In Belarus women play an important role in politics and economy, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE PA) Christine Muttonen told the media on 7 July.
A gender equality power lunch was held on the sidelines of the OSCE PA session to discuss gender equality and present Belarus' experience in achieving gender equality. According to Christine Muttonen, ‘there are very strong women working and living in Belarus' that play a significant role both in politics and economics. Women make up one-third of Belarus' MPs and half of Belarus' workforce.
The partcipants exchanged views on the prospects for achieving gender equality in public administration. “We need a balance between men and women in power,” Christine Muttonen noted. She highlighted both genders have equal career, educational, and other opportunities. There should be equal participation of women and men in decision-making processes, too, she said.
The 26th OSCE PA Annual Session is taking place in Minsk from 5 to 9 July.