II SÉRIE-D — NÚMERO 18

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9- Pela primeira vez no mundo, associa os parlamentares, através dos parlamentos nacionais ou da

própria APCE, ao mecanismo de monitorização da Convenção;

10- As reservas passíveis de utilização, são extremamente limitadas.

No dia 11 de Março de 2014, fui orador convidado para falar na conferência organizada pela União Inter-

Parlamentar subordinada ao tema “At the crossroad of sustainable development and gender equality: the role

of parliaments”. A minha intervenção ocorreu no painel sobre “Women in decision-making: trafficking

progresso over 10 years od MDGs”, e versou sobre o tema “The role of political parties in improving women’s

political representation”, e encontra-se reproduzida em anexo ao presente relatório.

No final do debate, fiz outra intervenção em respostas às questões colocadas por 25 intervenientes.

Assembleia da República, 12 de Março de 2014.

O Deputado do PSD, José Mendes Bota.

ANEXO

Speech by Mr Mendes Bota on “The role of political parties in improving women’s political

representation”, at the parliamentary event organised by IPU and UN Women entitled “At the

crossroads of sustainable development and gender equality: the role of parliaments”

on the occasion of the 58th session of the Commission on the Status of Women

11 March 2014, UN Headquarters, New York

Dear members of Parliament,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Distinguished participants,

I cannot remember why I started to get involved on gender equality issues and the rights of women. I did not

learn it in university. I did not discussed it during the revolution or afterwards. In the late 70s or 80s that was not

an issue on Portuguese political agenda.

I cannot explain why I drafted a motion for resolution on political strategy for my party, approved by the

Congress, including a paragraph demanding more political involvement of women.

And since then, in several occasions, I did the same, with other motions and in other Congresses of my

party.

I may not have learnt it, but I had the feeling that something was wrong, something was missing: half of our

militants, half of our voters, were not properly represented in our elected corp.

Maybe, that’s also why in 1997, I led a candidature to my home town, in total parity, half men and half

women, and my deputy was a women, in a time too far from talking about quotas or equal opportunities for

women and men.

This is what happened to me, and since that longtime, I never stopped pleading for more women in

decision-making places.

But let me share with you my thoughts on the matter. Where is the problem? What’s the problem?

Sometimes, many of us, give for granted living in countries where voters have a free choice on what

everybody considers there are “free and fair” elections.

We give for granted to live in countries without opacity, falsification of electoral protocols, without pressure,

violence or intimidation of candidates and voters during an electoral campaign.

Imagine such democratic paradises with equal access to impartial, independent and neutral media, with

secrecy on the ballot and transparency on political accountability, where everybody has assured the right to

vote, including people with disabilities and illiterature.

Let’s imagine this is happening in all 193 member Estates of the United Nations Organisation.

Even if this could happen, and unfortunately is not happening, very hardly we could say we live in a full

democracy.