By order of the President of Azerbaijan, Bashir Gudrat oglu Hajiyev was appointed special representative of the president in the Kelbajar region. Previously, he worked in the office of the Special Representative of the President of Azerbaijan in the liberated territories of the Karabakh Economic region (except for the Shusha…
Day: July 1, 2024
The Delimitation and Demarcation Commissions of Azerbaijan and Armenia continue to work on agreeing on a draft Regulation on their joint activities. As of July 1, 2024, the commissions exchanged draft Regulations on a working basis and held a number of discussions, the office of Deputy Prime Minister of the…
On July 1, the Caspian Military Institute of Military Studies (CDSI) published a statistical report on the losses of the security and defense sector of Azerbaijan in the first half of 2024. The irretrievable losses of the Azerbaijani army and other law enforcement agencies during this period amounted to 19…
On 1 July, the OSCE/ODIHR published its opinion on Georgia’s abolition of gender quotas for women MPs. The OSCE/ODIHR criticizes the Georgian Parliament’s decision for not proposing alternative measures to increase women’s political representation. It says the move is a setback for gender equality in the country and stresses that it is not in line with international standards.
On April 4, the Georgian Parliament adopted amendments to the country’s Electoral Code that abolished mandatory parliamentary quotas for women, which required that at least one out of every four persons on a party list be of a different gender than the majority. The amendments, introduced by Girchi, were a matter of political bargaining, as they were supported by Georgian Dream (GD) in exchange for Girchi’s promise to vote for the GD candidate for the chairmanship of the Central Election Commission. On May 15, the Parliament overrode the president’s veto of the amendments. The OSCE/ODIHR Opinion was prepared at the request of the Public Defender of Georgia.
“Without introducing alternative forms of temporary special measures or other recognized mechanisms to accelerate women’s political representation in Georgia, this represents a setback for the advancement of gender equality in Georgia, not in line with international human rights standards and OSCE commitments which mandate the elimination of discrimination against women in political and public life,” the opinion says on the Parliament’s abolition of gender quotas.
The OSCE/ODIHR opinion stresses that quotas for women MPs have gradually helped to create a more gender-balanced political environment in Georgia and states that “no evidence” has been presented by the Parliament to justify the abolishing of the quotas.
It adds that despite mandatory gender quotas and even financial incentives for political parties to include more women on their lists, the gender balance in the Georgian Parliament remains lower than in other OSCE countries and does not meet international or regional targets.
From a constitutional perspective, the OSCE/ODIHR opinion asserts that the abolition of quotas for women MPs is “not consistent” with Georgia’s constitutional obligation to eliminate inequality. The opinion emphasizes that the absence of an alternative mechanism renders the Parliament’s decision “especially concerning.”
In addition, the OSCE/ODIHR opinion points to procedural flaws in the way the amendments were adopted: through a fast-track procedure and without adequate and inclusive participation and consultation of all relevant stakeholders, as well as in the run-up to the upcoming elections.
Recommendations:
Regarding the law-making process, the OSCE/ODIHR recommends Georgia:
- To ensure that any future gender-related changes are subject to prior impact assessment and consultation with civil society and all relevant stakeholders;
- To refrain from fast-tracking legislation unless it is truly urgent;
Regarding gender quotas and financial incentives for political parties, the OSCE ODIHR recommends Georgia:
- To adopt effective temporary special measures to eliminate discrimination against women in public and political life, in accordance with Georgia’s international obligations (The reintroduction of quotas for women is also recommended as one of the options);
- To include a provision in the Electoral Code clarifying the conditions under which quotas for women can be lifted if such quotas are reintroduced.
- To reintroduce financial incentives for political parties to enhance the inclusion of women in party lists;
- To consider additional legislative or other measures that will promote balanced and diverse representation in political parties;
- To consider adopting alternative mechanisms to accelerate women’s political participation, if mandatory quotas for women are not reintroduced.
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Nikoloz Samkharadze, Chairman of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee and Head of the Georgian Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, said that over the past 16 years, “we have not achieved any progress” in the Geneva International Discussions (GID), the talks aimed at addressing the aftermath of the 2008 Russia-Georgia war, such as the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, and the return of IDPs and refugees to their homes.
“And I question here what international organizations are doing in order to solve the conflict, and then the result is that Russia gets encouraged, and then they attack another neighboring country, Ukraine. They might attack another one in the future. So we have to pay attention to these malign activities of Russians right from the beginning and not when the occupation is already there,” Samkharadze warned during his address to the General Committee on Political Affairs and Security at the 31st Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Bucharest, Romania.
He also called out “many countries in this room” for not using the term “occupation” in relation to the occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali.
Samkharadze noted that occupation has a daily impact on the Georgian population. He highlighted several issues, including kidnappings, denial of Georgian children’s right to be educated in their native language in occupied territories, erasure of Georgian cultural traces, and the occupation preventing approximately 8% of Georgia’s population from returning to their homes in these territories.
