Development partners’ recommendations concerning the short-term actions aimed at ensuring gender equality can be implemented if there is political will, executive director of the Women’s Political Club 50/50 Ecaterina Mardarovici stated for IPN.
The recommendations were formulated in the policy notes presented to the Government of Moldova on March 4. “During 100 days these conditions can be partially fulfilled as the legislative package concerning the women’s representation in politics, together with the inclusion of women in the lists of candidates, was already adopted in the first reading by Parliament,” said Ecaterina Mardarovici, noting that the development partners suggested that the government should pass the relevant laws in the final reading so as to offer the women equal chances in the coming local elections.
According to the director of the Women’s Political Club 50/50, the fulfillment of the recommendations of the development partners, especially as regards the short-term actions, do not imply financial costs, but only political will and understanding. Moldova took the first steps by setting a 30% women’s representation quota in politics, but the legislative package must be adopted in the second reading. The proposals refer not only to the quota, but also to the place of women on parties’ lists of candidates for elections. Without this provision, the women’s balanced participation in the political life at the national and local levels cannot be ensured.
Ecaterina Mardarovici welcomed the development partners’ recommendation regarding the paternity leave, saying the costs associated with the implementation of the given bill are exaggerated. The EU provided a lot of support for covering all the costs as this leave is necessary during the first month of the birth of the child and it’s normal to guarantee this right.
Development partners’ recommendations concerning the ensuring of gender equality were made following findings that the women’s representation in politics and decision-making in Moldova is under the international standard. On July 17, 2014, Parliament passed a bill to set a 30% women’s representation quota for the lists of candidates.
