MONGOLIA – The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa, has reaffirmed Uganda’s deliberate efforts to increase women’s participation in governance, anchored in the affirmative action provisions enshrined in the Constitution.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Deputy Speaker was speaking on Monday while leading Uganda’s delegation at the World Women Parliamentarians Forum in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, held under the theme “From Representation to Influence in the Decision-Making Process.”
Thomas Tayebwa noted that Uganda has taken deliberate steps to increase women’s participation in governance since the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) government took power in 1986.
He cited that affirmative action, enshrined in the Constitution, has helped women secure 35 per cent of Uganda’s Parliament with 187 members out of 529, while they make up 49 per cent of Cabinet.
Tayebwa also highlighted the positions held by women, including the Vice President, Prime Minister and two Deputy Prime Ministers, as examples of their participation in senior government leadership.
The Deputy Speaker called for measures to give women greater decision-making influence, reaffirming that representation is only the beginning and the real measure of progress is whether women can shape the laws, policies and budgets that affect people’s lives.
“Representation is only the beginning. Having women in Parliament is important, but the most important measure of progress is whether women are able to influence the laws, the policies, the budgets and decisions that shape the lives of our people,” Tayebwa said.
Tayebwa described the forum as an important platform for countries to learn from one another’s experiences, saying parliamentary cooperation can help identify practical ways to strengthen women’s influence at national, regional and international levels.
“As parliamentarians, we have a responsibility to ensure that women’s voices are reflected not only in our chambers, but also in the decisions that determine the future of our societies,” he said.
Uganda’s delegation included Lira District Woman MP Auma Linda Agnes, National Female MP for Persons with Disabilities Laura Kanushu, Wakiso District Woman MP Betty Ethel Naluyima, Soroti District Woman MP Anna Ebaju Adeke and National Female Youth MP Mercy Kanyesigye.
Leah Sopiato Sankaire, the Kajiado County Woman Representative who led Kenya’s delegation, said that despite the progress Kenya had made, the country had yet to implement the constitutional requirement that no more than two-thirds of the members of any elective or appointive public body should be of the same gender.
Sankaire said women were 31 representatives short of meeting the required threshold in Kenya’s Parliament. She added that efforts were underway to address the shortfall, including through a constitutional amendment bill.
“We are still 31 women short of the number required in Kenya’s Parliament. We are working on a new law to fix this gap. To move past just having women in Parliament, women should lead the committees that share the budget. When women lead these committees, the budget will address the needs of both men and women,” Sankaire said.
Parvana Valiyeva, who led Azerbaijan’s delegation, noted that her country was the first in the Muslim East to grant women the right to vote and stand for election in 1918.
She added that Azerbaijan established the Muslim East’s first secular school for women in 1901, demonstrating the country’s longstanding commitment to advancing women’s rights and representation.
Valiyeva urged women parliamentarians attending the forum to ensure that women’s voices were heard and protected in sectors shaping the world today, including climate change, technology, economic development, peace and security.
Mongolia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Battsetseg Batmunkh, said the achievements celebrated at the forum were the result of women’s efforts to secure the implementation of the declaration adopted at the 1995 World Conference on Women in Beijing.
“Since the conference, the representation of women in parliament has more than doubled. Many of these achievements we are celebrating today are because of those women who refused to accept limitations imposed on them,” Batmunkh said.
The two-day forum, held on October 12th to 13th this year, brought together women parliamentarians to share experiences and discuss practical ways to strengthen women’s role in governance and decision-making.
About the Author
