Create an enabling environment for women participation Wina urges political parties

Gender and Child Development Minister Inonge Wina says there is need for political parties in the country to create an enabling environment within their parties to encourage meaningful participation from women.

Speaking when she officially opened the roundtable discussion on gender in political parties in Zambia, Ms. Wina said there is need for deliberate efforts to ensure that women are empowered with the necessary skills and improve the quality and quantity of leadership offered by women something she noted can only happen if political parties rectified the current scenario.

Ms Wina explained that without equality in political leadership and decision making position effective democratic politics will remain a pipe dream.

“We have to make deliberate efforts to ensure that women are empowered with all the necessary skills and opportunities to improve the quality and quantity of leadership offered by women. It is important that both genders participate in politics in order to ensure that inequality which currently exist are not perpetuated.

“Effective democratic politics can never be achieved if the bedrock of present and future leaders in political parties and the nation ignore the rules and norms of equality in political leadership and decision making processes,” Ms. Wina said.

She added: ” until we collectively rectify the scenario, we are going to continue seeing glaring differences in the manner we make development decisions and consequently the pattern of access to social goods between a women and a man, a girl and a boy. It is not a secret that women and men, girls and boys have different experiences, needs and priorities which to be taken into account as we forge ahead.”

The Minister further noted that the participation both women and men require a multi-sectoral approaches to gender issues among them the change in attitude towards women who aspire to positions of leadership.

And FODEP Executive Director McDonald Chipenzi called on the public to unity and demand for an effective and functional democracy which values the participation of both gender supported by an effective and functional constitution.

Several political party leaders are in attendance at the meeting being held at Pamodzi hotel in Lusaka.