas. All Rights Reserved.
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I consider it a great honour to be a part of the Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas. In my capacity as new President of this Group, I will strive to encourage women to become involved in politics. Without disregarding the many instances of abuse that we women have to endure every day, I think we should join our efforts now so that we can stake a claim in decision-making and uphold our ideas and make ourselves heard in the political arena in the Americas. Experiences like Michelle Bachelet's, in Chile, the importance of Lourdes Flores for the Peruvian political scene, the success of Cristina Fernández, the charismatic Argentinean senator, and the very Hillary Clinton phenomenon in the U.S senate, evidence a situation that nobody can deny: the recent success of women in the political arena of the Americas is the result of a widespread thirst for change and renewal. The message is simple: let us make the most of the current situation; let us take advantage of this type of platform to play a leading role in this change.