The Geneva International Discussions/GID was established on the basis of the ceasefire agreement of August 12, 2008, brokered by the European Union. GID is co-chaired by representatives of OSCE, EU, and UN and involves participants from Georgia, Russia, and the U.S., as well as members of both the exiled Georgian administrations of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia and the two regions’ Russian-backed authorities, in their personal capacities. Sessions are held in two working groups, with the first group discussing peace and security matters, and the second – humanitarian concerns. The main issues discussed at the GID are the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, the safe and dignified return of internally displaced persons and refugees to their homes, and the security and humanitarian problems created as a result of the Russian occupation.
Read also:
- 27/06/2024 – 61st Round of Geneva International Discussions
On 1 July, the OSCE/ODIHR published its opinion on Georgia’s abolition of gender quotas for women MPs. The OSCE/ODIHR criticizes the Georgian Parliament’s decision for not proposing alternative measures to increase women’s political representation. It says the move is a setback for gender equality in the country and stresses that it is not in line with international standards.
On April 4, the Georgian Parliament adopted amendments to the country’s Electoral Code that abolished mandatory parliamentary quotas for women, which required that at least one out of every four persons on a party list be of a different gender than the majority. The amendments, introduced by Girchi, were a matter of political bargaining, as they were supported by Georgian Dream (GD) in exchange for Girchi’s promise to vote for the GD candidate for the chairmanship of the Central Election Commission. On May 15, the Parliament overrode the president’s veto of the amendments. The OSCE/ODIHR Opinion was prepared at the request of the Public Defender of Georgia.
“Without introducing alternative forms of temporary special measures or other recognized mechanisms to accelerate women’s political representation in Georgia, this represents a setback for the advancement of gender equality in Georgia, not in line with international human rights standards and OSCE commitments which mandate the elimination of discrimination against women in political and public life,” the opinion says on the Parliament’s abolition of gender quotas.
The OSCE/ODIHR opinion stresses that quotas for women MPs have gradually helped to create a more gender-balanced political environment in Georgia and states that “no evidence” has been presented by the Parliament to justify the abolishing of the quotas.
It adds that despite mandatory gender quotas and even financial incentives for political parties to include more women on their lists, the gender balance in the Georgian Parliament remains lower than in other OSCE countries and does not meet international or regional targets.
From a constitutional perspective, the OSCE/ODIHR opinion asserts that the abolition of quotas for women MPs is “not consistent” with Georgia’s constitutional obligation to eliminate inequality. The opinion emphasizes that the absence of an alternative mechanism renders the Parliament’s decision “especially concerning.”
In addition, the OSCE/ODIHR opinion points to procedural flaws in the way the amendments were adopted: through a fast-track procedure and without adequate and inclusive participation and consultation of all relevant stakeholders, as well as in the run-up to the upcoming elections.
Recommendations:
Regarding the law-making process, the OSCE/ODIHR recommends Georgia:
- To ensure that any future gender-related changes are subject to prior impact assessment and consultation with civil society and all relevant stakeholders;
- To refrain from fast-tracking legislation unless it is truly urgent;
Regarding gender quotas and financial incentives for political parties, the OSCE ODIHR recommends Georgia:
- To adopt effective temporary special measures to eliminate discrimination against women in public and political life, in accordance with Georgia’s international obligations (The reintroduction of quotas for women is also recommended as one of the options);
- To include a provision in the Electoral Code clarifying the conditions under which quotas for women can be lifted if such quotas are reintroduced.
- To reintroduce financial incentives for political parties to enhance the inclusion of women in party lists;
- To consider additional legislative or other measures that will promote balanced and diverse representation in political parties;
- To consider adopting alternative mechanisms to accelerate women’s political participation, if mandatory quotas for women are not reintroduced.
Also Read:
Nikoloz Samkharadze, Chairman of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee and Head of the Georgian Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, said that over the past 16 years, “we have not achieved any progress” in the Geneva International Discussions (GID), the talks aimed at addressing the aftermath of the 2008 Russia-Georgia war, such as the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, and the return of IDPs and refugees to their homes.
“And I question here what international organizations are doing in order to solve the conflict, and then the result is that Russia gets encouraged, and then they attack another neighboring country, Ukraine. They might attack another one in the future. So we have to pay attention to these malign activities of Russians right from the beginning and not when the occupation is already there,” Samkharadze warned during his address to the General Committee on Political Affairs and Security at the 31st Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Bucharest, Romania.
He also called out “many countries in this room” for not using the term “occupation” in relation to the occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali.
Samkharadze noted that occupation has a daily impact on the Georgian population. He highlighted several issues, including kidnappings, denial of Georgian children’s right to be educated in their native language in occupied territories, erasure of Georgian cultural traces, and the occupation preventing approximately 8% of Georgia’s population from returning to their homes in these territories.
The Geneva International Discussions/GID was established on the basis of the ceasefire agreement of August 12, 2008, brokered by the European Union. GID is co-chaired by representatives of OSCE, EU, and UN and involves participants from Georgia, Russia, and the U.S., as well as members of both the exiled Georgian administrations of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia and the two regions’ Russian-backed authorities, in their personal capacities. Sessions are held in two working groups, with the first group discussing peace and security matters, and the second – humanitarian concerns. The main issues discussed at the GID are the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, the safe and dignified return of internally displaced persons and refugees to their homes, and the security and humanitarian problems created as a result of the Russian occupation.
Read also:
- 27/06/2024 – 61st Round of Geneva International Discussions
